i think what really pushed me into the positive side of things is a meeting i had with gitesh late last night over some beers. we talked about the projects we had lined up and the projects we had finished this year. i don't know much about the numbers but these last few months have been very profitable - not so profitable that we can throw parties but enough to give us breathing room and an on-time paycheck. gitesh has said many times that he feels guilty we are so underpaid but he sometimes goes home with less money than we do. i remember the projects we worked on when i started almost a year ago. we were doing corporate a/v's, which are shown at conferences and what-not, that were motivational in nature. they involved splicing together movie clips. our other major client was a motivational speaker whom i have talked about for crediting himself with the quote "Freedom is never free." having seen a similar quote with my own eyes engraved on the Vietnam Vets Memorial i question whatever credentials he thinks entitle him to that trademark. he really took advantage of gitesh. but i digress. that's what killed my appetite for editing and pushed me into motion-graphics and other technical roles (such as turning pc's into macs). since the end of last year we have done a website, documentaries, a few minor a/v's, and some tv commericals that the client liked so much they have given us the deal for 4 more. our client list includes samsung, hero honda, and icici bank and other major companies that most of you won't recognize. all this to say that our reputation has grown tremendously.
i hadn't really sat back and looked at what we've accomplished because i see overworked, understaffed tension. the projects have been much more interesting and fun as of late and it's been motivating. but last night, after listening to gitesh wheel-n-deal with a prospective client, i realized that we are no longer an unknown studio competing for the scraps but are actually able to command double what other studios charge because "we know [they] will be satisfied and will come back to us for more work" as gitesh told the prospect over the phone.
i'm glad to see him finally gaining the confidence that i told him he should have had way back when. it will be better for all of us.
my confidence has been growing as well. i've managed to get a few clients out of scrapes with no time to allow for mistakes. it's pretty cool that i'm one of the big reasons samsung has been sending us projects on a regular basis and having us do shoots for them. i don't have the satisfaction of hearing praise from them directly but gitesh hears it. i also made a pitch to do a website for an alcohol brand. what the client was asking for seemed odd but i made a proposal nevertheless. i came up with the features, etc. gitesh didn't like it but used it anyway. client loved it and chose us over 8 other studios. i think i can credit my knowledge of formal english because it is a huge advantage in conveying ideas clearly.
we also discussed projects that we are pitching for and several of them involve shooting outside india including one for a client we have done a lot of work for that is in south africa. that one is a long-shot but a year ago the work we are doing now were long-shots. gitesh likes to use the car-washing illustration (adapted). you want your neighbor's mint-condition 57 t-bird. he asks you to wash it and you wash it and if you do that well enough then maybe he'll let you drive it and if you take good care when driving it then maybe he'll let you borrow it and if you take good care when you borrow it he may never ask for it back. =) anyhow, last night was about as encouraging as could be and i have renewed motivation. we are still spending most of our time staring at walls and screens but the way things are going, it's going to be a really good year. now if we can only find more people to work for us. we have a lot more work ahead but i know that things are only going to get more interesting. other than gitesh, i've been working here the longest. i'll make sure to bug him about the grimy fingernails so he doesn't forget next time. okay gotta run. mom, if you know of any resources i could use for making a business plan i would appreciate it. we're gonna need one pretty soon. love to you all. thanks for the prayers.
btw - is this blog public or do you have to have an account? it doesn't look like you need one but i can't tell. later.
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