Screensaver Visual Production
following the London-based video production companyArchive for Uncategorized
New and exciting stuff in Feb
Wow! What a great start to the year. We’ve got lots of new projects lined up with old and new clients, notably filming with the London Museums Hub. That project starts of next week. Lots more in the pipeline, too.
The footage from Jordan is editing well, currently with Tim Lewis is post production. Elsewhere, we have been recording foreign language voiceovers for one of our regular clients. One particular video project now having been reversioned for 5 countries across Europe.
The finishing touches are being made to a project for charity Sense, which us due to complete very soon.
We’ve also begun publishing our video and announcing them via Twitter, and also have our brand new creative brochure available for download: www.screensaver.uk.com/pdfpage.html
February looks an exciting prospect.
www.screensaver.uk.com
My iphone runs my business!
My iPhone runs my business!
I really didn’t know, just over a year ago, how important this one purchase would be to my business. Of course, I’m not the first to rave about the iPhone, we all know what it can do and how intrinsic it can be with the daily tasks that get thrown your way. Being able to respond straight away not only keeps your clients and staff happy, but saves you from having to stockpile work for the evenings and weekends.
Let me tell you about my daily routine. Even before getting out of bed I’m able to check my three different email accounts: business account number one; business account number two, and my personal account. It speaks volumes that my personal account gets much less attention that either of the business ones! I can reply to overnight issues before they hit the client at 7am, and stay one step ahead.
The next task is releasing another weblink via Twitter to publicise our video work – I have our back catalog of work all formatted and prepared weeks in advance, leaving me to simply tell the online community where to find everything, every element under my control.
Much of Screensaver’s business takes place in the office. Tim and Clemence will be using two of our three edit systems throughout the day, except for occasions when we’re out filming once or twice a week. For me, however, I’m rarely in the office for very long. I constantly bounce between south London and west London, via central for meetings and discussions. My iPhone not only allows me to keep in touch with the office, but gives me the ability to forward-plan and keep in touch with clients on the move.
The three most important apps I have:
1. Proworkflow – this new app from the New Zealand-based project management company keeps me sync’d with all of our project information, bookings and contact details. We’ve been using them for around 6 months now, and I couldn’t give a stronger recommendation. The price is also fantastic, along with the support www.proworkflow.com
2. Echofon – this Twitter client is simple and uncluttered. While other Twitter apps may let you do more and see more, this one’s fast and integrates well with uploading photos. It’s become cruical to this year’s marketing plan.
3. WordPress – a major addition to our social media commitment this year, the trusty blog. I’m currently standing on a train station platform writing this entry, which will be easily uploaded after I’m done.
These are my most frequently used, but others that contribute are Ustream broadcaster for video; marketingprof for keeping up to date with marketing trends and opinions, and Sky News for bringing the world to the palm of my hand.
Others to watch are LinkedIn, Tumblr and Photoshop Mobile.
Technically, I can now avoid the office for days without suffering thanks to the multitude of tools accessible to me from this one gadget. In my opinion, my business is infinitely stronger for me having one.
Steven
www.screensaver.uk.com
Look After Your Team!
I’m a firm believer that your staff are the most important assets in your company. Not only do I rely on them to deliver our end products to the highest quality, I also trust them to maintain the relationship with our clients.
Luckily, the company we run has it’s exciting moments: we get to meet interesting people; celebrities; we get to work on some exciting projects and also get to travel – which means more often than not our team has a happy existence.
However, the time to measure your staff is not when things are going well, but when the pressure is on or when they’re faced with a period of quiet. Will they sit there and surf YouTube, or will they contribute?
Thankfully for us, the vast majority of the time we’re a busy company, so the peaks and troughs are pretty consistent across the year. However, I believe the key to keeping your staff occupied productively even during downtime is to have a set of tasks that play to their strengths and desires always accessible. Furthermore, if these tasks can benefit the company in some way then you’re quids in.
We also don’t operate for a set number of hours a day. We start and finish simply when the work demands we do. If you want to keep your clients happy then you have no choice but to respond when they need you. If we work longer then we’ll always give the time back. Holiday can be taken at any time as long as it doesn’t put our projects at risk. Sometimes, they are quite happy to work longer hours knowing that they can take time back when they want it – to go to a gig or even just to go shopping.
In a climate where it’s more important than ever to put your clients first, it’s easy to forget the team of people who keep your business running. For me, it’s as simple as “my staff are my business”, and keeping them happy, motivated and stimulated means that they’re looking after my clients and my business too.
Email me, tell me what you think:
Steven@screensaver.uk.com
www.screensaver.uk.com
Youre only as good as your team
As I start my new blog, my two colleagues (Tim and Clem) have travelled to Pescara in Italy to film a conference for 5 days. It’s the first time in a good while that I’ve been left to manage the business by myself. Not that it’s beyond me (!) but it’s interesting to experience the demands of the job since I last held the reigns alone.
It’s been just over a year since I hired Tim and clem – and we’ve never looked back. With them on-board we can achieve greater quality of output; faster turnarounds and improved relations with our clients.
So, it shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise that my first night back alone saw me pull an all-nighter to complete and deliver a video project for the NHS!
I’m looking forward to having them back!
