LIVA is alive and well!

Videoguys is proud to be a sponsor of the Long Island Videographer's Association. The Long Island Videographers Association is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected Local Videographer Associations in the Country. It is comprised of some of the finest NY area Event Film Makers who meet monthly to learn, share ideas and network. If you are a Professional Videographer or Filmmaker in the NY metropolitan area you owe it to yourself to come down and see what these guys are up to. LIVA has been around since 1988. Last night was reunion night and they invited back a bunch of old friends to come on down and see what they've been missing. Some of the stories they shared about the early days of event videography were hysterical. One of the members even brought his old S-VHS camcorder! I try to bring something to raffle off whenever I make a meeting. Raffle sales are one of the main fundraising activities they have, so it's important to me to make sure I bring something that's going to sell a bunch of tickets. At last night's meeting Videoguys donated a G-Tech G-Drive ATC to the raffle. It's a 1TB rugged, waterproof, portable hard drive. I knew it was just the ticket! At last night's meeting we had two members showing us the work they can do with lightweight motorized gimbal stabilizers. Having the opportunity to hear from them as they and shared their experiences about both the Ronin-M and Movi was so informative. When put in the hands of a talented videographer these devices allow you to add powerful shots that look as good as something shot for a Hollywood movie. Another member told us about how he is using the Canon Vixia POV camera to augment his shooting. Similar to a GoPro this small camera can be placed discreetly within the venue. Another member shared a great tip about mounting one of these on top of his main camera to simultaneously capture a wide angle view of the ceremony. What a fantastic tip and another example of how participating in an organizations like LIVA can help you become even better at your craft. The highlight of the evening was the featured speaker Dan Brennan. Dan is a long time Videoguy's customer. He comes in every few months to pick up another G-Tech G-RAID. Dan's an actor, an independent film maker a corporate video producer and an event Videographer. He made an indy film about wedding videographers called "Videoguys" that we always joke about because for years we showed up in each others Googel searches. Last night he showed us the trailer for his new indy film and talked to the membership about the opportunities of producing corporate video. Dan's a long time local wedding videographer and he shared some hilarious war stories with the crowd, but more importantly he gave some great advice on how to expand your business and revenues beyond event videography. He stressed that we are all storytellers. Storytellers who know how to work in tight spaces, on tight budgets and on tight timetables. Use these talents to expand your business. Look into working as a shooter or editor on an independent film. Reach out to local businesses, colleges and charities and offer to produce their fundraising videos. He had even more great advice, but if you want to get it, you're going to have to join LIVA or your local association ;-) Local professional associations like LIVA need more members. The more members they have, the more interesting programs they can bring in and more importantly, the more great information and experiences they can share. It's great getting together and talking about the latest gear, debating over the best cameras, sharing ideas and providing solutions for growing your business. Most of all it's about building friendships and connection with other professionals who are willing to help each other be successful. That's why I go the meetings, that's why Videoguys is a sponsor and that's why you should join! Check out their facebook page here.