Episode #1

Are you a storyteller? Whether or not you identify as one, if you want to be a successful filmmaker you need to know how to have a full and balanced story with the four pillars firmly in place. Today’s guest has the insight, advice, and software to help you create your most powerful story yet.

Patrick Moreau is the co-founder of StillMotion and founder of the Muse Storytelling process & software. Oh, and he’s also a three-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker. Patrick is passionate about the psychology and art of storytelling and shares his wisdom and insights into what makes for a good story and why it is essential to have a repeatable system that helps you create amazing and impactful stories time and time again. In this episode, Patrick shares some of that knowledge with us, to help us craft better stories, starting with our next project.

We also discuss why it is important to have clarity of purpose with clients and clarity of intention with yourself so that you can avoid unhappy clients and you, yourself, becoming miserable. If you have ever felt frustrated with your clients making tons of changes or losing sight of the story itself than this episode will help start off on the right foot with your clients and avoid these issues altogether.

• Why does story have so much power?
• The importance of psychology in storytelling, and what you need to know
• Identifying the 4 pillars of a story
• The “Muse Storytelling” process and how can it help you craft better stories
• Why is it important to have clarity of purpose with clients
• The importance of having personal keywords and how they can help guide you in business, storytelling, and life
• How community can help you to become a better storyteller and creative

 “It starts with you understanding your own story and what you’re about and what you want to do, then communicating that effectively to connect the right people.” (15:26)

“I deeply started experiencing and understanding the idea that the expectation and experience matter more than the content itself.” (32:51)

“It’s not the questions that I ask you or the lighting or the cameras. It is the interpersonal connection that I create that will determine how strong and powerfully moving our experience is.” (34:25)

“If you always look at the people that have more, or the people that make more, or that are doing work better than you, and you say that’s what you need to be, then you will never be happy and truly won’t live a lot of your life. But, if you go I am doing sh*t that I love now, every day is just so much fuller.” (39:12)

Muse Storytelling
Follow Muse Storytelling on Instagram | Youtube

StillMotion
Follow StillMotion on Twitter | Instagram | Vimeo

The Remarkable Ones (website is no longer active)

5 Elements Of Effective Thinking, by Edward Burger

Episode #2

Have you ever dreamed of booking destination wedding after destination wedding? Maybe you struggle setting prices that you feel are worth your talent and the product you deliver. This week on the podcast, we’re stoked to have our old friend and wedding filmmaker extraordinaire Ray Roman on the show, who just happens to be an expert in…well, pretty much every area of the wedding film industry, but especially destination weddings and the typically dreaded business side of what we do.

For those of you who don’t know of him yet, Ray is widely considered one of the top wedding and event cinematographers in the world. Ray routinely travels the globe documenting weddings for high profile clients and discerning couples, as well as numerous star athletes. Ray has been the official wedding cinematographer for the Trump family, royal weddings and the highly publicized $20 million redwood forest nuptials of social media mogul Sean Parker.

So many wedding videographers struggle to book the type of clients they want, and command the prices they feel their work is worth. Ray shares some of his philosophies on what gear you should be investing in (it’s not where you think!), and what skills you should be building to set yourself apart from the pack.

Ray also offers us a peek inside his mindset when it comes to business, something that so many creatives struggle with, but is definitely one of the big reasons for Ray’s success.

Also, stick around for the end of the episode where you can find out where to catch Ray on his upcoming world workshop tour, a life changing event for many of his attendees!

• Ray shares the hilarious story of the first wedding he ever shot, back when he was still working his day job as a cop.
• The ideal scheduling mindset to avoid the dreaded “Backlog Monster”.
• Why Ray believes women have an advantage over men in this industry, and what men need to focus on to catch up.
• Which mental blocks still hold Ray back today.
• Ray’s philosophy on setting your rates, including coming up with your own “Happy Price”.
• How to get into the destination wedding scene.

World Tour
Ray Roman Films
Follow Ray on Twitter: @rayromanfilms
Check out Ray on Facebook

Episode #3

As filmmakers, gear is an essential part of what we do, and while there’s no denying that fact, it’s important to remember that gear isn’t everything. Kraig Adams, a certified gear nut, joins us today and shares how he’s adopting a minimalist mentality when it comes to gear, and the benefits that the switch is having on his workflow.

Kraig is a 25 year old, Brooklyn based filmmaker who, in addition to filming weddings himself, runs the website and Youtube channel Wedding Film School, where he offers tutorials, gear reviews, and teaches wedding filmmaking to others.

Kraig shares how he quickly gained a high end client base, his current minimalist gear setup, and how he got arrested for flying his drone in the city!

• How to fast track your way to finding clients in your local wedding film industry
• Some of the common mistakes Kraig sees beginner filmmakers making
• The challenges presented by filming in a major center like New York, and how Kraig has adapted his – workflow to suit them
• Some important indicators that you should be tweaking your price structure
• The importance of saying “No”

Wedding Film School
Youtube
Follow Kraig on twitter @Kaaadams
Kraig’s personal Youtube channel
Glide Gear 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer
Kasey Neistat

Episode #4

As busy entrepreneurs trying to grow our businesses and sometimes even just scrape by, it can be hard for us to step out of ourselves and our work personas to actually connect with those around us. Jon Connor joins us today and among other topics shares some incredibly powerful stories of how just being a good human while participating in the film industry have given him opportunities, great memories, and have even impacted lives for the greater good.

Jon is a filmmaker, editor, and writer, as well as the co-founder and event director of Masters In Motion, a 3 day event focusing on bringing like minded creatives together to learn from some of the best minds in the filmmaking industry. Jon has worked on productions for Showtime, National Geographic (he’s got a great story about this one!), and Urban Outfitters among others, and has a lot of wisdom, as well as a pretty great beard.

So many of the successful entrepreneurs we talk to are quick to point out that being a good human makes you a better entrepreneur and businessperson, and it certainly seems to be working for Jon. What do you do in your own life to break out of your own “self-first” mindset and
improve the lives of the people around you? Let us know in the comments!

1) Go to the checkout page at http://shooteditlearn.com/register/
2) Enter “studiosherpas” in the discount code section
3) Get $50 off of your pass!

How taking a step down the list of credits can grant you huge rewards down the line

Jon’s favorite memories from his time as a filmmaker – neither of which have to do with shooting or editing

Why it might be a good idea to separate your filmmaking skills into separate platforms online, rather than going for a jack of all trades approach

The benefits of attending events and gaining inspiration outside of your niche

Brainpickings.org
Masters In Motion
Jon Connor Films
Follow Jon on Twitter
Follow Jon on Instagram
Follow Masters In Motion on Instagram
Follow Matt at @LifeStageFilms

Episode #5

“The ultimate goal is to be old and in love.”
That’s what our guest today, John Goolsby says he always tells his kids, and it applies as much to your business and what you fill your time with as it does to your relationships with the people around you.

John has been making films professionally for 30 years, and although he’s had to make a ton of changes to stay current with emerging trends and styles, he’s found a way to remain deeply in love with what he does, even after all that time. John’s company, Godfather Films has filmed over 3000 weddings, and currently takes on over 300 projects a year. Aside from wedding films, John takes on a lot of corporate projects and is currently even working on a reality show for A&E!

In this episode John takes a look back over his career in the film industry, covering everything from winning a national award for his film on floor mopping for a grocery store client, to now speaking at numerous industry events, and structuring his company in a way that allows it to continue to function without his constant involvement.

John has a lifetime worth of knowledge relating to building and growing successful businesses which, like it or not, is something we could all stand to learn more about if we want to make a career in the world of filmmaking. What have been the best techniques you’ve found for recruiting new clients and getting your name out there? Do you have systems in place that allow you to focus on working on the business rather than working in the business? Leave a comment below and let us know!

• The hidden expense behind buying cheap gear
• How defining and utilizing systems set your business up for success as it grows
• The strategy John prescribes for raising your prices and and avoid pricing yourself out of business
• How attending trade organization meetings might be the best marketing you ever do
• Some of the common mistakes business owners make as their businesses mature, and how these can doom their companies if not accounted for
• The importance of always continuing to learn and grow, no matter how much experience you have

Godfather Films
Follow John on Twitter @GodfatherFilms
Godfather Films on Youtube
Godfather Films on Facebook
Purchase John Goolsby’s book: The Wedding Godfather – Advice You Can’t Refuse

Books:
The E-Myth Revisited
Who Moved My Cheese

Join our FREE course: How To Build a Profitable Wedding Film Business

Episode #6

I know, I know, I’ve been there. As creators it often feels like cheating to use templates or have anyone else do work on our projects for us. To be honest though, sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed to finish a project on time, or to be able to spend any time whatsoever with our families and loved ones.

That’s exactly why Eri Levin and Tyler Williams, co-founded Motion Array, a creative marketplace with a variety of digital assets that include Premiere Pro templates, After Effects templates, stock music and stock video. Their goal is not to reduce the creativity of video producers and editors, but rather allow them to save time on their projects and focus their creative energies where it really matters. Their content is all highly curated, meaning that everything they offer is the highest quality possible.

To be honest, I didn’t realize how useful some of their templates could be until they described in detail how powerful they are. I know I’ll be using them in the future for sure. 

• What exactly is a Premier Pro template? And why you just might want to check them out
• The advantages of joining Motion Array as opposed to buying content piecemeal
• Why I asked Eri and Tyler if they’ve been getting hate mail from their competitors

Motion Array

Follow Motion Array on Twitter@MotionArray

Follow Motion Array on Facebook

Don't forget that the guys have offered listeners of this show 25% off your first months membership with Motion Array when you sign up using one of these links:

If you are joining Motion Array, use this link

If you are upgrading from a free plan, use this link

Episode #7

As creatives, a lot of us struggle to move into the launch or action phase of our pursuits. Like Ben Hartley, today’s guest says, we think and talk and plan but often fail to pull the trigger. Well, if you need some motivation, Ben might just be your guy.

Ben is the founder of Style and Story Creative, an award winning wedding photography and commercial videography agency that has been featured on Creative Live, The Today Show, The Huffington Post and more. He also runs the Six Figure Photography Podcast and blog aimed at helping photographers achieve success in their business, but in a way that complements their ideal lifestyle.

Before all this success however, Ben was a restaurant server with a degree in oil painting who just happened to hear about a job opening at a local video production studio. With no experience in video, through determination and action, Ben found a way to get that job, ultimately leading to a long and successful career in video and photography. After hearing Ben’s story, you’ll be hard pressed to come up with excuses about why the time isn’t right to pursue this project, or why you can’t achieve that goal.

• The one simple secret that has allowed Ben to achieve success in his pursuits
• How observing and learning from different industries can make your business better
•  I know we all love gear, but why people need to be the focus of your business in order to take it to another level.

[12:05] “It’s all about caring for your people. Your salary, the amount of money that you make, your income, your net worth is entirely related to how well you serve you people. I just want to keep beating that into people’s skulls until they get it.”
[21:29] “There’s no magic bullet, there’s no thing like ‘if you take this course it’s going to fix everything’. But at the same time, if you learn from people who’ve already done it, they’ve already made the mistakes, they’ve already made the wins and learned from them. I mean, that’s as fast as you can go.”

Six Figure Photography – Blog and Email Course | Podcast | Facebook

Style and Story Creative

Lynda.com

Gary Vaynerchuk – Facebook | #AskGaryVee Book

Mad House Creative

Episode #8

You know what one of my favorite emails that I get every single week is?

It’s the email telling me that a client has just booked with me and my team. Then a few minutes later I get a second email with their retainer payment, then another that they’ve signed the contract. The best part about these emails is that I can be off spending time with my kids, or my wife, or working on other parts of my business while an automated system takes care of my new leads and clients.

Adam Fried is the owner of ShootQ, having acquired the software company within the past year. In this episode he shares his vision for how he and his team are revamping ShootQ to make it the very best studio management software on the market.

My teams and I have been using ShootQ to manage our clients and workflows for the past ten years and I absolutely love it. This is one of those rare pieces of software that actually frees me up entirely to focus on the things I want to, like creating amazing films for my clients. That said, as much as I love the software, there were certainly more than a few pain points and complexities in the program.

Adam basically checked off each of my concerns one by one, and it seems like pretty much every gripe I had has been addressed, and improved upon. While we’ll have to wait until the end of Q1 2017 to get our hands on it, I have a feeling that this new version of ShootQ might just be one of my favorite tools that helps me run my businesses successfully.

*Adam has been generous enough to provide a discount link for everyone on the Studio Sherpas email list when the new software is released in a couple of months, so be sure to sign up now!*

• How automating your client and studio management can help grow your business in ways you probably don’t realize yet
• The power of actually listening to your clients, and how that will affect your product
• A complete rundown of the top new features of the revamped ShootQ

[9:55] “I realized quickly that if we’re going to set ShootQ up for the next ten years, we’re going to have to redesign this whole system from the ground up”
[13:06] “We’re working on making a much more modern system, and that means it just has to flow easier. So we’re listening to the users, we’re seeing what they’re frustrated with, and we’re going to take care of that in the next gen system.”

ShootQ