How to Start a Professional Video Making Career! is a Skillshare class by filmmaker Jordy Vandeput focused on the career and business side of professional video production. It explains how to turn video-making skills into paid work, covering career direction, services, pricing, client acquisition, negotiation, production, and business growth.

The class addresses two different career paths: working as a freelancer in the film industry or building your own video production company. Jordy explains how these paths require different strategies, how specialization affects the clients you pursue, and how professional relationships can gradually create larger opportunities.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Define your long-term career goals in video production
• Choose between freelancing and building a production company
• Identify the skills and services you should focus on
• Create services for your target clients
• Package your video services effectively
• Develop an approach to pricing your work
• Understand important legal considerations
• Find potential clients
• Build professional relationships and industry connections
• Approach businesses, agencies, studios, and production companies
• Build a portfolio when you have limited professional work
• Communicate with potential clients
• Understand the process of landing a paid job
• Manage the production and editing process
• Maintain relationships with existing clients
• Find new opportunities and grow your business

COURSE CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION

An introduction to the realities of turning video making from a passion into professional work and the business responsibilities that come with self-employment.

2. SETTING UP YOUR GOAL

Define where you want to be in five years and decide whether your direction is specialized freelance work or building a broader video production company.

3. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

Develop the mindset required to move from being purely a creative person to operating professionally and delivering value to clients.

4. SERVICES

Determine which services you can offer and how those services can be structured around the clients and projects you want to pursue.

5. PRICING

Learn the fundamentals of pricing professional video services and approaching conversations about money with clients.

6. IMPORTANT LEGAL TERMS

Understand important legal considerations involved in providing professional video services.

7. WHERE TO FIND CLIENTS

Explore ways to find your first clients, build professional connections, network with businesses, and approach agencies, studios, and production companies.

8. THE WORKFLOW OF LANDING A JOB

Follow the process of turning a potential client into a confirmed paid production.

9. PRODUCTION AND EDITING PROCESS

Understand the workflow that follows once a project has been secured, including production and post-production.

10. GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Learn how existing clients, professional relationships, and completed projects can generate additional opportunities and help expand your business.

11. CONCLUSION

A final overview of the foundations for starting a professional video-making career and the importance of developing experience through real work.

HANDS-ON CLASS PROJECT

Create a basic business plan containing:

• Goal: What do you want to be doing five years from now?
• Services: What services will you provide, and can they be packaged?
• First Client: Who is the first client you want to land, and what strategy will you use to convince them?

COURSE DETAILS

• Platform: Skillshare
• Instructor: Jordy Vandeput
• Instructor Role: Filmmaker & YouTuber
• 11 video lessons
• Level: All Levels
• Topics: Creative Career, Video Production, Freelancing & Business
• Includes a practical business-plan class project

WHO IT'S FOR

• Creators looking to turn video-making skills into paid work
• Aspiring freelance filmmakers
• Creators interested in starting a video production company
• Cinematographers and editors looking for clients
• Freelancers learning how to price and negotiate projects
• Video creators who want to understand the business side of their craft
• Beginners looking for a clearer path into the film and video industry