VM: Getting Started in the Wedding Videography Biz - Mark Montgomery

[HankCastello]

When I saw the August 2009 cover of Videomaker magazine, I just knew I had material for another article.  I had yet to read an article about the wedding videography business that didn't raise my ire and give fodder for a rebuttal article..

..until now.  Mark, you disappoint me!  You've given me nothing for an article.  Mark Montgomery has written a down-to-earth article about getting started in the wedding videography business - a darn good article!

I do have one BIG correction though - near the end of his article, Mark says "Another great resource is WEVA.." 

HELLO, Mr. Montgomery!  Haven't you heard of WeddingVideoDoneRight?  Last time I checked, we had way more resources for wedding videographers than WEVA.

Oh well, one slip-up.  It's still a darn good article.  Congrats to Mark and to Videomaker magazine!

[kwshaw1]

HELLO, Mr. Montgomery!  Haven't you heard of WeddingVideoDoneRight?  Last time I checked, we had way more resources for wedding videographers than WEVA.

Nice try Hank, but WEVA is a much bigger and more resourceful organization - their main drawback is that the annual membership fee is a little steep.

[HankCastello]

Nice try Hank, but WEVA is a much bigger and more resourceful organization

I was going to let this go, but then I got the idea to check out the validity of this statement.  I couldn't find ANY resources on the WEVA website for people wanting to learn or improve in the wedding video business.  I only found self-serving comments, lots of ads and I could have swore I felt something like a vacuum cleaner trying to suck money out of my wallet.

No help in the WEVA forums either because they're closed off to all but members.

In contrast, WeddingVideoDoneRight.com has more than sixty articles posted that inform and educate.  Our forums are open to all and our members are quick to reply to questions and all have been extremely helpful to those in need of advice.

If by "bigger" you mean more actual members, then you're undoubtedly right, but if you go by visitors to our articles and forums, I'm willing to bet we've got them beat by a long shot (gotta include the "lurkers"!)

[HankCastello]

And while we're on the topic of videographer organizations, I'd like to inform everyone (I'm sure Kevin already knows) just how tightly knit the field is.  In one single week, a couple years back, I was kicked off forums at dvinfo, cow and somewhere else (I forget) - a week that did not correspond to any posts I'd made but to an article I'd posted on this website, faulting eventDV and a particular author/wedding videographer for recommending tactics that I felt were dishonest, gouging and outright fraud.  Many on our forums agreed with me.

But the other organizations quickly circled the wagons.  It's a closed clique out there and it hasn't been working to the advantage of the industry or to wedding videographers.  We may only be holding a flashlight, but we're shining light where it needs to be shined.

I've posted on several web developer boards and some political boards for many years and I've never been banned from one.