My Glass & Marker Experience
Why real world experience trumps everything
For my summer internship I was fortunate enough to join the Glass & Marker team. Glass & Marker is a creative video agency based in the San Francisco Bay Area that creates commercials for companies such as Google, Yahoo, Virool, Prezi, etc.. When searching for an internship I looked at various companies from big to small. I was excited by this opportunity since it would give me exposure to talented and creative people in an entrepreneurial environment. My time at Glass & Marker spanned 4 amazing months. The knowledge that I acquired from Glass & Marker is invaluable and will stay with me if I expand my own company in the future. I took mental notes along the way since it was important to capture these important experiences. Reflecting on the 4 months, I realized I have learned some very valuable lessons which I have outlined below.
Scaling a Creative Business
When starting a company, success is defined by hiring and enabling the right people. Most companies fail from the start because of a bad foundation. Just like sports, your team has to play together. It is also important to understand the “Multiplier of 3 Rule”. Whenever your company grows by three your structure has to change.
Client Feedback
Prior to Glass & Marker, I viewed client feedback as “they don’t know video”. Coming from a film background I have always had my own vision. In advertising, things are different because the client is paying you. On one hand, the client is the boss, but they might not know what's best. At Glass & Marker it was our job to educate the client on the best practices but at the same time hear what the client is saying.
Referrals Are Everything
If you don't have a large network it’s difficult to become successful. A network of freelance filmmakers shot a large percentage of our commercials. This also allows you to contract around the world for bigger projects. We also produce with our in-house team as we form a crew based on the needs of each project.
Legal Stuff Matters
Always have everything in writing. Not just contracts. Everything from simple changes to large fixes. If something is not in writing it never happened. This is very important with clients because it can cost you thousands of dollars. Writing can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
Client Service Trumps All
Business experience is extremely important. Sometimes making great videos isn’t enough. Having someone dedicated to connecting with clients and networking is what brings in new clients. Working with our head of business development showed me the “in’s and out's” of what sells videos. Most of his days were spent refining our sales process and networking with potential clients.
Take Interest in Your Clients
Before jumping on a call with a client you need to research them. Sites like Crunchbase, AngelList, and Mattermark will give you an idea on how much funding they have. This will give you an idea of what they may budget for a project. Outside of budget, having general insight of what your client does and who they are will give you a sense of what specific questions to ask.
Too Hungry to Eat
Learning to say no. The phrase “let's see if it makes sense to work together” was used on almost every sales call. There were multiple occasions when the budget or project was not the right fit for both parties. That's when we decided it’s best not to do business together. Always strive for happy customers.
Post Production Capabilities Allow for Greater Vision
Great motion graphics and VFX are one of the most important skill sets for making compelling videos and it’s hard to come by. At Glass and Marker you could go as far as saying we are a post production company. Most of the products that we did commercials for were for hardware products and required significant VFX work. These products often need to have their videos created before they’re fully manufactured. In addition, we create videos for tech companies with ephemeral products like software that need to be represented with motion graphics if their user interface isn’t created yet.
Every Company is a Technology Company
File management saves time in the long run. Allowing a half day just to organize your projects can really pay off. Many times at Glass & Marker, team members would hop onto others project files so having a company standard of how we managed files made things more efficient.
Develop Your Team
It’s important as a CEO to see what places your current employees excel at and what places they want to grow. This will allow them to try new things and grow which will make them more valuable to you. At Glass & Marker we often referred to this concept of the circle of mastery.
Love What You Do
You MUST love what you’re doing. At Glass & Marker it’s the late nights for a final delivery for a client that really test if this is the right field for you.
As I look back I realize how much knowledge I have absorbed in such a short period of time. We live in a world now where we have unlimited access to information but real world professional experience trumps everything. I came to Glass & Marker at an exciting time of expansion. I saw the structure of a company and how it morphed as new people arrived. I worked on a video that raised up to 3 million dollars on Indiegogo and also helped on projects that would change billion dollar markets. At Glass & Marker I learned wisdom comes from direct authentic experiences and how valuable internships can be. My lessons at Glass & Marker will stay with me for the rest of my career as a filmmaker and businessman.