Do any of you remember the stunning video from The 1st Nashville NotWedding?? Well, in case any of you were wondering who was the creative mastermind behind the camera, we’ve got the answers you’ve been looking for. Matt Giesler of Matt G Video was such a joy to watch as he scurried around at the party, meticulously filming stills, pausing mid-sentence to grab a shot of the train passing by and getting in the middle of the dance floor to get the perfect angles. We’ve asked him a few questions about his small business, what he loves and what some of the best things he’s done for himself so far. Enjoy getting to know Matt G Video!
Oh, and for those of you who haven’t seen the video from Nashville…..
Wouldn’t want anyone missing out ; )
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What is the best part about your job?
I’m a typical guy in a lot of respects. I love sports (especially college football… Go Dawgs!), outdoor activities, and being around a lot of people in social settings. Because of this, I would say I’m not your typical wedding videographer… I mean, who wants to film a wedding when the Georgia Bulldogs are taking the field?!?! But I do… I really love what I do. Whether it’s showing the bride a couple “sneak-peak” shots that I captured during filming or the couple’s reaction when I send them the final edited piece, it just brings great joy to me. It’s a super humbling opportunity for someone to believe in you so much that they choose me to tell the story of the biggest day of their lives. It’s hard to put into words sometimes. PS: With that said, I’m really thankful for DVR during football season!!
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Matt’s most popular film yet!
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What is one lesson you’ve learned the hard way?
When you are first starting out, you have big dreams. I “needed” so much gear at first and I found myself “wanting” more than I actually needed. My wife jumped in and made sure to ask me every day do we “need” this and my answer was usually no. I started small. I made my first wedding film with about $640 worth of equipment and continued with that model for several more weddings. Once I generated some income, I slowly but surely acquired the gear I needed to take my films to the next level. I highly encourage anyone out there to rent gear to try things out and see what you like and what works for you. You don’t want to buy something that is worthless in a year or isn’t as functional for you as it might seem while browsing amazon.
List three good decisions you’ve made in your business.
Hiring a bookkeeper was probably the best decision I made so far. I found myself spending 20 hours a week to process client payments and making sure the government wouldn’t knock on my door. I could do it myself but I found that it left me with little to no creativity after being frustrated with the process. My bookkeeper has allowed me to focus on what matters and that is telling stories… not processing numbers! The second best thing I have done is expanded my business. I was sending a lot of business away because I was already booked. I quickly and thoroughly trained a team that could come alongside me, offer the same quality of videography and be on call to film weddings. It enables me to not get burned out, and I can still do 35 weddings a year while personally only filming 20. This helps to ensure that I continue to love what I do and gives clients superior quality and customer service! The third best decision I made was to start small and to not go into debt from the start and get myself into a situation where I had to pump out product in order to stay afloat. I did what I could with what I had and poured myself into those projects. My price point was a lot lower then, but I still went above and beyond for my clients and I still get messages from them and referrals for other weddings, which is the greatest reward of all.
What has been your favorite part of The NotWedding experience?
The staff is absolutely perfect. They love what they do and they focus on lifting up small businesses in the wedding industry. They really help provide a voice for us not only on a local level, but on a national scope as well. I’m really excited to be a part of this movement. The NotWedding concept cannot be beat!
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This video shows off Matt’s amazing team. He wasn’t present at this wedding!
To see more videos from Matt G
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