Studio Sherpas Podcast

Most of us think we know what marketing is, and are all too familiar with the not-so-great feelings many of us as creatives feel in the pits of our stomach when thinking about how to “market” ourselves. But what if we have it all wrong? Today’s guest flips the notions we have of what marketing means and what it entails on their face, and boils it down to two very simple but powerful words. Human Connection. Chad Brown is owner and creator of Shade Tree Films but still prefers the moniker storyteller to filmmaker even after over a decade in the business. Another title that he should have is marketing maven and boy does he deliver today. We get into it right off the bat where when he redefined marketing and what it should really be for creatives, gives us tips on what we should jump into right away when it comes to marketing, and even breaks down exactly what it takes to connect with people and how you can redefine your business and yourself through that practice. We also dive deep into core values, how you def

If you’ve been listening to Studio Sherpas for long, you know we believe that the greatest investment you can make is in the people you surround yourself with. As creatives, many of us get an uneasy feeling when we hear the word “networking” but as today’s guest explains, real networking can be filled with heart, personality, and true, genuine connection. Mike Kim is a marketing consultant, communications strategist, and copywriter who loves nothing more than giving back to the world through his podcast and conferences. His insights into what the number one thing you need to do to properly market yourself, his tips and tricks on connecting with influencers right from the start, and how you can stand out from the crowd to get yourself remembered, are priceless. Mike also dives into why being a “connector” can ultimately lead to your biggest successes, and how you absolutely need to learn one critical skill every year if you want to level up your business. You will love hearing Mike speak because everything he

It’s safe to say that as creatives, most of us absolutely we love what we do. But how much time to do we set aside to work on our businesses and not just solely focus on the work inside of our business. We would all love it if our work sold itself, but the fact of the matter is that we need to put just as much work into promotion, marketing, and maybe most importantly relationship building, as we do producing amazing work. Jason Wallis is the owner of Central Standard Productions which showcases his compelling still and motion images and his commercial films. He began his career as a commercial photographer but he fell in love with filmmaking when he was forced to make a pivot in his business. These days, his diverse skill set allows him to offer both services, often to the same clients, on the same projects. Jason gets real with us about the need to be authentic in your work and relationships with people, the importance of always to bettering yourself and your portfolio with spec work, and how to attract the

You know how your to-do list just seems to keep growing endlessly, to the point where you know you’ll never get everything (or even anything) on it done? Many of these tasks you know would move your business forward if you could only get to them, and yet there are never enough hours in the day or days in the week to sit down and knock them out. We feel ya, and today, we (Matt & Ryan) want to share with you how we’ve used creative hiring in our businesses to free up our time to focus on our strengths, while also taking care of the small things that are necessary to keep the businesses running smoothly, profitably, and effectively. When you think about hiring, you might immediately think about editors, shooters, and producers, which can seem daunting - and expensive. The truth is that there are probably 100 tasks in your business that could be hired out incredibly cheaply without committing to a monthly salary, which will save you time, and be done better than you would have yourself. We share some common m

What are your tried and true ways to gain new clients? We’re often so desperate for income that we grab at anything and everything without really asking “Is this project right for me?” or “Do I even really want to do this work?). Caleb Wojcik shares some tips on lining up work with clients you really want to work with, in his case, Pat Flynn and ConvertKit. Caleb Wojcik is the founder of the DIY Video Guy, Caleb Wojcik Films, and co-founder of Fizzle.co. His background includes a degree in business, and he can include Chris Guillebeau, the NFL, MLB and the Rose Bowl as clients. He started as a wedding film photographer but slowly grew his business to include a film production company, a podcast, and the many amazing courses he offers on DIY Video Guy. On today’s episode, we dive deep into how to connect with the people you really want to work with, the different versions of networking and which will work best for your goals, and how to get recurring clients as opposed to one time gigs. Caleb’s insights into t

How much do you focus on relationship building, not just with potential clients but with other vendors, filmmakers, and photographers? Do you use collaboration as part of your business strategy? Today we’re talking to Josh and Serena Gooden about being a couple who works together, the power of collaborations, and setting yourself apart as a luxury brand. Josh is a luxury cinematographer and Serena a luxury photographer. Both focusing on luxury weddings and corporate videos, they have separate businesses but also collaborate frequently. They travel the world for high end projects and clients, and are known for the unique style and special skill when it comes to color. We talk about how they make working together as a couple work when it has backfired for so many others. We also get into how they were able to break out of their small market in Charlottesville, VA and begin attracting clients from bigger, higher-end markets. We also discuss their view on collaborating and building relationships and how that has

What does your marketing strategy look like? So often as creatives we spend all of our time creating and never end up marketing those creations. Caleb Peavy is not only a creative like us but a master at marketing as well, and in this episode, he walks us through the five mistakes he sees creatives making in our marketing and how to fix them. Check out the full show notes: http://studiosherpas.com/59 Stay up to date with everything we're doing at Studio Sherpas: http://www.studiosherpas.com   

If you’re a corporate or wedding filmmaker, are you setting yourself apart with your style? A lot of filmmakers, especially wedding filmmakers, feel they don’t have the freedom they want with weddings, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Today we’re talking with luxury wedding filmmaker Kevin Shahinian about having a vision and being directorial as well as finding high-end clients who are willing to pay you what you’re worth. Check out the full show notes: http://studiosherpas.com/58  Stay up to date with everything we're doing at Studio Sherpas: http://www.studiosherpas.com 

How are you approaching growing your client base? Are you focusing only on what your needs are? Often when world searching for our ideal clients we tend to focus solely on what we need, and not what we can do for others. This is a big mistake. Today we’re talking about the power of community, and how there are more important skills than simply being good at your craft that will keep your pipeline full. Haley Akins is a motion designer with 9+ years of experience which includes 4 years at Google’s internal production company in the UK as Senior Motion Designer. She’s worked with clients from the BBC to the United Nations, and has made the shift to a thriving freelance business, most recently launching the podcast and community Motion Hatch. We get into why choosing clients who match your values can lead to amazing (and lucrative) relationships, how putting yourself and your work out there will help you build a community, and why we should never be afraid to get paid what we are worth. It can be scary to raise

Have you ever put any thought into where you’re allocating your time as a business owner, and how that investment will help you continue to grow your business in the future? As creatives we’re often either hyper-focused or scatterbrained, which, if we’re not careful, can lead to stagnation or subpar work. This episode is chock full of good information, but among the most important topics we cover is the 80/20 rule of growing your business, and why it might piss you off. Brett Culp is a filmmaker, social entrepreneur, cinematographer, and speaker whose passion for charity and documentaries has lead to his work being featured on Netflix and Hulu in addition to having a chapter of a college textbook dedicated to his production style (wow). He is also the co-founder of The Rising Heroes Project which produces amazing films that focus on uplifting, real-life stories with messages of hope, courage, and commitment while also allowing them to be screened around the world with proceeds go to charity. We talk about how

When did you last set aside some time to think strategically about the direction of your business, assess what you’ve been doing well (or not) and set goals for where you want to head in the future? We know that this can be a difficult commitment to make, but Matt and I both believe it’s one of the best things that you can do for both your business and your personal life. We’re guessing that if you’re anything like us, once you start the goal-setting process, you’ll quickly get addicted to it. Today, we are talking all about what did and didn’t work in 2017 and what our goals are for 2018. We break down how to come up with them, how to achieve them, and how clarity and reflection can ultimately help you succeed and move your business forward. We also dive into the necessity of accountability, whether that comes from friends and family, community-driven, or a coach. Whoever it is, having accountability is one of the best things you can do to keep moving forward and progressing your business in the way you want

Have you allowed fear held you back from pursuing your passion? As creatives we often find ways to talk ourselves out of diving into passion projects, despite our, well… passion for them! While he certainly faced challenges and doubts, especially as the scope of his project ballooned in front of him, today’s guest Jason Aron stuck with it, and the resulted documentary Back In Time became the top-ranked documentary on IMDB, and distributed through Netflix. Jason was a wedding/corporate filmmaker and drone pilot who had also done a few short documentaries, when an amusing addition to a Bar Mitzvah video struck a chord in him that propelled him to dive into creating a documentary about the cultural impact of his favorite trilogy of all time, Back To The Future. He doesn’t hold back when discussing the challenges they faced daily, the struggles that their naivete around the business of making a big-time doc created, and how this passion project that he had set out to make for himself has actually positively affec

There are certain discoveries we all make in our filmmaking process that stand out as milestones, and mark a new level of quality in our films. There are few level ups as drastic and impactful however, as incorporating professional-level sound design and music placement in our productions. As today’s guest explains, this an area of film production that truly separates the pros from the amateurs, and yet most of us (I’m guilty here too) put off making this investment for way too long. Dallas Taylor is the founder and lead sound designer of Defacto Sound, and is a respected thought leader on the narrative power of sound. He is also a sought-after speaker, a contributor to many industry publications and the host of the massively popular podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz. While Dallas is the guru of all things sound, he also gave us a lot of insight into the mindset behind running a successful business, the power of sound design within any project, and why giving yourself a break when it comes to your goals is imper

For many of us as storytellers, we have ideas for passion project documentaries that we would love to get out into the world one day, but don’t really know where to start. Today’s guest is the go-to documentary filmmaker for women’s rights and is always shining the light on the strength, courage, and dynamism of women around the globe. Her latest documentary, Little Stones follows four women who are using the arts for social change, and she presents their stories in a truly heartfelt and honest way.   Sophia Kruz is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and TedX speaker, but the accolades don’t stop there as she’s won many more awards at some of the top film festivals in the world. She’s also the co-founder of Driftseed, a nonprofit seeking to empower women and girls both in the U.S. and around the world through the art of documentary storytelling.    Sophia is a firm believer in the power of following your passion and shares some fantastic advice on how to choose your passion projects, and how to find

Do you know how prospective clients view you and your work? Have you placed everything you have ever created on your Vimeo or website? You might be unwittingly making some mistakes that are keeping you from presenting yourself and your capabilities in the best light. But today we’re going through all the dos and don’ts of how to present your body of work. Cody Dulock is the Director of Content for Film Supply and he sees the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to stock footage. His insights and advice on what to include in your portfolio and what to hide from the public is essential to making sure your prospective clients see the best version of what you have to offer. He has a ton of experience in film production, wedding, and corporate videography prior to his position at Film Supply, so it’s safe to say this guy knows the in’s and out’s of the filmmaking industry. We also talk about the importance of spec work and how these types of projects can lead to opportunities you might have otherwise missed o

Well, we've made it to episode 50, and what a ride it’s been thus far. When we started Studio Sherpas in 2015 and this podcast a year ago, we had no idea the impact that it would have on us and our own businesses. We were driven by a desire to share our stories and knowledge to help struggling filmmakers to run better businesses and bust through obstacles that were keeping them from producing the types of films they wanted to, at the budget they wanted to. But as it turns out, we’ve ended up taking away as much as we’ve tried to give. So in this, our 50th episode, we want to look back at some of the most important lessons that we’ve learned from both our amazing guests, and the inspiring community that Studio Sherpas has become. Whether you’re a new or long-time listener of the show, we know that you’ll find the lessons we discuss in this episode as relevant now as on the original episodes, so let’s dive in! We would absolutely LOVE to hear from you on what your favorite episodes have been and some of your bi

It’s no secret that drones are currently one of the most hyped tools we have in our arsenal as filmmakers, and it’s no wonder why. In the past decade, affordable drones have unlocked cinematic shots that we were only accustomed to seeing in huge Hollywood or commercial productions. The thing is, there’s a lot more to the world of drone cinematography than just those cool shots. If you’re anything like me, you might not be nearly as well educated as you think you might be, and that can end up costing you in a whole bunch of ways you might never have even thought of. Scott Stimple is a filmmaker, the owner of The Drone Flight School and CinemAerial Visuals, has been a commercial pilot with United Airlines for over 40 years and has been hacking together DIY drones since before they were cool. Needless to say, he is an expert in the arena of flight, and one of the top experts in the world of drone cinematography. He takes us to school today on how to use these amazing tools safely, responsibly, and effectively, t

We all have those evil little fears that roll around in our heads and try to get us to give up, or worse, not even try in the first place. These gremlins of doubt and uncertainty will keep us from achieving or even reaching for some of our biggest goals and dreams, often things we know we have the talent to achieve. Well in today’s podcast we explore these fears and get actionable steps to conquer them. Amy Johnson is an Emmy winning filmmaker who specializes in both weddings with One Fine Day Productions and big sporting & corporate events including a ton of work with Fox Sports, the Milwaukee Brewers and others with Captivate Film Company. She was highly requested by our Studio Sherpas community, and we are so excited that she was able to sit down and talk to us. Amy is super honest about her journey, and we dig deep into how building your team with subcontractors according to each job’s needs can open up your business to big jobs you might never have considered, why checking your ego can help you maint

Many of us started our careers focussing on the wedding film industry. And while many filmmakers eventually expand their businesses to include corporate and commercial films, getting established in the wedding in the first place is something that often gets glossed over. If you’re looking to make the leap into the world of wedding filmmaking, maybe leaving your day job in the process (woot!) Matt Johnson has some great tips on how to grow a wedding film-based business.  Matt Johnson is a filmmaker/storyteller and owner of FilmStrong, who specializes in stunning wedding videos. He also gives out a ton of free advice, and tips & tricks on his extremely popular Youtube channel which is a must watch for anyone wanting to break into the biz. We also talk about how getting the right people into the proper roles can be the thing that takes you from being in the hole financially to being profitable. Plus, Matt gives us actionable steps for all the people starting out and I mean genuinely just beginning. This is t

What do you do when the struggles get to be too much? How do you deal with the fears and frustrations of being an entrepreneur? We have all been there, and they will happen throughout your career, but today’s guest Whitney Powell has some insight and inspiration to share that will help you break free. Whitney began her career in LA after graduating from film school but soon realized that the Hollywood life was just not for her. So she changed everything. Her love of travel, storytelling, and endurance racing lead her to create her own company that fuses those passions together with social media branding for clients. She opens up about how while her life might look amazing on Instagram and Facebook (and believe me, it does), that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been filled with struggles, frustrations, and fear. She gets brutally honest about all of this, including what she does to pick herself up and continue moving forward even in the darkest times. If you have ever felt like taking your business in another direction