Video creator (new media show-runner)

1. Video creator: class introduction: Hi. Thanks for choosing to spend your time in my class. I'm Nick, creative producer and filmmaker from Moscow. I recently moved to New York with a talent visa to make my own media projects. Back in Russia, I worked more than 15 years as a copywriter and screenwriter in advertising agencies. But after working in advertising, I became fascinated by YouTube and content in general. I've completed entertainment show runner course in popular Russian TV School. I've completed filmmakers course, and after all that studying experience, I've created my own production studio. Having brought together my advertising background and the desire to create new ideas, I've builded up a team and we started to develop our own media projects on YouTube and large content projects for brands. Our studio's most famous project is the original show ten dump questions. We've invited professionals from various fields to the studio and interviewed them with stupid and amateurish questions about their work and got really smart answers. This project has collected over 1 million subscribers on YouTube, more than 100 million views overall, and we even published a book based on this. We have also created music channel with popular independent Russian artists, and educational and entertainment podcasts, and we even became creative partners of Google Russia. So we attended few conferences as speakers for new creators and brands. My approach to work always was and still it is now to create content ideas based not only on what I want to say or what surrounds me, but also what the audience wants to see because this approach allows you to create not just a good idea, but also a long living and interesting project. Because if you build a whole content strategy from your idea and you really dig deep into your audience language and you try to understand their insights, then sky is the limit. So that's exactly what we're going to talk about in this class. So let's move on. 2. Who is a video creator?: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about the roles of modern show runner and content creator. If we are talking about video and audio content on Internet, today, one person can be an entire production studio. Depending on your capabilities and your ideas, you can be scriptwriter, cameraman, production manager, editor or social media manager, and, of course, the main phase of your project. And that's the beauty of modern content because we can choose our own roles and create some content we're capable of. And a modern show runner, it's first of all, a creative producer who is capable not just to come up with some idea for Internet video, but who understands all the stages of production post production and can control them. Once again, the main goal of this class is to enable you to be not just a YouTube or TikToker or podcaster, but creative producer who can bring different concepts to life and create concepts on different platforms. So see your next video. 3. Video creator: strategy before the idea: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we'll talk about modern content and what rules it exists by. Today, everyone knows that Internet has become a new TV, and a lot of modern celebrities are born on the Internet. TikTokers, YouTubers, artists, podcasters, all of them have such a great popularity. But why did it happen like that? Let's figure it out. When there was just a TV and digital technologies for creating content were available just for professionals and were very expensive, we were just watching our favorite TV shows like next, Pip MR, I bet you will. Different comedies, TV shows, on DVDs, cassettes, and so on. But time has passed, and we became not just consumers of content as well as its producers. Even if you post few vacation stories to your Instagram page or your thoughts to your Twitter page, you are already a producer and content creator. And that ability to create content in every moment with the minimum of technology has created this huge amount of content on the Internet for every tax. However, we should not so easily give up on TV world because TV has something that is not so widely used on the Internet content creation, and that's strategy. In television, you couldn't spend a ton of money on some show that will become unpopular in two or three episodes because that's a lot of money, right? So for that reason, every concept was developing for a long time. So because you first have to write some idea, then create a focus group to check if people do really like it. And after that, you have to write your script, and only after that, it will become a good working TV show when producers will approve it for the channel. Today is so much easier to try shooting some idea and post it on Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, or Spotify. And if it's unsuccessful, try another one. No big deal, right? But why not to try to combine your own idea with research and strategy right before making the content? This small investment of efforts at the very beginning of your project can bring so much benefits for you in the future and save you from smaller amounts of views and subscribers. So, yeah, I will say that strategy is the boss. See you next video. 4. Video creator: format before the idea: Hi, it's Nick here. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about the format of the show and why do we need it to create a content project? Any content we see on the Internet or TV is not just a video. It's a specific format. Film, it's a format, TV series, it's a format, documentary film, it's a format. Cars review, it's a format. Vacation video blog, that's a format. Morning routine, that's a format. Podcast, that's a format. The format refers to how the content is made, besides its idea. In architecture, music, content, movies, everything is invented. You probably will not come up with some completely new idea. Our main goal here is to combine old ideas to create something new. And it is absolutely fine to inspire yourself with some existing content. So that's the main goal to create something new from. Or another example, my project ten dump questions. The format here is an interview with funny questions. Also, it seems like nothing new, but stupid questions turn the old form of interview into something really new and funny. Let's try to understand what a content format is and what is the way to create it by using this slide as an example. I said, it all starts in the point of finding the core audience in which we decide who we want to make content for. After this, we begin to study the interests and insights of the specific group of people. What do they like to watch, listen to? What they do for a hobby? After that, we start creating the idea for our show. It doesn't matter if it's a video blog, Tik Tok, or podcast. The mechanics will be pretty much the same everywhere. So we're working on drama and cliffhangers have the show here. After we came up with the idea, we film it and show it to the group of people we know and trust to see if our idea resonates with them or not. Only after that, we launch the project into life, and then we become popular and successful. So this slide was kind of a roadmap or a scheme to creating format of the show from the idea to the final product. So don't worry, we will dive deeply to all the aspects of this scheme in next videos. And in the end of this video, I would like you to check on your favorite bloggers on Instagram, Spotify, Tik Tok, and maybe think about what type of content do they create? Like what format it is and what is their core audience. This information will help us to talk in next videos. See ya. 5. Video creator: audience and insights: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about target audience and finding insights. First of all, to start our own project or start a client's project, we have to answer the main question. Who is the target audience of our idea? Of course, we're not talking about calculated success, and you always have to make content about what you love and what you know well. Otherwise, it doesn't make any sense. So your main audience at the start is you and your friends. But however, we have to think about what kind of people will come to see our piece of content or listen to our piece of content after our friends and family, because those kind of people will stay with us for next months, maybe years during our project. This first step should not frighten you with the scale of marketing research because when we will do this type of work in the very beginning, it will be so much easier to create the big idea because you will understand for whom it will an example, I would like to talk again about my ten dump questions project. So when I decided to take filmmaking classes, there was nowhere on the Internet short video describing this specific profession where I could find some information and specifics to make this important decision. And at that point, I understood this insight as the target audience that as an adult, you want to find short and very specific information to make this important decision in your life. And that was the start for our project. So insight is always a problem or request from the target audience that you as a creator, have to solve or give an answer with your piece of content. This is the key point of all our class that we always have to satisfy specific needs of our listener or viewer. Why do they have to watch or listen our piece of content? That's the main question. At the end of this video, I would like to ask you to think about yourself as a target audience. So who you are, where do you live? Who are your friends? Who is your family? What type of movies do you like? What TV series do you like? What music do you listen? What type of food do you love? Where do you want to live in five years? What do you want to do in ten years? So, try to create this whole bubble about yourself and look at all this information like a big portrait of the Target audience, and that might help you with a big idea in next step. See you next video. 6. Video creator: the big idea: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. So after we figure out how to find your target audience, we start working with the big idea. And let's repeat again. Every idea should answer the main question. Why should a specific person watch or listen your piece of content? When we start developing the big idea, the first thing is the meaning, but not the production. It's also a crucial thing because a lot of teams and creators jump directly into the fancy production and design stuff without good working concept. Let's talk here again about my ten DM questions project. So when I came up with this idea of interview with professionals or short type of video about professions, I thought that that might be a good idea, but still it's not a big idea, and we need something above. This form of interview, right? So after that, I started to think about questions we're asking to professionals because when we try to find some information in Google or we ask questions to some professionals in person, all our questions are basically amateurish and stupid, right? So I thought that that might be a good concept to ask stupid questions to professionals directly on the interview. They will answer directly and informatively as possible. So after that, we decided to go on with this concept and started the project. And here I will give you a few examples of stupid questions from our show. Question to the genecologist. Can I get pregnant from the dirty water in a public swimming pool or question to the surgeon? Can you attach back the head of decapitated person or question to ballet dancer? Do you listen only to classic music? So to sum up, when you came up with a good bright idea, you have to sit and try to write whole episode or better two episodes of your show. Don't think about the production at all. Think about this script, about the idea, about the questions inside the show, about the answers inside the show. And maybe after that process, you will watch it, your idea, and you will better understand will it work or not. See you in next video. 7. Video creator: production references: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about production and references. So after you came up with a big idea of a show and scripted at least one episode, you might have some picture in your head, how it can be done in video. And we have to say that in podcast, you can directly go to production process at this point because you just have to try your idea. But in video, we will talk about searching and references. In video, it is absolutely normal to have another existing projects in mind when you are creating your own. Because we are watching content every day, and we can think about different projects as cool references. So for example, you can take one project as a reference of shooting. Another project can be a reference for the location, third one can be reference for your sound design and so on. So you have to take all these small parts and add them to your recipe of cool show. So you don't have to copy other creators, but you can take cool parts from them and create your own specific idea. That process of reference search will help you anyway on set, because if you are shooting with the team, you always can show some reference to your camera man and tell them how you want your camera to move or to show set designer what you would like to see on set. You can improve your edit, your sound design, and so on. Or if you are shooting alone at home with your phone, you will be 100% ready for the shooting day because you will think about the script on set, but not on how to shoot your idea. So in any way, it will help please remember the main thing about the production process of content in Internet. The less money you spend, the better, do the required quality for sound, shooting, lighting, location, without noises, do all that stuff. But please save money because you are just testing some new idea. You don't know for sure, will it work or not. Our goal is to work on the concept and find out will it work or not. For that reason, the production process should be based on the script but not on expensive cameras. And that was my point when we were shooting first episodes of ten dump questions. We shooted all the project on some black curtain with two cameras, one light, and one microphone. Nothing fancy, just an interview, and we put it all the effort to the concept and to the questions and editing. So the interview could be very funny, interesting. And pretty much dynamic. Once again, idea first and only after that, if you are sure that your idea is working, you can spend time and money for production. Thank you. See you next video. 8. Video creator: making the first episode: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about the shooting day. If the whole project is built around you and you are the main hero of your own idea, do as in the Ikea assembling instruction. Call a friend and be prepared to spend a whole day or maybe a couple of days for the first shooting day because you never tried this idea before and you will do everything for the first time. And try to find as much friends and volunteers as possible because you will have to do a lot of things and think about a lot of things. And that also works with podcasts. If you want to try your podcast idea first, try it with your friends, somebody that you are comfortable with. But if you are behind the camera and you've created idea for this specific show, my main advice is to concentrate on the script. You have to be a script supervisor on set because if you have a team and you rely on them and they are capable of control all the process behind the script, do it, work on script, check the script, because in the end of the day, all those guys will go home and forget about your project, and you will work with script, and you will have to edit all this material. And in the end of the day, the main part of the pilot is not the production. It is important but not so crucial as the script. For that reason, you have to be responsible for the main part of this pyramid. And here I will repeat my main idea from last video. Shoot as cheap as possible. Try to make your pilot with a good taste, but as cheap as possible. Only necessary criteria, location without noises, good camera, good microphones, and interesting script. That's all you have to do with the pilot. And after that, if you have good idea and all those criterias in your pocket, you probably will shoot a good pilot. See you next video. Bye. 9. Video creator: post-production process: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about post production. You filmed an episode of your show or a few episodes, and fun part begins editing. When you watch your material from shooting day for the first time, you may think that this is not what you expected to see, and that's fine. Don't worry. Your post production goal is to create the most complete product you can and here music and design will be a huge part of the process, both for the video and for podcasts. Find the intro music from music stock websites for your show. Think about the title. Think about fonts because all the small aspects will create first vibe of your show, and you are responsible for that first vibe. But beyond that, you can check other skill share classes of designers, motion designers, sound designers, and all those tips will also help you to improve your project. Design, sound design, that's great. But we have to think about the big idea and our show itself. Make the first edit and watch it from first to last second. Don't be afraid to drop out some boring or unnecessary things from your edit. But if you have a complex design on post production or you have a bunch of cameras that you have to combine, or you have a lot of guests in your podcast and you don't know how to edit a lot of audio files together, please ask for help for your friends or check for some professionals on the Internet because once again, I will say that you have to concentrate on the script and on the idea. And on post production as well, you have to supervise the whole process, but not to dig deeply on the technical aspects of editing. So that's my whole point. Thank you. See your next video. 10. Video creator: posting plan and consistency: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about the posting plan. The most important element for the success in any content creation today is regularity. And if you have recorded or shoot it first episode or a few episodes of your show, and you are happy with the first results, then be prepared to do it every week or every couple of weeks. And remember, the main thing, success is not fast. So you have to believe in your idea and work on it every day. You're ready to release your project, think about the title and the description of your idea, and it doesn't matter what platform do you choose. YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, or even Spotify. It is very important to describe your idea or concept in one short sentence because when listeners and viewers will come to your page, they have to immediately understand what is going on here, what is this content about? And after you describe the whole concept of your show, describe specific video or episode of podcast, what is happening here. So you create this small description, and it will help you to improve your idea and make it more clear to the audience. Now using one simple slide, let's talk about what a posting plan exactly is. Let's take eight weeks and imagine that we are releasing our show every week. When we've posted the very first piece of content, we need to think about what we will post the next week and week after and the week after that. This is where we should start working with our posting plan. We have to shoot content in advance and try to shoot multiple episodes in one day. So if you have simple idea and you get shoot or record two or three episodes in one shift in one day. It will be perfect for your posting plan, and it will be much easier for you to work on your posting flow. And for example, how it was done on my project ten dump Questions Show. We filmed eight episodes in two days and had enough content for two months. This is exactly the slide from our project. We post the first episode and we edit the next one. When we are about to finish the second month, we do two more days of shooting, and we have eight more episodes for the next two months and so in the content ahead will help you to avoid getting burned out on your project and will keep the audience interested because they will exactly know when to come to see or to listen your new episode. And you have to set up those rules and spread them to the audience. Like, Hey, guys, we have a new episode every week or every two weeks or every month. And I would like to recommend, for example, to post on YouTube every week or every couple of weeks because it will be good for algorithm, for Instagram and Tik Tok. It will be better to post content every couple of days. And if you are making a podcast in audio format, it will be fine to post it every two weeks or every month will work as well. So here are some posting tips, so see you in next video. 11. Video creator: promotion and collabs: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about promotion and collaboration. When you released your project, you have to understand that you won't have millions of views and plays instantly. And for that reason, you have to use all available tools to spread the information about your project. First of all, you can ask your friends and family to share the information about your project, make a repost of first episode and so on. After that, you can go and search for similar content creators that are making your type of content and think what kind of collaborations you guys can make together. Because today a lot of creators are making content together. For example, cooking bloggers are making some recipes together, car bloggers are repairing cars together, and you have to think about these kind of collaborations as a free of charge tool that can help you to improve your project and collect your first audience. And don't hesitate to connect with those bloggers, and you have to just think about idea what you can guys do together and propose these ideas to those bloggers. Think about it like it's a networking game, and maybe they will answer, maybe not. But why not a try? This is a free of charge instrument. You just go to their DMs and write them some idea for collaboration. So I would say that it's worth it. Thank you. See you next video. 12. Video creator: content life cycles: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about cycles of content life. Today, trends and memes replace each other within two weeks, and for that reason, every piece of content on the Internet becomes old very quickly. So when you launched your first project, your first idea, you have to understand that it has its personal cycle of life. And I would say the deadline is about one year. For that reason, when you first started your show, and after a couple of months, it started to collect audience, collect views. You have to think about improvement. What other idea can you launch on this platform? No matter you are building a media or it's your personal page, personal account on Instagram or personal account on TikTok, you have to think about improvement and new ideas on the regular basis. Here, the main source of inspiration and help for your new ideas, is your audience. Remember how we were talking about searching for the target audience. So now you have it. So you can use it and you have to use them because you can ask them directly, guys, what do you want to see next? What kind of improvements on this idea you want? I can say that it is perfect next step from your first idea, and it will help you to build not only good idea or some creative concept, but a platform with huge audience, and they will grow up with you together. For that reason, you have to always think that you are not alone in your way because your audience is there with you and you guys can make new ideas together. Thank you. We'll see you next video. 13. Video creator: profit and brand contracts: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we'll talk about working with brands. As I said, previously, you have to work 2-6 months on your project before the first success, and that also works with profit because you first have to collect some amount of audience. And for example, in our project, I Ten DAM Questions, we've had our first brand contract when we've reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. That was our miles. In this video, we're not talking about monetization type of profit from platforms, YouTube, Spotify or Instagram. You can just Google this information on Internet. It's pretty simple. We're talking about brands. You have your first connection with the brand and here you have to behave like a professional, like a contractor and consumer. In this case, you are the contractor because the brand is giving you money and you have to work like a professional here and create your own type of brief. What kind of product do you guys? Who is your target audience, what we can say about the brand, what we can say about the brand, because you always have to remember that every brand has its own background, as well as your platform, your channel, and your own persona, and you have to use those possibilities to improve your content. So as an example, I will tell you about my first experience of brand collaboration in our ten Dump questions project. So we've had this brief from a movie company about new film coming out, and we decided to create an episode Ten Dump Questions to an actress because we previously didn't have. And we scripted few questions about profession of a movie actor. She was answering those questions, and in the end, she started to speak about her last performance in this film. And this was very organic and natural advertising for the film, for this actress. And it was very good for our audience because it was not like direct advertising of film. It was just a speech about profession, about acting and stuff like that. So in conclusion, I can say, if you do cool stuff with brands, it always improve your skills, your content, and your money. Thank you. See you next video. 14. Video creator: finding investments: Hi, it's Nick. Thanks for continuing the class. In this video, we will talk about investors. If you are not a single content creator and you are an experienced producer who can assemble production teams and find money for new projects, then you can use my class as a to do list to create a pitch presentation and build some brandent media or independent media, like, for example, GQ, YouTube channel or complex sneakers channel, it is always cool when you have some ideas and you are finding a budget for those ideas, and you build new media. So I will say that you can try with other guys if they have money and possibilities and you have ideas. You can also do stuff like that. See you next video. 15. Video creator: class project : Hi, it's Nick. In this video, we will talk about the class project. In the end of my class, I would like to offer you to create one page PDF pitch presentation about the project you would like to create in real life. And here are a few questions you can use in this presentation as a structure. What are you interested in and what really fascinates you? What form of content you would like to make video or audio? Who is your potential audience? Describe these people in a few words. Where do they live? Who are they? How old are they? What interests might they have and why do you want to make content specifically for them? Idea for your show. What will be happening inside? What will be the name of your show? Shooting mechanics of your show, how it will be filmed, what location you want to use. So here you can apply just as much references as you want. Why the target audience have to watch your show? How often you will post your idea, describe a plan for months, how you will work with brands inside the show. So you can use this pitch form to describe your idea or if you feel that you want to create some other form of presentation, just feel free. We will check all the applications. Thank you. 16. Video creator: final thoughts: Hi, guys. It's Nick. Thanks for finishing this class with me. In this class, we were talking about how to create a format from finding the audience to making profit. But of course, you always have to remember that you have to do what you love and what you understand, but with the reflection on people who will watch your content, I just tried to show you some tips and tricks that can improve your ideas and your content. I hope those tips will help you in your path. Thank you. Bye.