"Creating Spec” is the answer to everything. (that's a bit broad, but let me explain).

Spec work is portfolio work where you self fund the project or have a small budget from a client.

Let’s dive into why it’s important and how you can use spec to maximize your sale and increase visibility to your work.

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1. The most important part about spec work - Creative control

(Case 1: If you are working with a brand).

Being able to have full or majority creative control on a project is key to the success of portfolio work.

I’ve been in situations where I thought I had a majority of the control and then I lost it towards the end.

That turns into a waste of time, money and energy. It feels much worse, when you know you’ve wasted other peoples time as well.

Set strong boundaries and communication from the beginning. This will let you control the direction of the project.

Make sure all parties are aware about your intentions. You want this project to have your unique fingerprint on it, while still hitting the mark for your client.

You are trading your resources (crew, gear, expertise, which are all high value), for access to their brand / people / resources.

Being afraid to bring this up in the beginning of the project, can be detrimental to the project towards the end.

So don’t be afraid to be open in your communications.

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(Case 2:)

If you are creating from scratch, try to dial in your messaging and future proof your story.

Make sure you're creating something that aligns and can potentially be "purchased" by the client afterwards.

With that lens in mind, you're ensuring brand voice and understanding.

2. Every Spec should have 3-10 other avenues for success

Let’s use our recent Cadillac project:

Here are some reason’s why we created it.

1. We needed a car spot for our portfolio
2. We met new people in the industry working on this project
3. We got to flex our capabilities as a production company
4. Your crew will most likely post or repost. This is a key reason why we work with larger teams. So we can increase our outreach to a larger demographic in our industry.
5. We could push the work across different platforms to get the project in-front of the right people. (Cadillac's Agency of Record now knows who we are).
6. The timing of the post at the beginning of the year reminds everyone that we still exist. Consistently working pays dividends to the optics of your brand.
7. You can use this spec to pitch to other car brands and even unrelated brands as well (good work is good work).

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There are immediate effects of marketing your work. Other times, effects of your work will show up months down the line.

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3. Building your confidence

Building confidence is great for the longevity of your career.

We learned a lot about car productions during this project.

Having that in your back pocket is paramount in knowing you can execute.

That self confidence becomes clear to others when you pitch or meet new people.

Every new spec should teach you a fair bit about yourself. You also gain valuable technical skills surrounding it.

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4. Optics

Website & Socials:

Study the industry. See who your competition is in your local market (at levels much higher than you).

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. If you can match or outdo your competition, then you’ve now entered the market.

Be competitive.

The outside world does not know whether a project is spec or not.

They also don’t care and will never ask.

Clients want to know that you can execute. They don't want to just take your word for it.

Focusing on optics, will show the world you take filmmaking seriously.

Even if imposter syndrome creeps in, know that the world can't see "imposter syndrome".

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5. Post.

Be proud of your work. If you were able to keep full creative control of the project, it should have your unique "touch" to the video.

You never know whose going to see the project that you post and make a decision to work with you.

Post across all discovery platforms. Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn are all great places for people to discover you.

Increase your chances of success by showing the world what you are capable of.

You’re only doing yourself a disservice by not putting the work out.

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6. Create behind the scenes content and tell the story of the work.

A lot people that will hire you because they want to work with the cool people connected to your spec work.

They want to work with people that are relatable, interesting, and can execute.

Go deeper than just the surface level.

• Show people the thought process.
• What did you learn along the way.
• The hurdles you had to overcome.
• The emotions you felt during the process.

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Success from spec can be very lucrative.

In one way or another, it has brought in ALL the paid jobs that we’ve worked on.

It isn’t good enough to only create.

Create with intention and maximize the work outside of posting it once.

Be expansive in your thinking. You need to be creative in your marketing approach to survive in this market.