The Wedding Film School Show: Recent Episodes
Jason McCutchen, Jared Haskell
If you are a Wedding Filmmaker then the Wedding Film School Show is for you. Hosted by Jason McCutchen and Jared Haskell of Stopgolove and Huxley Film, we dive into the depths of how to run a wedding filmmaking biz in the wedding industry. From gear talk, to industry interviews, to straight up mathy business topics, we cover a lot of ground. Give us a subscribe and let us know what you want hear about next!
Andrew Abajian is an incredible storytelling with flare for the cinematic and creating meaningful narrative structures in his wedding films. We talk story, posing and connecting with couples to create film that are truly meaningful.
The Youngs talk us through working with your spouse and selling photo AND video packages. We even touch on the dreaded "Knot" topic ands give some tips to maximizing your effectiveness on platforms like that.
Cindy Novotny is one of the global leaders in the hospitality space and a regular speaker at Engage! Summits, the wedding industry's #1 ultra-luxury wedding summit. In this episode we talk about the convergence of luxury travel and hospitality and wedding filmmaking. People buy the experience NOT just the product.
Should you sign an NDA or not and why? Should you do it for free? How much should you sell an NDA for? We talk all things NDA in this riveting episode.
Stanton Giles of Films by Stanton has quickly made a name for himself as one of the premiere elopement and destination filmmakers in the world but what if we told you travel weddings are all sunshine and "wanderlust". Stanton dives into the high highs, amazing pros and very real cons of destination wedding filmmaking.
Bobby and Jason dive into the pros and cons of using your wedding photo and video business to launch multiple lines of business and a few tips on how to NOT go crazy doing it
Communication is key when heading into a wedding day. Jason and Jared dive into FIVE QUESTIONS to ask your couples during your consultations that will set proper expectations and help you shoot better weddings.
Going full-time in the arts is the dream for so many filmmakers and photographers, but is it really all it's cracked up to be? Jason and Jared discuss and give three ways you can know your business is ready to take the plunge.
Josh Helton is known for synthetic, raw and heart warming storytelling that reaches beyond the wedding day using archival footage and various mini DV dad cams but in this episode we go deeper than just the gear and into how every wedding filmmaker can use the unexpected parts of the wedding days they are covering to create timeless storytelling.
We talk business a lot here, but believe it or not, but believe it or not shooting well is the KEY to leveling up as a wedding filmmaker. In this episode Jason and Jared dig into some ways that shooting better allows you to tell better stories and some things high end filmmakers are doing withy their cameras that newbies maybe miss out on.
If you have filmed weddings for any length of time you know photographers and filmmakers don't always see eye-to-eye at weddings but this doesn't HAVE to be the case. Jason and Lindsey talk about creating a inspiring, fun, and profitable work environment with as filmmakers shooting along side wedding photographers. Heck. You may even grow to like them.
Wedding Planners are essential to maximizing your income as a wedding filmmaker and anyone can create incredible working relationships with the wedding planners they work with if they follow a few basic principles. Lindsey Conklin of Le Rêve Films joins us to share his expertise on creating amazing connections with planners, no matter what the weddings budget is, that go beyond the wedding day and create amazing opportunities for the filmmaker AND the wedding planner and also a few things NOT to do if you want to make a planner love working with you.
Bobby and Jason talk through the "do everything" mentality of the wedding creative and how irreplaceable person syndrome may be negatively affecting your biz... And what to do about it.
How much should I be charging for my wedding films or photo work?
When should I raise prices?
Should my pricing be on my website?
Pricing can be a hard topic to tackle when you're first starting out.
In this first episode of Salable, a Wedding Film School Podcast, we dive into the when where and how to price your work.
Have specific questions? Reach out on our Ask Me Anything part of the show here - https://weddingfilm.school/ama/
🚨Our Favorite Gear For Wedding Filmmakers | http://bit.ly/WFSKit 🚨
We had the opportunity to sit down with Daniel, the founder of Musicbed, the best music licensing platform for wedding filmmakers and more to chat about the ins and outs of the music licensing industry, what musicbed is doing for wedding filmmakers and even find out some incredibly facts about how they run things on their end. Couldn't have asked for a better guest and we are excited to collaborate more in the future with this amazing company!
🎹 Free Wedding Song Playlist | http://share.mscbd.fm/wfsplaylist
▶️ Main Channel | www.youtube.com/weddingfilmschool
👨🏼🏫 Mentorship | http://www.weddingfilm.school
Companies We Recommend
🎵 Musicbed (1 month free on annual) | https://geni.us/FahjKew
💻 NoBackLog | https://www.nobacklog.com
🎬 Mediazilla | http://bit.ly/WFSmz
🎙Find us on your favorite platforms
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6uIjhVH1GuxKxdJr3KGSTz
Apple Podcasts | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wedding-film-school-show/id1460078925
weddingvideography #weddingfilmmaking
We all know Musicbed as the premiere song licensing platform for Wedding Filmmakers but what you may not know is that it was founded BY Wedding Filmmakers. Daniel McCarthy from Musicbed was nice enough to hop on and talk all things music licensing ("Like... How does this even work)and the transformative power of music to create a special, unique moment for our couples and clients.
We also dig into why your songs get flag by social media companies, why Musicbed removed "the" from their website and branding, and even why Musicbed changed their sales model from song by song to a subscription model (and why it's a great deal).
We've all heard that the wedding industry is recession proof but is that REALLY true. We break down the current wedding boom, discuss when the bubble will burst (it will) and discuss wether or not a global economic downturn will have a significant impact the wedding industry and wedding creatives (photo and video pros) in particular. We dive into the 2008 recession nd it's impact on the 2009 wedding industry and talk through Four Ways to Prepare Your Wedding Filmmaking biz for a potential recession in 2023 and beyond.
Running a wedding filmmaking studio is def a unique challenge. From scheduling to gear to still managing to create a great film for your clients, it’s not for the faint of heart.
In this episode Jared and Jason talk through what it takes to run their studio, StopGoLove, and break down a normal week in the life of a studio that does 220 wedding films a year.
We've all been there and we all have the scars. The unhappy mom who wanted "all the footage". The Wedding Planner who doesn't like your lights. The eager bride who just can't wait to see their film and is sending endless emails 3 day after the event. With conflict it's not "if", it's "when" and "how do you handle it".
In this episode we break the wedding process down into 4 stages and then talk about specific conflicts then can arise between you, your clients and other partners you may work with along the way.
Jason and Jared breakdown three & a half ways you can end the cycle of endless backlogs and late deliverables. Spoiler alert: It's your fault.
Jason and Jared break down 5 Things Wedding Filmmakers should just STOP doing, why, and a better path forward.
- The year many creatives discovered that they are indeed running a biz and that sometimes they need some help doing so. The problem is for many they were caught flat-footed and simply had no help. Imagine if many creators had a little help from some other trusted creative partners though. That would have been pretty dope for all those triple headers, double booked reschedules, and that endless backlog.
We believe every creative business should have associates not just for the owners benefit, but for the client, and we break down the 4 Key Types of Associate personas as make the argument that associates are not just for large studios or celebrity photographers. Associates are LIFE.
Remember that time where having a drone actually helped you standout as a wedding filmmaker? Yeah. Feels like ages, huh? Where do drones stand in today's landscape when everyone seemingly has one and we are all shooting basically the same shots with them? Should you be charging for drone coverage or include it in your packages? What's the difference between a good drone shot and a bad one? Why do Jared and Jason NOT shoot drone at most of the weddings that they are covering? All this and more in this very droney episode of The Wedding Film School Show.
Let's face it. Social media can feel like a chore at best when you are having to deal with the many responsibilities that go into running a filmmaking business. Worse yet, the platforms and their "emphasis on video" really only benefit content creators who create FOR the platform exclusively so forget getting traction on your finished films without some work going into optimizing them. With that in mind, Jared and Jason talk about the realities of reels and video on social media and some ways we can all leverage the ever chaining landscape to our benefit (even if we have to edit totally new videos in the terrible vertical format.) We are just saying what you are all thinking on this episode.
Great audio is one of the biggest hurdles many wedding filmmakers face and for good reason. Live events are a tough place to record audio, especially a wedding where there may or may not be anyone there who knows what they are doing with the audio. It doesn't need there either! Capturing good audio is only half the battle. Once you hit the edit bay a new battle begins. From picking the right sound bytes to choosing the illusive "perfect song", it is more than obvious that great sound recording and design can make or break your films.
In this episode Jared and Jason dive into all things AUDIO and talk through some of the biggest challenges most filmmakers face and how to level up your films by making audio a priority.
The age old debate to how to package photo and video packages rages on to this day with many people not knowing how to keep their a la carte items from cannibalizing their packages. In this episode Jared and Jason break down how they use a la carte items to create value in their packages AND add money to the bottom line. It's so important to create a value ladder and package progression that just makes sense to clients but also make you money while still creating a since of value and joy with the client.
As we sit in the thick of booking season Jared and Jason dive into one of the wedding creatives biggest problems, lead generation, and how to better target each type of couple (or whoever is ACTUALLY making decisions for the booking of that wedding). It's not a one sizer fits all solution for every type of wedding and couple so Jared and Jason dive into three primary market segments that many wedding filmmaker work in (Budget Conscious, High End, and Luxury) and how to generate and close more leads in each segment. They even peel back the curtain on their own lead generation to give you insight into how your lead diversity should look.
Wedding Film School is one of the most important legacy brands in wedding filmmaking education, and as such it's got its share of history. In this episode Bobby, Jared and Jason grapple with joining the brand after Kraig and the gang, what it means to represent Wedding Film School today, and where they plan on going with WFS in the future.
2021 was a year to remember. After 2020 was wiped out by the pandemic we knew 2021 was gonna be crazy but we had no idea how crazy. In this episode Bobby, Jason, and Jared talk about what 2021 taught them about wedding filmmaking and running a creative business in the event industry.
The truth hurts, but the truth will set you free too. We explore the phenomena of artists critiquing the work of other artists, talk about the difference between "contest cuts" and "client cuts", and over all just hangout in Las Vegas at WPPI 2021.
Wedding Filmmaking is going to the next level. That's for sure! Jared, Jason, and Bobby recently spent some time at WPPI watching the live judging for the annual film competition and walked away very impressed. There were some amazing films! Despite all this awesomeness, between the weekly LIVE film critiques on WFS Live and the WPPI contest they noticed a few trends they really love and a few trends that, let's just say, need a little improvement.
How do you know WHEN the time is right to quit that other job and go full-time in wedding filmmaking. In this episode we dive into THREE milestones in your wedding filmmaking biz you can use to determine if the time is right for you to go FULL-TIME as a wedding filmmaker!
The age old question in the creative world "When should I go full-time" is one many of us have wrestled with. For some, the decision to take the plunge was easy and obvious (at least to our mind) but to others it may have been a little tricky, but let's be honest... Is it all it's cracked up to be? For many of you the truth is, it MAY not be the right choice for YOU. In this episode we dig into a few reasons why, for many people, going full-time in wedding filmmaking may not be the end-all-be-all. Let's explore!
GET $25 OFF CALIBRATE WORKSHOP BY USING OUR CODE WFS25 : www.calibrateworkshop.com
John and Nick are the wedding filmmakers behind one of our industries best podcasts, How to Film Weddings. In this episode we talk through their journey, what it's like to be a creator telling other creators How To Film Weddings and the insecurities that creates in how John and Nick Film Weddings, why you should be intentional building your wedding filmmaking biz, and all about the amazing online workshop John and Nick are putting on in August 2021.
Ryan Brown and Forged in the North have carved a unique position out in the wedding filmmaking landscape. This NYC based team creates messy, fun, personal, and incredible wedding films shooting primarily handheld. In this episode we dig into why authenticity is the true key to making “cool” films and some basic tips to bring that edge to your films.
We have all been there. The feeling that it's "just another wedding" and the frustration that it's just not "fun anymore". In this episode we dive into this problem (it's actually a good sign, by the way) how we can lean into the good side of a creative rut (efficiency and predictability are good for business) while still allowing that fire for creating and challenging ourselves to burn bright.
What is “art”? Can you make art and not truly express your individuality? Do you need to express individuality? What is life? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why, god? Why?
Team building is a buzz word in our industry, and most people exclusively mean adding scale by adding additional teams for shooting MORE weddings but the truth is your team is so much more. Team-building is a part of EVERY wedding creative professionals business, not just studios with large teams. We all need other people involved in our business to help it be it's best.
The annual budget... Let's face it. Most wedding creatives don't spend enough, if any, time on this. We just kinda go for it! If the goal is simply work more or. work less and get paid more (both make the same amount btw) then this can be ok, but what if the goal is "Actually be profitable!" What if you wanted to know how much you made per package or how much you are still paying per package sold on Gera bought three years ago? Without a good budget this can be impossible. Jared and Jason breakdown why creatives can and SHOULD have awesome budgets and why this is essential to their happiness as a business owner. Enjoy, if you can, a podcast about budgeting. And the people rejoiced.
Jessica Mertz is the filmmaker behind one of the wedding world's up-and-coming voices, Honey Fox Films. In this episode Jessica talks about her background in psychology and how she creates a safe place for her couples to be vulnerable with one another in front of her lens.
Check out Honey Fox Films:
https://www.honeyfoxfilms.com
One of the most important aspects of any good business plan is looking long-term with your goals. That's kinda the point of a plan, right? Where do you see your biz in 5 years? Who is your ideal client? What rate do you want to be charging once you're established? This and more in this episode of the Wedding Film School show!
Jason Battista went from wedding filmmaking to running one of the world’s foremost editing studios for wedding filmmakers. He did what many of us only dream of but should be trying to do, he took his wedding filmmaking career and parlayed it into an entirely new career. In this episode we talk about thinking about the future and diversifying our revenue streams as wedding filmmakers from one of the best in the industry at doing just that.
Evan Barbare graces us with his presence. As a CPA and a wedding filmmaker his unique perspective on our awesome industry offers a ton of value to wedding creatives. Check out more of even in his brand new YouTube channel, CameraDadCPA!
Wedding creatives love/hate marketing. Opinions on wether you should even care about this and HOW MUCH you should spend on it (if anything) vary from zero to 10's of thousands of dollars. No matter what your business model is one thing is for sure: You need to have a strategy to market your wedding filmmaking business. In this episode we dive into what comprises a marketing strategy for a great business plan and how you can take stock of what you're currently doing with your business.
Fujifilm is one of the camera worlds oldest and most respected brands, and they are known for being a bit different. Victor Ha, Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management for Fujifilm USA, joins us to talk all things Fujifilm and why cameras and image making are vital to the human experience.
We get it. Creative are the most down with numbers and data and such, but trust us. Spend some time researching your market and watch your business grow by leaps and bounds. Who are the movers and shakers in your market? Why are couples working with other people and not you? What is your market penetration in the venues you want to be shooting? Where are your leads coming from? All this nerdy stuff and more in this WFS Show episode!
Matt Johnson’s mighty beard has blazed a trail across YouTube and the wedding filmmaking world for years now and now he makes his way back to Wedding Film School.
Every business has to take take stock of what they are working with today and also dream for the future. In all cases it take understanding the many resources it takes to run a creative business in the wedding industry: time, money, gear, relationships, a dope portfolio. Where you land on understanding this and putting together these ingredients can make the difference between barely scraping by and living your dreams.
We sit down with the founder of Wedding Film School and in many ways on of the pioneers of wedding filmmaking education on YouTube to chat on everything from creating films next to a volcano to the ONE wedding Kraig would agree to shoot. Welcome back, Kraig... If only today!
In Part 2 of our "Your Business Plan Sucks" we talk about why you need a well thought out business model. This aspect of your business plan will help you create a system of wealth creation and evaluate when you are doing things that are reaching the wrong customers or maybe just not serving a customer well. At the end of the day, a business should work for YOU, not you for IT.
For help crafting your business model check out our white paper"The 8 Elements of a GREAT Business Model"- https://weddingfilm.school/resources/
We interview one of the pioneers of adventure elopement photography Benj Haisch to talk all things wedding, working well as a creative team (the age old photo and video wedding rivalry), learning video as photographer, and even the time Benj served dinner at a wedding because he's such a nice dude!
Planning, you say? Business, you say? Yeah, actually this stuff is super important and will change your life for the better. In this episode (Part 1 of a new podcast series "Your Business Plan Sucks") Jared and Jason break down what a business plan consists of and why every wedding creative needs to get out of the camera and create a strategy and a plan that will allow them to finally have the freedom they got into running their own business to have to begin with. Get ready to have your brains es'plode!
Jared and Jason discuss their new brand, Merriment Films, and some of the hurdles they are facing with their brand new brand have got them thinking about many of the new wedding filmmakers and photographers starting out! We discuss what it’s like to launch a new brand and some ways you can improve your own brand identity and sales tactics with your brand.
We can all get into a creative rut and what better to break up your creative malaise than some Aussie’s encouragement by our buddies, Grace and Andrew, from Bottlebrush films. We talk gear, Lonely Hearts Film Club... Er... Camp, and how we can think outside the box as wedding filmmakers.
We have all been there. That moment when you realized "Crap. I just blew it." In this episode we dig into 7 common mistakes Jason, Jared and Bobby made as new wedding creatives with the hopes that you can avoid their misfortune and pain. We also play a little game of Wedding Filmmaker "Would You Rather?" with Bobby. It's very high brow stuff.
Henry Marten's is one of the preeminent voices in wedding filmmaking. From his signature color grades to his crazy camera whips all the way down to his constant tweaking and tuning of his kit, every aspect of how Henry makes films comes together to create a unique vision of what a wedding film can be. In this episode Jason, Jared, and Henry dig deep into how every filmmaker can start to fine tune their own approach to making art and arrive at their own unique "look".
In this episode we break down the four main ways you can break through that booking ceiling that's been nagging your creative biz and hit that next goal number.
It may not seem like it, 2021 may actually present an incredible opportunity for new wedding filmmakers to get into the market. In. this episode we break down FOUR REASONS why 2021 may be the best year ever for. new wedding videographer to get into the market. From the amazing gear at affordable prices to the booked up filmmakers dealing with 2020 reschedules.
The time has finally come to say goodbye. After a year of mulling over the direction of the channel we've decided enough is enough...and by that, we mean WE'RE JOINING THE TEAM AT WEDDING FILM SCHOOL!!!
It's been a great run but we're super stoked to be joining Bobby Burns and Jason Battista at Wedding Film School.
What does it mean? Wedding Film School is quickly evolving and we're excited to be a part of the transition.
Make sure you're following Wedding Film School for our weekly podcast.
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Weddings are recession proof... but not pandemic proof. This new reality has caused many of us in the celebrations industry to revaluate our income streams and, for many of us, upon closer inspection we have come to learn our streams of income may need a little help diversifying. In this episode we break down how having a diverse income stream saved Jason and Jared's business and 3 Questions you can ask yourself to figure out how you can run a more stable and diverse wedding business!
Joel and Justyna are a husband and wife photography team out of Canadian who specialize in creating incredible editorial wedding photography with a high fashion bend. .. and they met on Craigslist.
Ok, kind of. What started as an ad for collaborative photo project on Craigslist has resulted in one of of today's most evocative creative forced in wedding photography. In this episode we dig into their inspirations, style, and even get the story behind some of their photos. Def check this one out on YouTube for the full effect. ENJOY!
Covid-19 has thrown a huge wrench in the works of the wedding industry, but Jared and Jason are coming through with 4 ways your wedding photo or video biz can move forward in 2021, and hopefully even stay profitable...
Sarah & Rick Pendergraft of Pen Weddings are some of the wedding filmmaker communities most enduring leaders, and for good reason! Their work embodies what it means to create some thing truly personal and intimate for their couples. In this episode we go through their journey from the news room to wedding filmmakers, some great tips on storytelling with better sound bites, using YouTube a tool to grow your wedding film biz, and even get into Wedding Film Retreat.
Bobby is one of the true nice guys of the wedding filmmaking community, a great artist, accomplished educator but most of all... a NINJA. We break down all the faces of Bobby in this episode but really get into the challenge of taking a brand with the up and down history of Wedding Film School from 4 videos in a year a while back to alt's former glory as a staple of the wedding film community. Bobby is open and honest about not just building WFS back up, but his own journey on YouTube as an educator. Most listen for fans of WFS, those looking to get into YouTubing, and ninjas.
Mike Michalowicz is the groundbreaking author of "Profit First", an I credible financial system based on getting profit into the hands of business owners and creating a system of finial management you ca actually do! Unlike most business book, we felt Profit First was a PERFECT fit for the wedding industry. We can't wait for you to learn from Mike is this amazing episode.
This quarantine is got us all a little stir crazy and has made Jared and Jason rethink what inspires them. In this episode they dig into how COVID-19 has caused them to look for inspiration in some unlikely places and some ways this crisis may actually cause the kind of innovation that drives forward the future of the wedding industry
Austin Trenholm defines what it means to be a Wedding Pro in so many ways. Not only does he create beautiful work but he has transcended his work as a photographer to and started Good Light Presets, one of the premiere providers of photography presets. In this episode we talk about creating good work while still keep a the right perspective on what it really means to be a professional in the wedding world. We also explore the beginnings of Good Light Presets and talk about Radiohead and stuff...
A crisis will do many things to you and your business. It will hurt. It will stress you out. It will force you to be creative... But the main things a crisis will do is reveal what your biz is REALLY made of. In this episode, taped during the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, Jared and Jason reflect on what this unplanned crises has revealed has revealed to them about their own businesses and what crazy times like this can reveal about YOUR business.
Brandon Wong is the visionary CEO behind the world's coolest Photo Booth company, Photo Booth Supply Co! Brandon started out as full time wedding photographer and soon realized the challenge of scaling such a personal business and out of this need for a better, more scalable revenue stream Photo Booth Supply Co. was born. This episode dives into Brandon's journey and how any wedding pro can launch their own Photo Booth company.
photobooth #photoboothsupplyco #weddingpros
Caroline Tran is a Los Angeles Wedding and Lifestyle Portrait Photographer. Caroline went from teaching high school Physics to full on photography guru. She photographs weddings, babies, families, fitness! You name it, she photographs it. Not only is Caroline a world class photographer she has found some amazing ways to add value to other creatives via education and presets... O yeah. And she's a mom. This lady does it all!
Award winning photographer, entrepreneur, and all around great guy Daniel Kudish founded Montreal based photography retouching and post-production house The Image Salon based on a huge demand by photographers to simplify their lives and businesses. This incredible studio gave every photographer their own editor, and their lives back!
PART TWO!!! Does the mere mention of another app or tool for you business make your head spin? Are you constantly overwhelmed by all the work you have to do and just can't find a way to get that stuff done? Jared and Jason are here to help. They have built a business with systems that can sustain over 120 weddings are year, 9 employees, and commercial work to boot. If these two idiots can build this thing you can too!
Does the mere mention of another app or tool for you business make your head spin? Are you constantly overwhelmed by all the work you have to do and just can't find a way to get that stuff done? Jared and Jason are here to help. They have built a business with systems that can sustain over 120 weddings are year, 9 employees, and commercial work to boot. If these two idiots can build this thing you can too!
We all know that one of the number one challenges a wedding creative faces is "How do I price this stuff?" Luckily Jonathan is a pricing and packaging expert and he is here to help. Jason and Jonathan talk about pricing and packages and how to grow your business.
In this episode we discuss film making, life balance and women in the wedding film making industry with Nikki Fox.
Henry is literally one of our favorite filmmakers in the wedding world. We have been following his career since the beginning and we wouldn't be more psyched to share his mad skills with you all. We cover a lot of ground from sound design top editing to Rolex watches. Enjoy!
George Bucur is the talented filmmaking half of Mari Harsan Studios from Washington DC. His love for filmmaking and being a sick DJ blew our minds and inspired us. Not only are his films incredible, this dude's just the sweetest. We love him... Nicest. Dude. Ever.
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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wedding-pros-podcast/id1460078925
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weddingpros #weddingfilmmakers #blackmagicdesign
CHECK OUT GEORGE'S WORK: https://www.mariharsan.com
Musicbed SyncID:
MB01L1LBNQIBEZU
We sit down with John Bunn and Nick Miller, two great filmmakers who also happen to be great podcasters and now great educators. The universe is unfair. Enjoy.
Jason and Jared dive into the hard numbers surrounding the state of the industry for wedding photo and video professionals. How much does the avg. bride pay for photo and video? How many total weddings are there? Can the demand (weddings) even support the supply (wedding creatives) available? We get into all of this!
The Hons of Hustle & Flow do it all: create beautiful photos, raise a family, marketing, branding, and run killer workshops. We burn up this podcast as we cover everything from working less and getting paid more and wether or not that saying is a total scam designed to sell workshops, are we REALLY storytellers as wedding creatives, and should we REALLY be telling other creatives how many weddings they should be taking every year.
Eli di Faria is a wedding photographer and principal photographer for Bai beverages.We have a
WEBSITE// www.elidefaria.com
INSTA// www.instagram.com/elidefaria
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Benj Haisch is one of the wedding photography world's most enduring and talented artists! We dig into the secret to his longevity, monetizing his brand beyond wedding photography, and just being good to people.
nycweddingplanner #parisweddingplanner #weddingpros
Loli Events Website - https://lolievents.com
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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wedding-pros-podcast/id1460078925
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6uIjhVH1GuxKxdJr3KGSTz
Musicbed SyncID: MB01F0UJQVW4D1L
We connect with the amazing, incredible Chellise from Chellise Michael Photography about building teams, why videographer suck at posing, and creating an enduring brand in as a wedding creative. Not only is she a blast but she is an absolutely brilliant creative entrepreneur and artist. Enjoy!
www.chellisemichaelphotography.com
www.instagram.com/chellisemichaelphotography
Happy New Year! So it's 2020 and as cheesy as it sounds 2020 can be the year you have a vision for your business' finances. Budgeting can be hard (and boring) but it's one of those things that need to be done in order to be successful as a business and just as a person. As we dive into the new year we talk about some new cameras and how we get ahead and budget throughout the year to be able to afford them without putting us under.
2020 Budgeting spreadsheet with equations - https://rb.gy/ci6xxe
Jordan Bunch is a true renaissance man. Not only has he killed it in the wedding industry with Lady Bird Studios, but he is poised to bring that same level of excellence to the commercial and documentary space with Film Mavericks. Beyond his professional accolades Jordan is just a straight up great dude with a heart for people. In this episode we explore the importance of having real connections with other people. We also explore Jordan's journey from the wedding film world to the commercial space. Enjoy!
Commercial and documentary work - www.filmmavericks.com
Wedding work - www.ladybirdstudios.com
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David Le is a second shooter. He's also a lead shooter. He's also a filmmaker. He's also a photographer. Actually, he's just freaking talented enough to do whatever he wants to do with a camera. Darn him. David has built a reputation as a true pro in the industry working with the likes of Tyler Branch and Henry Martens and serves as an inspiration for any of you second shooters out there not to limit yourself and how to collaborate with other amazing people.
This episode is PERFECT for any of you second shooters looking for inspiration and for any wedding creative professionals who work with associates looking to get amazing work out of them and help them go to the next level!
On the web - www.davidle.co
On the Gram -www.instagram.com/davidle.co/
secondshooter#thebrothersmartin #davidle #weddingpros
CHECK OUT OUR PACKES FOR STOPGOLOVE HERE: http://www.stopgolove.net/services.html
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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wedding-pros-podcast/id1460078925
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6uIjhVH1GuxKxdJr3KGSTz
As booking season approaches we thought we would dive deep into our own sales process here at Stopgolove, our wedding film and photo brand. We have been at this game for 10 years and break down our own packages and what we view as most important to our own sales process, as well as discussing the three methods of sales for #weddingphotographers and #weddingfilmmakers as we see it: package based, al la carte based, and custom based sales.
CHECK OUT OUR PACKES FOR STOPGOLOVE HERE: http://www.stopgolove.net/services.html
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1529904553810735/
VisionQuest 2019 was a life-changing, transcendent experience that brought together over 100 of the wedding industry's greatest filmmakers in Austin, Texas for 2 days of learning, inspiration, and straight up fun. Created by Alex and Whitney Douglas of Sculpting With Time, VQ2019 had a lineup to die for (Fiore Films, Ray Roman Films, 31 Films, Henry Martens of The Brothers Marten, Film Mavericks) and a healthy dose of community building and drinking to go along with it, but did it live up to the hype?
We've been the workshop type, so the was our first time ever attending an event for filmmakers so we didn't really know what to expect. Without ruining the episode, we loved it! We can't wait to tell you all about. once in a lifetime experience we will never forget!
What gear would we buy today fi we were starting a new wedding film business? It's actually a really fun exercise you should try on your own. In this episode Jared and Jason do just that. They build out the perfect rig for a "new" wedding film company from scratch with the restriction that they cannot spend more than 10k. "10K!? That's a ton of money!" you day! "That would be easy!" you say! Try it! It's actually really hard. We get everything from camera bodies to lenses to hard drives and even a computer, all for 10k.
Check out our shopping carts HERE: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1ozZ-C3Qpb-TorObspDgZSTQQf42idssR
If you love the craft of filmmaking this is the episode for you! We sit down and talk to one of New England's most talented filmmakers: Rich Ferri of Rangely Films. We talk about the differences between creating wedding films and commercial work, the art of image-making, interacting with other creatives on the day of a wedding, and wether wedding films are a step down creatively compared to commercial work. Don't forget to peep Rich's work and give him a follow on social.
Rangely Films (Weddings) - https://www.instagram.com/rangelyfilms
Rich Ferri (Commercial) - https://www.instagram.com/therichferri
Check out Rich's work! He's Good!
A Wedding: https://vimeo.com/346884209
Twig & Briar: https://vimeo.com/362189818
MDLTN Fall 2019: https://vimeo.com/360720862
MDLTN Styled Shoot: https://vimeo.com/278273140
Alex & Ani Fall 2019: https://vimeo.com/285167198
Well. We are finally adopting a new system and it's scary! We pit Canon VS Blackmagic and Blackmagic came out on top. In this podcast we break down our journey deciding why we are choosing Blackmagic for our new line of wedding films. We also compare and contrast the Pocket 4k VS the Pocket 6k vs the URSA Mini G2.
If you have ever made a big shift in your business in an area that is fundamental to the product you deliver you know exactly HOW scary that is but also how necessary it may be sometimes to create the product you have in our mind become a reality.
In this episode we talk with Mark Spooner. We hear all about his first photographs of bikes or something, we use the word "existential" a lot (he's a smart guy), discuss identity and being, and even discuss the challenges of scaling a business while still maintaining quality.
scalingyourbusiness #weddingpros #weddingphotography #photography
Check out Mark: http://www.markspoonerphoto.com
Here's Mark's Intsa: https://instagram.com/markwspooner?igshid=1s9g8v2h4ch74
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP
Britt Cole and Francie Dorman are the geniuses behind the wedding planning firms, 42 North and Mavinhouse. 42 North is the multi-published, "Best of Boston" award winning concierge level wedding planning firm responsible for some of the North Easts most luxurious and beautiful weddings. They peel back the curtain and give us insight into what goes into planning some truly amazing weddings and also reveal their new venture, Mavinhouse!
We get real and discuss their humble beginnings, their approach towards creating stunning events, running out of money, and the creation of their new venture, Mavinhouse Events.
www.42northweddings.com
www.mavinhouse.com
We have all been in the vulnerable place where we were just starting something, or trying a new idea, or getting ready to share our work for the world to see where we simply felt totally exposed and vulnerable. The doubt creeps in and we ask "What the heck am I doing?" Believe it or not, at the other side of the fear is often the business and art you have always wanted to make and the life your truly want!
In this episode Jared and Jason explore the necessity of taking risks with your business and get into some of their own journeys with putting themselves out there, throwing caution to the wind, and ignoring the noise slo find their own unique journey in the wedding business with Stopgolove and now Huxley Film.
Marketing and PR get a bad rep in the wedding professional community. For many it's just a scam to steal their money. For many they feel they get all they need from "word of mouth." In this episode we explore the topic in detail from branding to simply just "getting you name out there" w/ Natalie Denyse of In Good Company PR.
Natalie founded In Good Company on the basis that every creative professional deserves to be recognized among a community that appreciates their craft. Prior to, Natalie successfully directed public relations client campaigns in enterprise technology for a leading mid-size PR agency, as well as spearheading social media strategy for a publicly traded marketing company. Natalie has worked with many of the leading creatives in the wedding industry. Natalie's clients have appeared Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, the New York Times, and many other industry leading publications and websites.
In this episode Natalie give us the skinny why we all NEED marketing and PR w/ helpful tips on how industry leaders approach this daunting topic. Guess what. You can do it too! Even without a killer PR agent and marketing firm!
Every Wedding Pro knows about that midseason wall. That moment in your wedding season where you get home after a double decker weekend in July, knees aching, covered in dry sweat, and lay in bed and say "I can't do this next weekend." In this episode we discuss how we get through our crazy 120 weddings seasons without losing our minds and all our relationships.
We discuss the dreaded work/life balance and get into some safe boundaries we set so that our passion for weddings isn't destroyed by simply getting burnt out.
worklifebalance #worklifeboundaries #burnout
How you structure your package offerings to clients isn't that straightforward and for many people it's something they are constantly adjusting and tweaking trying to find that magic mix to maximize profits and sell more weddings. In this podcast we give the Stopgolove method of creating wedding packages that help us sell more weddings and communicate clear expectations with our clients.
We all have "beginning" to our journey as a wedding creative. In this episode we talk with Tiffany Von, one of our oldest and dearest friends here at StopGoLove about going from shooting (amazing) senior portraits to hustling her way to be known as one of Boston's premiere wedding photographers and serious girl boss. We explore how she found her creative voice as an artist and that time she told Jason "No".
We all need to GET PAID but if you are a wedding creative entrepreneur you quickly realizes it's not that simple. The financial pressures of being an entrepreneur are simply not what most creatives got into this work for. They want to create beautiful work, go to amazing locations, and hang out with awesome people. When the pressures of taxes, gear, and profit start coming in it can quickly suck the joy out of the work. Many wedding creatives live hand-to-mouth and never get to that place where they feel stable and financially secure. In this podcast we tackle the ideas of profit, cost of replacement, and how living the lifestyle you want to live.
You don't have too be a slave to your business. You can structure your earnings in such a way that you actually have breathing room to ENJOY YOUR BUSINESS again. In this podcast we talk over how to create a sustainable, healthy business that works for YOU and sets you free to have fun making wedding art again.
salary#getpaid#weddingpros
In part two of our podcast we disagree on things because that's what hosts are suppose to do. We also talk through making the pre-wedding experience amazing for clients. It's hard, by the way, so we get it, but a preceding experience will set you up for the amazing wedding day show you plan on putting on. Oh yeah, and don't forget they are still your client until you deliver their photos or video.
The Stages of Client Experiences:
1 - Branding/Discovery
2 - Lead
3 - Pre-Wedding
4 - Wedding Day
5 - Post Wedding
It's our first two-part episode! We love this topic so it was easy to talk about. We dig deep into the stages of client experience and how we can all become more intentional with our client's experience so that we can not only get customers but create advocates.
The Stages of Client Experiences:
1 - Branding/Discovery
2 - Lead
3 - Pre-Wedding
4 - Wedding Day
5 - Post Wedding
"What camera body should I buy?" is one of the most asked question for new wedding pros when they start out and for good reason. There are just so many options and so many opinions! Some people swear mirrorless. Other folks can't leave that Canon glass. Some people just need that Panasonic 60fps 4k. But does it even matter anymore? Aren't they all pretty good? We discuss this hot topic and more nerd stuff on this episode.
Jared and Jason sit down with their good friend and follow New England native, Kim Lyn Chauvin to talk about her journey as a female business owner in boudoir and weddings. Not only is Kim great at what she does behind the camera she also happens to have created one heck of an amazing social media presence with over 18k followers and an active, vibrant, and vulnerable community to boot. In this episode we run the gamut from painting and growing your social presence to creating an authentic brand to growing and failing (with style) our businesses.
Dudeoir anyone?
You get by with a little help from your friends! In this podcast we discuss team building and the studio model for a wedding creative business with Matt Celeste of Blue Flash Photography. How do you find a team? How do you train them to fit into your unique vision and culture? How do you keep them? Why does "volume business" get such a bad name in the wedding creative biz?
The one about "pricing". Let's face it. Pricing and packages is one of the most hotly debated issue in the wedding creative world. "Work less. Get paid more." Go for volume. Up sell. A la carte. Blah blah blah blah. Every "expert" has an opinion and there's a ton of great info out there. In this episode we take a stab a topic near and dear to so many wedding creatives hearts and unpack how to use market research and actual data to right price your business.
As wedding creatives we have all been buried under a pile of pictures, recaps, speeches, and wedding albums. It's one of the worst feelings EVER. One could say it does not spark joy. In this episode Jason and Jared discuss how we can use the KonMari method of tidying up to our advantage as creatives to get out from under that mess and start experiencing the fun of making art as a job again!
The KonMari method:
- Commit yourself to tidying up
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle
- Finish discarding first
- Tidy by category, not by location
- Follow the right order
- Ask yourself if it "sparks joy"
Elizabeth Laduca is one of Boston's most well respected photographers, but she also happen to be a really kind and charming person. In this episode we sit down and talk about shooting film photography, helping couples create amazing art, and the importance of having a great attitude as a wedding creative. We also get into the importance of networking with other wedding pros and to get to the next level in the growth of your wedding business.
In this episode Jared and Jason talk about the worst wedding day disasters they have been through as wedding professionals and how to weather the storm when things on't go as planned on your wedding day shoot. If you are wedding photo or video professional, you've been there. We feel your pain! Luckily, with a planning, preparation, and a little good ol fashioned positive attitude you can get through anything.
Subscribe to us on iTunes and Spotify:
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6uIjhVH...
Wedding planners are some of the most critical members of #teamwedding. As Wedding Pros we love them! Not only are these amazing people essential to some of the best celebrations out there for many Wedding Pros they are the key to getting the most out of your art and career. In this episode Jared and Jason explore this relationship with the amazing, hysterical ladies from the Big Wedding Planning Podcast and discuss some of their own experiences as wedding creatives.
Getting Started as a Wedding Creative is not for the faint of heart! In this episode Jared and Jason talk about their own journey from green horse to experience wedding professionals and some of the dumb things they did starting out. If you are a Wedding Pro you know what we are talking about! They also outline what the believe helped them grow Stopgolove into a Wedding Creative firm that does over 120 weddings a year and some helpful tips for anyone starting out or looking to scale their Wedding Creative business.
Check this episode out on YouTube @ https://youtu.be/YxkT5FQsYMc