How can you effectively network using your personal brand in Video Production?

1 Define your personal brand

To define your personal brand as a video production professional, you must consider your talents, passions, and values that set you apart from others. Ask yourself questions such as what are your strengths and specialties in video production, what are your goals and aspirations, and what are your values and beliefs that guide your work ethic and style. Additionally, think about your passions and interests outside of video production as well as how you want others to perceive and remember you. Once you have a clear understanding of your personal brand, use it to craft your elevator pitch, portfolio, social media profiles, and communication style.

2 Showcase your portfolio

Your portfolio is a powerful tool for demonstrating your personal brand in video production. It showcases your skills, creativity, and experience in various projects and formats, as well as telling a story about your vision, style, and approach. To effectively showcase your portfolio, you should select your best and most relevant work samples that highlight your personal brand. Additionally, organize your portfolio by categories, genres, or themes to display your versatility and expertise. Make sure to include a brief description and context for each work sample - such as the client, the purpose, the challenge, and the outcome - and remember to update it regularly with your latest and most impressive work. Finally, share it on your website, social media platforms, and online networks.

3 Engage with your online networks

Engaging with your online networks is essential for connecting with other video production professionals, potential clients, and industry influencers. It also allows you to showcase your personal brand. To do this effectively, you must choose the platforms that suit your goals and target audience, such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Additionally, create and optimize your profiles with personal brand elements like your photo, bio, headline, and links. Follow and interact with people and organizations that are relevant to your field and interests such as peers, mentors, clients, associations, or media outlets. Furthermore, share your portfolio regularly in various formats like videos, posts, stories or live streams. Most importantly provide value and support to your network and invite them to do the same for you.

4 Attend and participate in events

Events are the perfect occasions to network with your video production community, build trust and rapport, and showcase your personal brand. Moreover, events can be used to learn new skills and discover new trends. To attend and participate in events effectively, research and select the events that are relevant to your personal brand and goals, such as workshops, conferences, festivals, or meetups. Additionally, prepare and practice your elevator pitch, portfolio, and business cards. Upon attending an event, introduce yourself to the people you meet and ask them about their personal brands. Listen to the speakers, panelists, and attendees while asking questions to learn more. Finally, follow up with the people you connected with and thank them for their time and insights.

5 Collaborate and co-create with others

Collaboration and co-creation are the ways to network with other video production professionals by working on a common project, goal, or challenge. They also provide an opportunity to showcase your personal brand, enhance your skills, and expand your portfolio. To collaborate and co-create with others effectively, it's important to identify people who share your values, vision, and interests, and have complementary skills. You should also propose and discuss a project idea or challenge that you can work on together, agree on roles and responsibilities, communicate and coordinate regularly, showcase the results of your collaboration, acknowledge your collaborators' efforts and skills, maintain relationships with them, and look for new opportunities to work together.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?