Last Week's Shoot - (Hank)

[HankCastello]

These guys probably have a lot more time for web design than I do, but keep us in mind for dependable hosting and maybe for a little help on the server-side programming when needed.

[Jordan Berry]

Haha, actually PHP/MySQL / Ajax / Flash AS is where i excel!

I didn't realize we had so much in common, how old are you?

[HankCastello]

Over twenty-one!  But under thirty, in spirit. I have a 'recent' photo here somewhere, taken in 1968.  Here's a hint - Favorite singers - Ian & Sylvia, Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Pride & (a bit of a curve here) Sarah Brightman.

[Jordan Berry]

60.

I'm psychotic, i mean psychic!

Edit: Saw the Oak Ridge Boys about a month ago.. It was alright

[Souvenir]

That's what I love about these forums already...so much help, and so quickly!  

Okay...as for you, Jim, in answer to your question about where I am from:  I live in Rochester and hope to be targeting the Southern MN/Northern Iowa/Southwestern Wisconsin area.  I know you service the Twin Cities area, so I'm sorta out of your area.  I'm also a lot less experienced and far cheaper a service than yours, so I don't even think we're targeting the same clientele, in reality.  I'm targeting the more budget-restricted bride - so I hope to offer very good quality for a smaller price.  From your website, you appear to be targeting brides with a little more lattitude in their budget, hence, can afford a much higher quality and more choices.  (I hope to be at that level some day!)  I'll go to your website and shoot you an email about the website design...

Same with you, Jordan.  I'll shoot you an email to see your work.

Then maybe when I have the design finished I can contact Hank for the hosting?  I like to keep things in the "family" so to speak, if at all possible.  Even though we are all "technically" competitors, I like to think that we are really here more to help each other out and advance our profession as a whole.

If I can ever help any of you out on the accounting side, let me know.  I'm a CPA for a very large accounting firm, and I like to return the favor if at all possible.  Obviously I can't give open advice in the forums for liability reasons, but I would be more than happy to email anyone...just let me know.  

Since we live in the same state, Jim, we may be able to trade services come tax season?

[On a Roll]

Hi again Souvenir,

I don't really think of you, or any of the other folks here as competition. My mindset is that videography is such a young field (compared to photography, for example), and that there are so many really bad videographers out there, that the more good ones there are who want to do a good job, the better. That even goes for folks in my market.

I actually have gone to most of my competitors in the Twin Cities and the St. Cloud area, and built a relationship with several of them. The benefit to this is that if a couple comes to me and a date is booked, I can refer them to someone who might have that date open, and vice versa. I've had a couple brides come to me through competitors, so I can say that this really works.