Serving the third sector.

Many of my clients come from the third sector (charities) and are often working with what are in commercial terms, very modest budgets. One of the things that I set out to do is make good quality video material available to good causes at a cost they can bear, but also allows me to make a living. It's not always an easy sell.

Cost on promotion is money diverted from headline services where often every penny counts. I try to promote video as a good investment, not just in terms of the events for which they are commissioned (such as fundraising drives or gala dinners) but also that they can have a subsequent life beyond that.. at presentations, pitches, bids, having good quality video available to link to in an email can let potential supporters see a charities work almost first hand, and hear, in their own words, from the people who benefit from that charities work. It can become the backbone of your media pack. And it's not rocket science.

Good quality video with stable pictures and clear sound is easy to watch.

You needn't chuck all the production toys at it, you just need some compelling stories, and the skills to bring them out. And of course incorporating 'user generated content' (smartphone stills and video clips in plain English) is a great way of making sure everybody gets a nod or mention, meaning that sometimes a strong interview or two is all you need to actually shoot! Video really engages on social media. Gets you hits. Gets you likes. Gets you shares.

If there is a fundraising event taking place further away, a video message can really make your donors feel valued without having to send somebody to actually be in the room. From a personal point of view as a film-maker, you get to meet some inspiring people, you get to meet all walks of life, you sometimes are reminded to count your blessings, you sometimes gain a new perspective on an issue or cause. Remember to take some hankies. Sometimes for your interview subjects. Sometimes for yourself. The video I've linked to was completed for a recent event for the Cancer charity 'Team Jak Foundation'. It's a pretty special charity inspired by a remarkable young man Jak Trueman, who passed away aged just 15 after a heroic battle against a very aggressive rare form of cancer. The video was commissioned for a gala ball, but I assembled it in such a way that it can also be broken down into social media friendly segments, adding extra value, extra reach and hopefully, extra awareness and extra donations. I've produced a second video for the charity which will be shown at an event later in March, but which also has segments that can be used independently, to suit a certain audience, be it a ladies lunch, or a charity football event, or with particular interest to a specific region. If you want to find out more about their work please visit: www.teamjak.org.uk If you have a good cause that you could use some video promotion for, but think the cost might be out of your reach, tell me what kind of budget you have and we can have a chat about what might be possible.