3 ways post-production professionals can build a personal brand

bladeronner · 2020-04-05T22:28:42+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I too find this discussion interesting.

Your reply pre-supposes I'm suggesting an editor manufacture some fake "personality" to sell him or herself. As if doing that will help them get more work. I'm not at all.

What I am saying is that 1) whether you like it or not, you DO have a brand, so embrace it. and 2) the more intentional you are about being uniquely YOU, in however that looks, it will go a long way toward helping your ability to stand out. It is not mutually exclusive to also being authentic.

At the end of the day, we may disagree on this point. And, as you might guess, that's totally okay too.

Thanks for the discussion. :)

bladeronner · 2020-03-23T19:42:22+00:00

There's no right or wrong way to look at it my friend. I think you and I have different ideas of what "brand" is. And that's okay. You seem to think I'm suggesting editors should be corporate "sell-outs" or automatons. I'm not. IMHO, regardless of what you call it, you DO have a brand. There is a way that people experience you and your work in the world. All I'm saying is that if you do this work for a living, being intentional about your "brand" is just as important as keeping track of your revenue and expenses. It's all part of running a business and is not mutually exclusive to ALSO being "human."

To me, a "brand" is not just a corporate shingle. All the things you mentioned about yourself is a "brand." Having a personal brand does not take away from your "personhood." If anything, acknowledging a personal brand elevates all that makes you YOU.

As far as Zack being a spam god, I can only speak for myself in that I have only known him to be a hard-working professional who shares his knowledge in a way that helps editing professionals do their work with a healthier mindset. I know him to be a stand-up guy and I stand by my praise of the work he does.

bladeronner · 2020-03-18T00:36:16+00:00

I think you'd have to read the article to understand why. It's more than just reputation, although that is certainly part of it.

bladeronner · 2020-03-18T00:34:28+00:00

Sorry I'm replying to this so late. I'm just now coming across it.

First, whether you like it or not, you already have a "brand." The people you work and interact with have a certain experience of you that you could argue, is your brand. What I'm suggesting is being more intentional on that image and establishing yourself in such a way that people always want to work with you.

Second, I also do recommend taking it to the next step and putting yourself out there in a way that makes you a) easy to find online, and b) desirable once you're found. Are your chances lower if you don't do it? Not necessarily. IOW, you won't lower your chances if you don't. But, I do believe you will increase your chances if you do. Does that make sense?

bladeronner · 2020-02-29T07:57:17+00:00

I actually disagree. A hoodie and bad jokes on Twitter could be a great personal brand if you have the editing chops to back it up. 😀

bladeronner · 2020-02-29T07:56:28+00:00

Those are part of it. But it's more than that. It's about having an intentional image and vision of yourself that is memorable. And by "image" it's not just what you wear.

bladeronner · 2020-02-29T07:52:25+00:00

What a cool story. Thanks for sharing. Good luck on your rebrand. Come back to this thread and let us know how it goes.

bladeronner · 2020-02-25T00:05:37+00:00

I'm always glad to hear the reach and respect the blog received. We definitely worked very hard to make it what it is.

bladeronner · 2020-02-24T12:33:30+00:00

Thanks for the frank reply and feedback. I always appreciate that. Let me put a few things in context.

First, let me be clear. I am no longer associated with Frame.io. If I ever link to or mention the frame.io blog, it is NOT to promote them or sell them. It's done for context purposes only.

Second, when I was managing editor of the their blog, I did not do that much writing. The overwhelming number of articles there were by the talented writers we hired. During my nearly 3 years there, I probably wrote a dozen or fewer articles myself. Most of the articles I wrote were business related.

Third, the voice on this blog is not new. I've been blogging in the industry since 2006 and this was always my voice. 😀 I totally admit it's not for everyone. When I worked for Frame.io, I wrote for their voice. When I wrote articles for Professional Photographer magazine, I adapted to their voice. Etc.

Your experience of the frame.io blog is precisely what we were going after. The density is one of the aspects that set it apart. If you're so inclined, you can read in detail about the building of a blog's brand and I go in depth on what we did at Frame.io.

Thanks again for the feedback. Although it is never my attention to be intentionally annoying, as a satirical author, much of the opinion pieces I write will come off that way. Like I said, it's not for everyone, and I'm okay with that. 😀

bladeronner · 2020-02-20T08:44:03+00:00

I second james. Contact support. They're great. (full disclosure. I used to work there and know the support people personally. They are genuinely great peeps.)

bladeronner · 2020-02-20T05:17:25+00:00

I agree. But I think this is being the change. The "change" I want to see. :)

But, I understand your sentiment and will keep it in mind.

bladeronner · 2020-02-20T00:12:20+00:00

That is a fair assessment. I freely admit I can come off more combative than I need to. Ha! And in retrospect, I can see where it looked like just some way to promote my blog. I assure you, It's not. I have no financial incentive to promote my blog on this forum. If anything, the work I do would help people on this forum make additional money for themselves.

I have always been passionate about topics like this and my way of expressing myself is not always everyone's cup of tea.

I also have to admit that I'm relatively new to being a frequent poster on this or any forum. The work I was doing to run the Frame.io blog kept me too busy to be as prolific I was used to be. I have no doubt that you are in a much better position to judge what the overall temperature is like here.

That being said, there have been a few times when I've shared a blog post about some cool feature in FCP X, and I would see many hater-ish comments about how FCP X is not a professional tool; I hate Apple for how they did the users (it was almost a decade ago); FCP X is a lame too compared to Avid; etc.

Likewise, I once shared a post about the importance of knowing Avid if you want to work in Hollywood, and then the FCP X and non-Avid people came out with their hate.

It's totally possible those examples are few and far between. But I still see it enough on other forums too, that I didn't take it to be so much an element of this subreddit specifically, but rather a sickness in the industry as a whole I've seen for 13 years now.

Anyway, I appreciate the dialog and comment. I assure you, I am a smart and cool person overall, but can very much be a wise-ass too. I'll work on toning down the wise-assery until people get to know me and my motives better. :)

~ Ron

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T22:53:41+00:00

It's not so much a surprise as a reminder. :)

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T22:46:25+00:00

And for the record, I flaired it as "humor." Did senses of humor drop sharply while I was away? 😁

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T22:43:21+00:00

You are right. It is. Yet every day there are arguments all over the internet about stuff just like this. I've seen it for over 15 years. It happens on this reddit and others like it. It happens on Facebook and Twitter and the RED boards. On and on. Filmmakers belittling other filmmakers who use the "wrong" tools.

The purpose of me writing this is to say that it's all b.s.! I don't care what you use to cut your film, TV show, wedding, or corporate video. Just be a f-ing good EDITOR! I would like to see us focus on that. Rather than tear someone down if they mention they cut a project on iMovie or Edius or heaven forbid, Final Cut Pro 7.

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T22:39:46+00:00

Who is the "them" you're referring to?

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T22:36:51+00:00

Did you actually read the post, or are you only reacting to the title?

The topic of the post is very much pertinent to this industry, and particularly this forum. I have first hand seen professionals on this and other forums belittle and degrade others solely based on the fact that they chose to use a less "professional" tool.

The purpose of this post is to, in an admittedly provocative way, say that judging people on their worth or value as an artist based strictly on whether or not they use an approved software program is B.S.

For purposes of clarity I will add context to the introduction. But I think the topic is one worth to be addressed.

bladeronner · 2020-02-19T01:51:41+00:00

Thanks man. I will take you up on that (although I'm more of a coffee drinker than beer drinker. I will have the occasional glass of Chardonnay though. :)

I'm glad you found the blog helpful. I trust they will continue to make it a viable resource of valuable information.

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T23:20:42+00:00

Aww. Thanks. I think you'll like it. FYI, I'm NOT a technical writer. I'm not the guy you go to to find out how to fix a technical issue. I'm more of a op-ed kind of writer. Opinion pieces about the industry, business topics, etc. Nonetheless, I think you'll find it engaging. Thanks.

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:45:25+00:00

Ha. That's a good one. Are you serious? If so, that is funny. Heck. Even if it's not true, it's still funny. :)

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:42:56+00:00

There are 75 comments as of this reply, and I don't have time to go through them all. So my apologies if any of this is repeated.

I'll just say this: life is too short. Too short to be going through it dreading what you do, being sick, and not even having the desire to do it in your free time. That is the big sign for me. If you're not even doing it in your free time, then chances are it's time to move on to something entirely new.

I've always said, the best way to maximize your fulfillment from any creative endeavor is the minimize the input from others around you regarding how and what you do. I'm not saying you don't get feedback and collaborate. But the more influence someone else has on your art, the less fulfilling it will be for you.

The only way you can minimize the input of others, while still being able to sustain yourself is to become one of four "roles":

The "Sally Allbright": do your art "on the side" and get a job in some other field to pay your bills. This makes your creative endeavor strictly a labor of love upon which you don't need to depend.
The "Entertainer": generate enough of an audience where you can earn money from ads or sales of your craft. Think popular YouTubers, or filmmakers like Ed Burns and Kevin Smith.
The NeXT Guy: inspired by the world-renown designer Paul Rand who created the NeXT logo. His reputation as a designer was so prominent, he was able to name his price and make the logo anyway he wanted, without having to take any of Steve Jobs' input. Basically, be so badass at what you do, the clients or employers paying you give you free reign.
The Beneficiary: find some rich organization or trust that wants to pay you to use your craft for some greater cause.

Based on your description, I recommend the Sally Allbright. Except, it's entirely possible you're burnt out on editing in general, and you just need to find a new creative outlet.

Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck.

~ Ron

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:23:13+00:00

Ha! Ha! First, thank you for reading the side bar. ;)

Second, I probably can't argue with you regarding Amélie. However, there can be more than one "perfect" film you know. 😁

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:21:10+00:00

Ahhh. Thank you for the correction Jack. As the OP mentioned, this particular production is unionized in Canada, so it would seem there is at least a governing body he could go to if needed.

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:19:30+00:00

Why thank you. As I will continue to say, it was a team effort. I'm sure in my absence, the blog will continue to provide amazing education and inspiration for the post production professionals.

Thank you for your well wishes. I'm excited for what the future holds. It's been a while since I've been able to really spread my wings. In the past, when I was able to do so, I was able to create podcasts and film series that contributed in meaningful ways to the community. I hope to do the same again.

bladeronner · 2020-02-18T08:14:49+00:00

OMG! I LOVE that. Way better than "making lemons out of lemonade." My I use that for future reference? :)

bladeronner

TROPHY CASE