I got out of the Army in 2006 and found myself kind of lost.
Lost in not knowing what exactly I was going to do about a getting a job and starting a new career path.
Then the real estate market crashed and I had the bright idea of getting my real estate license.
While many other real estate agents were getting out of the real estate or getting second jobs, I was going into at full throttle.
I was lucky enough to be part of a team and we grew to be one of the most profitable real estate teams in Chicago by working hard and moving forward with a sense of purpose.
I picked up my first video camera in 2008 and started shooting videos for my own business as a REALTOR®…
Back in 2008, the world was being introduced to social media and businesses where just starting to learn that it could be a very powerful marketing tool.
And what’s crazy is that there are still businesses today, that “aren’t sure” if this social media marketing thing is a good bet, LOL.
I went to a real estate marketing class and the instructor was talking all about how video marketing was going to be the future.
Maybe it was just my training in the Army, but when I heard the instructor say this after the class I went immediately to Best Buy and bought my first video camera, a Kodak Zi8.
We started making videos and had no idea what we were doing.
But we kept shooting and eventually I started to get good at them and ended up liking to shoot and edit video more than selling real estate.
The last 5 years as a full time videographer (2012 to 2018)
I eventually stopped selling real estate and in 2012 I went on to become a “videographer”. I spent about the 2 years how to actually shoot video professionally.
This meant I needed a lot of practice and I watched thousands of YouTube tutorial videos about video shooting and editing.
See if you can see the difference, this first video is from May 1st, 2013.
This next video is from March of 2019.
During my time as a full time real estate videographer I shot, cut, and edited just over 2,500 virtual tour videos and real estate marketing/branding videos.
My next step: From real estate videographer to the beyond… (2019 to present)
I had built up a successful real estate media company where we photographed and shot videos of newly listed homes in the Chicago market.
Nobody in our market came close to producing the photos and videos that we created for our clients and that allowed me to build a business that was 100% referral based.
I did no ever directly SELL my services as a videographer or photographer to any agent during this time.
I just provided the best product and service available in the marketplace, invested heavily into my gear, and kept advancing my skills without raising my prices outrageously.
My clients did all of the selling and they were absolutely great and wonderful to work with, which makes this whole thing not feel like work.
But then in October of 2019, me and girlfriend decided to make a move to a place where the weather is warmer, the beer is colder, and that has no shortage of taco shops.
That place ended up being Oceanside, California.
Now based out of SOCAL
Part of our move was not only to escape the harsh Chicago winters, but to actually try and enjoy the outdoors more than we have been.
From a professional standpoint it also meant that we had to make a big decision on what to do with our businesses because they were locally based. (my girlfriend Jeanne is a Realtor) (shocking surprise there)…
And that’s how we get to El Guapo Video Marketing.
At the time of me writing this article I’m rebranding, rebuilding, and actually selling my services as a videographer for companies and entrepreneurs that want to incorporate video marketing into the mix.
Our first step is to begin producing content, like, tutorial videos, PDF guides, video portfolios, live events, and online courses that can help both businesses and entrepreneurs alike in how to incorporate video marketing into their overall strategy.
A taco and a conversation
So there is my story, but what is more important is how are we going to create your story for your brand and business online?
Every relationship starts with a conversation and there is no better way to begin a conversation about video marketing than with a taco and a cold beverage.
So let’s start a conversation about video marketing and find out what you want vs what you need.
There is no hard sell.
There is no expectations other than an exchange of ideas.
