Getting the close up from a distance
The way I do business has not changed at all,
it’s the volume of business that has been turned on its ear. I went from a fully booked March, April and May to 2 shoots. One was an industrial shoot, so I was in a vast warehouse where it was easy to keep my distance. The other was a medical shoot where I was required to wash my hands the minute I entered the building, mask up, set up and stand back. I did not enjoy the mask at all and I gained a new perspective on our health care workers who have to wear these all the time.
I’ve been spending the last month wrapping up some projects that were mid-production and editing some new projects that have landed in my inbox. The income has been thin, though, and for the first time in 3 years, I filed a nil payroll return. I’ve worked on some projects for free, including one for an autistic boy who wanted to point out the positive side of COVID-19. He developed the content and his mom did the filming. I edited all the pieces together.
One thing I have noticed is a sharp increase in views on my YouTube channel. I’ve been working on creating and updated some How To content and it’s earning me new subscribers. Almost daily, I get an email from YouTube alerting me that I have a new comment. I take the comments on my videos very seriously and I answer every question (except from the trolls). With more people working from home and looking for ways to create, edit and produce their own content, I’m not surprised my channel has picked up more than 5000 views every month.
There is golden opportunity here. Anything you can demonstrate (sourdough starter anyone?), teach, explain or walk us through is not only very hot content right now, it’s also evergreen. You can create your own video Masterclass.
If you need any help figuring out what kind of content to create, what equipment you’ll need and how to present yourself, please reach out. I’m not charging for this, I simply want to connect and help you move forward.
It’s going to be a tough go for many of us, but we will recover.
Keep well and wash your hands!