It Pays to be Social
I moved to Portland, Oregon over the summer and I didn’t know anyone in Portland before moving. Prior to relocating, I released a video that discussed my struggles with imposter syndrome. I managed to gain some interest in the piece, some respect from Mark Rober, and I also had someone reach out from the Portland film community.
Linda Wong, a make up artist in Portland, messaged me on Instagram after seeing the video and she wanted to meet up. We got tea and Linda shared with me how she had also struggled with imposter syndrome over the years despite the fact that her work was awesome (that's my opinion, not what she told me - she’s way more humble than that). Our 30 minute coffee meeting turned into a 2 hour hang session between long lost friends. Over the course of that time, I told Linda all about my new venture of creating well crafted videos not just for my clients but for myself. Time and time again, I've seen the less talented person get the job simply because they knew the right people. Well now we have the power of social media and the internet to spread our likeness; you can amplify your opportunities if you can get your content in front of others that may hire you or want to collaborate with you. Case and point, Linda found me on social media because of my imposter syndrome video!
At the end of that coffee meeting, Linda wanted to have a video created of her so that potential clients could get a strong sense of who she is prior to ever meeting her. So we got to work! Linda coordinated an awesome photoshoot and I filmed the entire process. From that footage, we created a short and succinct promo piece that she could send to potential clients. Check it out below and crank the volume!
We didn’t stop there!
The whole point of making this video for Linda was to showcase what she’s like to work with and I wanted to do the same for me! I had Julie Nhem come out to the makeup session and film BTS of me filming BTS of Linda. Read that sentence again, there was BTS of BTS. The behind the scenes content that day was INSANE! I'd tell you more but we've got a video for that.
We’ve come full circle!
I originally filmed myself talking about imposter syndrome to put myself out there and Linda reached out as a result. Now Linda has her own video showcasing who she is and she’s told me that she’s already getting inquiries for her services from the video (which is awesome)! By capturing the process of me collaborating with Linda, I was able to create yet another piece of content that gives my potential clients one more insight into what it’s like to work with me.
I’ve learned over the past 8 years of working in the film industry that you have to tell your own story and share what you’re doing with others. There’s a balance for sure, people don’t want to be barraged by BTS photos of camera builds or you continuously bragging about how cool you are, but you won’t get opportunities if you create content in isolation.
Hope this story and content has helped you think through how you’re going to start telling your story. Want more similar content? Consider subscribing to my newsletter below!
Cheers!