Grow Your Video Business with Ryan Koral

  If you're anything like me, there are times where you get tired, worn out, and uninspired by the direction of your creative business. Yup, I've been there, many, many times. Life is constantly changing, and it is easy to find yourself burying your passion underneath frustration and all the mundane tasks associated with running a profitable business. It is not until you put your foot down and re-...

Do you ever feel like the walls are closing in due to competition, and there's not enough work to go around? In this episode, PJ Accetturo discusses the importance of thinking out of the box and breaking the creative bias, competition and community, what makes a good reel, how knowing how to correctly network can be a game changer, and how to keep pushing your boundaries as a filmmaker.  PJ is an...

Do you find yourself dreading doing something that you're supposed to love, something that you originally got into because of passion that's now faded? As Zack Arnold explains on today's episode, there's more to leading a successful life, putting out great, original work, and just plain feeling good than the work itself. Today he's going to share with us how to optimize our lives and cultivate our...

If you've ever participated in a business partnership, you know that it takes a TON of work to make sure all partners are on the same page, mitigate conflicts, divvy up tasks, and on and on and on. In this episode, Matt & I dive into our experience as partners in Studio Sherpas, and share a big announcement about the future of the community. We've always seen each other as friends first, business...

Today we sit down with someone I've looked up to in the production world for a long time, Jem Schofield. Jem created TheC47 , a full-service production company and educational resource focused on teaching the craft of video production and filmmaking. He has a 22-year long career, beginning by creating brand focused web content and eventually finding his passion in video production. Jem has a wide...

Are you willing to be weird, risky, and brave enough to make films you produce come alive? Today's guest does all of those things plus a lot more when it comes to the documentaries she directs, produces, and, sometimes, edits herself. She shares with us what it takes to create moving feature-length films, from the artistic to the funding, and everything in between. Mo Scarpelli is a director, prod...

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 C...

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, commun...

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...

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 shar...

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 V...

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...

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.co...

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 willin...

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...

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...

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 yo...

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-r...

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, a...

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 a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...