People, Pixels and Production

I’m back from the Boston edition of the Avid “Make Your Mark Tour”, where I was a member of the panel on how to break into the digital media business. My fellow panelists were professionals from the world of music production, video editing and independent films. It was quite exciting to meet experts from industries I’m not familiar with.

A lot of the talk was centered on music and film production, but even with our very diverse backgrounds, our panel agreed that contacts and networking are crucial to get a good career going, as well as simply being a good person to work with. “Just don’t be a jerk” concluded Matt Dentler from the SxSW festival.

Todd Akita was hosting a session on the creative process at Psyop using Softimage XSI. It was great to see him outside the hectic pace of Siggraph! We spent the two days in Boston with our good friends from Softimage.

… and I love eating out with people who can enjoy sushi as much as I do, so that way we can go for a good ol’ boat of fish.

• Leave a comment... (3)
Digg   Del.icio.us   Bookmark   Stumble

Modus FX is now a proud member of the Quebec Film and Television Council. The QFTC’s mission is to promote the province of Quebec as a world-class center for the production of film and television.

The Council is a natural partner for any business in our industry. In fact, we know very well many of the current members and it’s a great place for networking. We already took part in our first cocktail last Friday where we met American producers who were in Quebec for some location scouting.

We also had a chance to chat with colleagues from Rodeo FX, Damn FX and FX Cartel. With all our acquaintances we are very eager to contribute in the development of our industry in the region.

• Leave a comment... (2)
Digg   Del.icio.us   Bookmark   Stumble

A reader who recently started his own animation studio sent me a few interesting questions about the different promotional strategies:

• What are your thoughts on agents/reps? Most people claim they don’t help, but most of the successful studios have them.

I think they can help but since we are at an early business stage, we are keeping expenses very low. Just using our own contacts and networks is keeping us busy at the moment. We already have a few prospects on our plate for the coming weeks. They are not real contracts yet, but we are working on it…

• What mix of direct mail, advertising, cold phone calling do you have planned?

If by advertising you mean placing ads in Cinefex, again the cost issue is holding us back. It might be a fine idea for established companies, but I have doubts for start-ups. There are other ways to promote your studio. You can join one of the many film or FX studio associations, especially if there is one in your region; with their help you can gain some extra exposure and new contacts.

As for direct mail and cold phone calling, yes we are doing a lot of that for the first few weeks. You will not get immediate results but it does not cost a dime and you can at least get your name into new places.

• What types of networking events and strategies are you considering to meet new potential clients?

Every event of any kind! Getting to new clients is the hardest part. We’ve already met new interesting people just by going through our list of contacts, so that’s a start. Even outside professionals such as accountants and lawyers can have connections in your industry. As I’ve mentioned before, talk about your biz to all your friends and their friends as well.

• Leave a comment... (5)
Digg   Del.icio.us   Bookmark   Stumble

In this blog I write a lot about contacts, friends, old colleagues, i.e. networks. Obviously the size of the network I’ve built in the +10 years experience in the field was a big factor in my decision of going into business. You’re more likely to get work from people you know. I’ve realized that your best contacts do not come from the current top VFX supervisors, producers and directors you meet as clients. They come from the old friends you haven’t seen in a few years and who today are in key positions at a production company somewhere. This stab at entrepreneurship (coupled with this blog) enabled me to quickly reconnect with old acquaintances that are now potential clients!

There is a lot of information out there on social skills and networking. With this new Web 2.0 craze, it’s even hip. I’ve read a few books and blogs about connections. The advice I have found is very interesting. You don’t have to be a people person to be network-savy. You’ve guessed it; I’m more of an introvert. I over-calculate. I’m not good at starting conversation. I don’t consider myself a shy guy; a few times I’ve given presentations about my job to large crowds. I just get nervous sometimes with basic chit-chat. I’m still a pleasant guy, I just worry too much about the impression I’m leaving.

This business runs on networks and contacts. It took me over 10 years of hard labor to get here. I’ve met a lot of people. Some advice to anyone out there with similar aspirations: be patient, work hard and be nice to each and every one of your colleagues. You never know, a few years from now…

 Part 2 with some links and resources in a future post…

• Leave a comment... (0)
Digg   Del.icio.us   Bookmark   Stumble