How I run a video project
One person owns the video from the first conversation to the final file: plan, set, camera, edit and delivery. This is how I run every project, what I need from the team, and how long each step takes.
The steps
- Day 1
Kickoff call
30 minutes. What the videos need to do, who watches them, where they'll run (ads, YouTube, store loops, sales training), and the deadline we're working back from.
- Days 2–4
Written plan
A one-page plan: deliverable list, set or location, crew and talent, shot list outline, and the dates. One page, so everyone signs off on the same thing.
From the team: sign-off. Pre-production starts the same day. - Weeks 1–2
Pre-production
- Script or outline for each video (yours, mine, or written together)
- Talent casting: a shortlist with sample reads, the team picks the top 3
- Studio or location booked, shoot date locked
- Set designed and sourced to match the brand
- Shot list and schedule for the day
From the team: product, brand files, wardrobe, and any existing footage worth using. - Shoot day
Production
Usually one day. Set build, two cameras on every talking-head line for clean cutaways, teleprompter, lighting and location sound, product b-roll, then teardown. One focused day covers a full batch of videos.
From the team: one person on set or on call to approve claims and product details. - ~2 weeks after
First cuts
Every video edited, color graded, mixed and captioned, with on-screen text and light motion graphics in the brand. The team reviews with timestamped notes on one link.
- 3–5 business days each
Two revision rounds
Notes go in and come back as a new version. Most projects finish in the first round.
- Final week
Delivery
Final files in every size you run (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), short cutdowns for ads, captions, and an organized folder your team can find things in.
Results
Picked over four other agencies. Eight product demos with their VP of Sales and one full-line partnership film, with the whole package delivered in under four weeks. They run on in-store demo loops, dealer and associate training, and YouTube. AXIL came back for more.
Prime Day campaign across PR, sales, DSP, TV, Meta and email: 3.76x Amazon ROAS and twice the historical click-through rate. I wrote, shot and edited the ads.
One production day became 500 finished ad variants, and another became 1,200, for testing hooks, offers and calls to action. Edit time dropped by 90%.
A podcast, a full patient testimonial, ads in three sizes and dozens of short clips, planned around a few shoot days.
A TikTok ad that reached 1.9 million views and 15,000+ likes. Also: athlete testimonials and reels for NeuroBounce.
How I work with a team
- One ownerPlan, shoot, edit and delivery stay with one person, so nothing gets lost between handoffs.
- Clear reviewsEvery cut goes out on one link with timestamped notes. Nobody hunts through email threads.
- Own gearCinema camera, second angle, lighting and sound. I can shoot the day I start.
- Deadlines firstDates are built backward from the launch, and the folder is organized so the team can find anything after I hand it off.