Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
When I was growing up, I always remember my mom saying: Have an attitude of gratitude and you’ll always be happy. I know my mom was not the first person to come up with this, but I’ve been acutely aware of it this week. Over the last two months, I’ve been thrown into a washing machine of intensity between my grief and my growing business.
In many ways, it’s been a blessing. Having work to do in beautiful locations like Evergreen, Colorado and West Palm Beach, Florida makes it really hard to feel sad. The mountains and the oceans have a calming effect, even when you’re hauling massive gear bags through the sand and woods. And the work is beyond gratifying.
But if you’re an entrepreneur who has had to keep your nose to the ground and get mounds of work done over several weeks, resulting in giving up weekends and long nights in the office - you know that it’s hard to feel that grace. You know that it’s hard to feel at peace with that insanity. And you long for it like a sweet from your childhood that’s no longer in production.
You just keep working. And you forget to check in with yourself.
Here’s a theory: Emotional things happen when on airplanes. (Amy Poehler explores this thoroughly in her book, so I know I’m not alone!)
As I made my descent home on Wednesday night from our latest shoot, I was disconnected from my phone and my immediate technology. This is such a gift. It refocuses my mind away from: WHAT MUST GET DONE RIGHT NOW and allows me to focus on: WHAT I’M FEELING RIGHT NOW. I was struck by two feelings:
1. I love what I do. When I think back to my days of working in a cubicle and compare that to holding a $10,000 rig on the beach, I almost can’t believe there was a day when I did the former.
2. I have successfully built a life I’m really proud to live. When I think about the people in my life, the circles I’m a part of, the work that has my name on it and the legacy I am trying to build, I’m proud of that.
And letting those feelings in is not something that I allow very often. Maybe it’s my Midwestern humility or maybe it’s fear of being considered shallow or egotistical. Or at my worst moments, I think it’s my fear that it will all go away if I don’t keep my nose down and my fingers typing furiously. Either way, this was an important thing to feel, because since I started my business three years ago, I’ve NEVER felt it this profoundly. An intense sense of peace that has not existed in 39 months washed over me and I slept better on Wednesday night than I’ve slept in years.
On Thursday, I walked into the office with joy in my veins. I was so happy to sit down and edit and work with clients. And in the middle of a music selection, I just started tearing up. Now, I am a firm believer in not crying at work, but these were tears of joy. I turned to my colleague Chase and said: I’m so grateful that this business journey has worked out. And I really hope that it continues to work out.
He laughed. Because he often knows what I forget: We work really hard and do amazing work.
For the last three days, I’ve allowed myself to bask in gratitude bombs. Because that’s how it feels. The shockwaves of finally, finally allowing myself to feel a shred of joy about what I’m building and the success we’ve experienced to date has given me whiplash from the peace that settled in the air around me.
If you’ve been working your ass off like me, I recommend you allow yourself to feel a sense of joy for the journey, because it’s all your own. And it’s worth celebrating.
When you start a business, you have a lot of ideas of what success might look like. Dollar amounts. Ideal clients. Industry awards. Funny enough, after three years working on Mighteor, I have discovered that the feeling of success often sets in at the most bizarre moments. Sure, the big checks feel great. And the brilliant clients keep you motivated. The awards, well, they’re awfully nice too. But lately, I’ve been feeling hugely grateful for something else entirely.
Last Friday, I had breakfast with a fellow lady boss CEO and we laughed wildly about the weird things we never expected to face. The fact that we always feel pressure to have a perfect hair day. How we spend an obscene amount at Sephora right before we have to do press or big presentations. And truth be told, it could have made me sad. Being a female CEO comes with a whole host of expectations that are placed on you, both from within yourself and from exterior forces. This breakfast, however, wasn’t a “holy shit” moment because it was funny. It was a “holy shit, we made it” moment because she and I could share that truth. We could look at each other and not question our mutual success or commitment and still peel back our veneers of attempted perfection to connect with one another.
I left that breakfast energized. But I was also in a rush, because I had to get on a plane for a shoot with my team. When I arrived on set just a few hours later, I was ragged. My hair was no longer perfect. My makeup? A mess. But when I walked into the studio and set eyes on the perfectly crafted set my team had lovingly put together - I nearly cried. Talk about a “holy shit, I made it” moment. You don’t think about these things when you start your dream business. But when you’re standing in front of people who are excited to show you HOW they have carried out your crazy vision with technical expertise and artistic genius - you FEEL successful. Deep in your bones, you feel a sense of: “Holy shit, I am doing something right.”
Since starting this business, I acknowledge that I have routinely failed to recognize my own wins as a business owner. Oftentimes, I feel most comfortable when I overhear a client say something good about us - because it doesn’t require me to “gloat” about what we’ve done. In 2016, I’ve been focusing on that more and more, because my team deserves for me to be braver. To look at what we do and stand on our metaphorical roof and say: HEY, WE’RE AWESOME.
That’s why that moment on set hit me so profoundly. It’s not like we haven’t crafted sets together before, but this one, this one made me feel like climbing our actual ladder, getting on the roof and shouting: HEY, WE’RE AWESOME. The people who have chosen to call themselves Mighteorites, THEY ARE AWESOME.
Maybe it’s my midwestern upbringing. Maybe it’s the fear that if I get too proud, we’ll lose what we’ve worked so hard for. Maybe it’s just sheer silliness. Whatever it is that has been holding me back from owning our talent and work ethic - I need to be done with that. I need to give our “Holy Shit” moments the credence they deserve. And if you’re biting your tongue about any aspect of your life that has earned a little credit - I encourage you to do the same. I promise, it doesn’t feel as icky as you think. In fact, it kind of feels like a warm hug with a friend who knows just how hard it is to do what you’ve done.
My career path took me from journalism to research to production. Many of BGC’s loyal readers will recognize that video is a regular feature on this site. However, my proficiency with video production wasn’t sourced from years of film school. This has been a point of insecurity for many parts of my career, even when I was directing a freaking documentary. And yes, EVEN when I won an Emmy.
Since, I’ve tried to accept that if you have the eye, you have the eye. On top of that, I firmly believe that if you have the right skills, you can learn be an expert at anything. Seriously, ask Suze Orman. Or Jillian Michaels. Neither women started out on finance or fitness when their careers took shape. I believe that if you have the passion to learn something, the patience to pour your life into it and the willingness to fail - you can do it too.
All of that brings me to: how do you make videos for your website? Here’s part 1. Stay tuned for part 2 next week:
1. DSLR cameras: I can’t praise the SLR photography companies enough for bringing affordable, high-quality video to the masses. Flip cams, as convenient as they were, were never going to be blockbuster production equipment. Get a DSLR camera and start practicing with simple things. Take photos. Adjust ISO. Learn about exposure. Try moving lights around and seeing where shadows end up. All of these basic skills will be the foundation for your production skills later on. I also can’t say enough about Living In The Stills Manual Photography Infographic. You will want to print this. Or better yet, support good work and buy it.
The one caveat about DSLR cameras is that you need to invest in a good tripod. Unless you have the steadiest hand alive, you will find that even the most professional grade DSLR cameras are best used for hand held work.
2. Start small: For every produced minute of work I create, I shoot/edit for one hour. In many cases, the planning, research, scouting, etc. ends up being about 4-6 hours for one produced minute. For VERY polished pieces, for example the holiday video, An Ode To Tights, I will spend about 30 hours planning, lighting, shooting, shopping, editing. Please don’t try to produce this on your first try. You will get frustrated and want to quit.
Instead, start with a 30 to 60 second video that requires no cuts or very little editing. For example, this 30 Second iPad Stand DIY video has one shot, set up on a flat surface with good overhead lighting. This isn’t hard to do and if you can pull off the entire shot in one try, you’ll be done in no time!
3. Plan your shots: Storyboarding is the practice of planning out each of your shots in the order they would appear. A simple drawing on the back of a napkin is often how I start. This will give you a simple checklist so you won’t forget any shots that are critical to your video. Write out the beginning, the middle and the end. Make a list of shots that illustrate each point and possible ways to shoot them.
Next Thursday, I’ll talk about inexpensive lighting, graphics and editing!
I hate to make big, bold predictions… BUT I’m going to make one anyway:
Cheap equipment and technology are going to COMPLETELY change the way we tell stories on the web this year.
Why do I say that? There’s an insurgence of affordable technology hitting the market this year. Whether it’s the new Kindle or the new products from Wacom, affordable technology seems to be the new theme in many markets. Here’s the kicker though, it’s often difficult for consumers to translate that into our work. However, I’ve ID’d two new products that I’m confident will make video storytelling and multimedia storytelling on the web more affordable, more high impact and more beautiful.
First, Cinetic’s Cineskates.
This incredible little device is only $275 on Kickstarter right now if you invest. Why is this so great? Video production has become more attainable for small newsrooms, blogs and businesses because of affordable cameras and DSLR video quality have become so ubiquitous in the market. However, the auxiliary equipment and tools have not plummeted in price in the same way. That’s where this incredible new rig comes into play. I’ve already dreamed up several ways that you could use this in your home for cooking demos or DIY tutorials and produce the same results that major production houses get.
The second product I’m really jazzed about? The Wacom Inkling.
What are the possibilities here? Well, think smoother, more realistic cartoons and GIFs on Tumblr for starters! Imagine the fun savvy artists will have. However, the business applications are pretty great too. Motion graphics that have that “home-spun” feel will actually have the hand-drawn quality that graphic designers are often trying to imitate, but can’t quite pull off. Plus, it will hit the market in Mid-October for only $199.
So the big question is, who will put these awesome tools to use first to wow us all?
