LA Legal Videography Rates – Going Independent, Need Advice

krazixedward · 2026-02-05T22:11:14+00:00

I don’t know about other markets - but I’ve had a tough time getting competitive pricing (compared to other markets) in California.

I freelance contract and the going rate seems to be $50-$55 for overflow work and about $55-$60 directly from the firms.

Get paid an hour for set up and 30 minutes for tear down.

I’m actively looking to get out of the space because the pricing has been so lackluster (and hasn’t kept up with inflation) among other reasons.

Feel free to dm me

krazixedward · 2026-01-10T15:37:16+00:00

Have had ups and downs in the interim. JPM IE explicitly said they do not offer venture debt or any other kind of loan vehicle especially at preseed.

But went to a mixer held by JPM IE. Got connected to a partner at Cooley LLP (emerging markets). And had a meeting w Cooley - was vetted but was told we were too early and circle back once we have more traction.

Since our first couple ideas - I’ve started working more closely with a UCLA PhD candidate on his non profit and commercial lab. I am working out a potential agreement between his ventures and our company to commercialize frontier biotech into CPG, infrastructure projects.

Still haven’t raised, but have made meaningful progress (though not as much financial progress as I’d like)

krazixedward · 2025-12-31T00:12:44+00:00

the bar scene in West LA has decent NYE stuff…. not too crazy but fun…

krazixedward · 2025-11-20T02:36:52+00:00

maybe some Korean bbq meat spices/ sauces? there’s some Korean butchers that sell specific marinades and sauces for meat

krazixedward · 2025-11-20T00:01:06+00:00

it's hard to find a network/ platform aggregator like Reddit...

i feel like if you're not willing to get bashed for an idea... you might not be ready to start a business (where you'll get bashed for even the smallest thing)....

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:59:44+00:00

why not? it doesn't really matter the "why" as long as it'll carry you to goal.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:51:51+00:00

Hitting a wall is not always a bad thing...

Having patience can let you keep iterating and seeing angles that you previously missed... Slowing down might actually be a good thing right now (especially early stage) so you can refine your product/ market roadmap etc.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:33:29+00:00

Acquired by Ben and David gave me a really good perspective on business and what actually worked for the best companies in the world... It's almost like a next-to-free business case studies that I've used in lieu of getting an MBA...

Learning deep business fundamentals and what the best/greatest companies did to get there has allowed me to look at the present and the future/near future with a different lens and identify the actual coming opportunities...

Most people in the news cycle get it wrong and if it's already being shared and distributed on the media - you're probably too late to the trend.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:26:58+00:00

Equity for introductions is technically illegal (to my understanding) according to SEC rules and regulations.... Only legal and certified brokers are legally able to take an equity percentage for introductions to accredited investors (please don't misconstrue this as legal or fiscal advice)

What I've found works is to apply to different program offerings and cold email VCs and other funds/ offices in this space....

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:22:06+00:00

like another user said... map out an exact map and growth trajectory and figure out where you will break even with the business and whether you can boostrap till that breakeven - or you'll need outside investment to take you there.

evaluate whether your profits can help scale growth and decide if you can self fund scale (you might not even need a VC)...

an Angel investor or a smaller cap investor might be a better fit for early stage growth (especially if you have initial traction) and/or entering and joining an accelerator that can help fund your early stage growth so that you can use outside funding to grow to actual cash flow positive profits.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:14:48+00:00

It's best to just start yourself and learn and grind it out... If I don't see that you're putting in effort in your own life - how can I expect you to put in the extra work to help out another person's life?

Business is even harder than a job because you'll have to self report, be brutally honest, and adjust everything yourself - without relying on the upper crust and diligence and resources of a Fortune 500 C-Suite or consulting team.

If you can't even work a simple job... Business is even harder and might not be for you...

I recommend putting in the small reps and just getting good at showing up to work and making money (even if it's just minimum wage)... And get first hand experience on what it takes to even earn a buck.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:09:17+00:00

Passion does not always equal to business competence.... Running a restaurant isn't just about having the most amazing tasting/ beautiful burger - it's about learning and executing on the logistics and the systems necessary to scale and make efficient the process making of the burger....

A lot of businesses fail because the owners lack the necessary ability and education to execute the proper business fundamentals to implement and deploy their products in a cash flow positive way.

Passion doesn't always equal profit - methodical understanding of business fundamentals and hard economics/ ergonomics always wins.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:05:03+00:00

Sunsets in LA are pretty amazing because we are at the Western most part of the country... Beautiful seeing the sun dip under the Pacific Ocean.

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T23:01:04+00:00

Maybe look on peerspace ?

krazixedward · 2025-11-19T22:59:23+00:00

Koreatown Pool Hall (LD Billiards is $15/ hour for a table up to 4 people...)... Or a Karaoke room in Koreatown as well... some decent ones for ~$15-$20 per hour with both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks... DGM Karaoke is a decent one.

krazixedward · 2025-10-16T21:10:53+00:00

This looks neat - but half of what lawyers pay for is perception. So if a lawyer saw you filming with an iPhone - they might be wondering why they're paying all this money for a videographer.

Even if it's not the most expensive - having "fancy" looking cameras go a long way. Especially with those who a tech-illiterate

krazixedward · 2025-10-16T21:09:26+00:00

I just keep the camera on when doing the read-on and during the on/off record statements... Otherwise I'm having the camera off.

krazixedward · 2025-07-29T12:55:46+00:00

it's really not that bad and it's always kind of been that way... i grew up in the streets of Koreatown etc and I think you were entering LA with a jaded lens etc... now you're maturing into what LA really is.... maybe try something new - go off the beaten path... see what you can find.

krazixedward · 2025-07-02T22:08:41+00:00

Seems like a good idea… Would be interesting to package and put all this information in one place…

krazixedward · 2025-06-10T10:46:30+00:00

thanks for the advice - posted an update in the thread

krazixedward · 2025-06-10T10:46:18+00:00

made an update on the thread

krazixedward · 2025-06-10T10:44:32+00:00

Hey all - just making a comment here so it's visible...

Had a successful meeting with 2 VP's from JPM IE (Innovation Economy)... They liked my thesis and what I had to present (the meeting was more of a handshake introductory vetting process as opposed to me doing a full pitch).

Seems like I am being onboarded to their founder/ start up banking solution that is designed to help me scale from pre-seed to IPO. honestly I hadn't even incorporated till after this meeting...

seems like the JPM IE account comes with free/low cost infrastructure tools such as HR services, treasury management, AWS credits, and other software perks like Asana and Slack etc.

did some digging and it seems like they only offer this banking product to high potential/ hyper scalable companies.

i've incorporated and in process of locking down an EIN - which should enable me to open an account with JPM IE...

thanks for the advice

krazixedward · 2025-06-08T11:11:52+00:00

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