The tools of our trade have been commoditized. Everyone can perform the job of seasoned video and film professionals, right? If you answered no, do you think the average consumer can articulate the value you add over the newcomer? How do we continue to get compensated for our hard earned skillsets if the consumer is never shown the difference?

Almost everyone on the planet has access to pen and paper but how many professional writers are there? Access to the tools doesn’t make a master out of someone. Look at this another way: We can all tell the difference between a short story written by a fifth grader and one written by a good professional storyteller. Why? Because we are trained on reading and writing rules form the time we are little children.

In our industry, I have long believed we have done a disservice to our long-term economic health by being secretive about our craft. If our clients and consumers don’t know exactly what we do, why should they pay more for a skilled artisan?

As a colorist, I am constantly shocked by the poor and sometimes complete lack of color correction on so many TV shows. If the average consumer could see how good those shows could look, they would demand better quality content. With this video, I hope to begin the long process of educating our clients and consumers in the hope that they will demand our work going forward.

Please feel free to embed or otherwise share this three-minute video with your viewers and clients. Beyond a logo on the shirt I’m wearing, there is no hard sell for my business. But there is a hard sell for the value of your and my craft. And let me know in the comments what you think of this video.