Commercial Production Forums/Podcasts

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rlsmall

Member
This may be the wrong section for this question, if so, apologies. I'm curious if anyone know s of any user groups, threads, etc that focus on commercial production and advertising.

I run a small company that produces commercials for around $3K to $10K and I'd like to learn more about national commercial production. Maybe even a podcast dedicated to the topic? I've looked and found nothing really. Any suggestions would be very appreciated! Thanks,

Ron Small
www.swayproductions.com
 
Hi Ron, I'm going into my second year as a local wedding videographer and ready to dive into web commercials. I'd would like to know what's an effective way to market my offers for 30 - 60 sec online commercial. I did some research and produced three courtesy web commercial demos. Other small business owners really liked what they saw, but those same ones who like what they saw wasn't interested having a production shoot. What's a soultion? Try a different part of the city, produce a more courtesy commercials, or what? I even offered a 20% discount to owners who's been in business less than a year. They say it sound really good, but still not able to commit to the production shoot. Just trying to get the results I need because producing commercials is a lot more creative than weddings. Your advice is appreciated.
 
I started this thread about a year ago and since then actually started my own podcast this week on Commercial Production purely because there is none in existence that I know of. It's an interview show in which I plan to interview a commercial director, producer or copywriter every week or so. You can check out the first two episodes if you're interested:
http://www.swayproductions.com/spotcast/spotcast.html

Would love to hear your opinions on it.

Also Mr. Medallion, just saw your post. If you're still interested in advice I'd suggest trying to contact some local ad agencies and marketing agencies if you think your commercial demos are good enough. Offer your services for relatively cheap to start then hopefully when you start getting more work under your belt you can begin to raise your prices. That's been the case with my production company. After leaving a small marketing firm my partner and I began producing micro-budget commercials and eventually we've been able to charge a decent amount for our work. We're still in the process of growing and looking for clients who are interested in and can afford to bankroll bigger productions. Hope you're doing well,

Ron Small
Director/Producer
www.swayproductions.com
 
My suggestion is to get a rep who also reps larger production companies. That way, when the rep is invited in to present director reels for a large job in the agency (a job you probably would not be considered for at this stage in your career), he/she can also run a couple of your spots (in the 60 seconds just before leaving) by the producer along with the niché that you are in (tabletop, humor, vignette, fashion, etc.). Don't try to be a director who "does it all." That definitely does not sell. After reps left my office, I would often remember a director that did smaller budget stuff and would call back when an opportunity crossed my desk. Remember, the producer isn't doing you any favors, you are actually solving a problem for him because you never know what the client is going to ask for ("I need something in 4 days to promote my sale and I only have $4,000"). Good luck.
 
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