Video Production

‘I’m glad you could all be here today,’ the new executive spoke from the front of the boardroom. Most people speaking to the board spoke uncomfortably, like ten-year-olds giving a book report. But this man… he was confident.

         He was impressive.

         ‘I have exciting news to share with you,’ he said, speaking to everyone in the room and also, somehow, specifically to me. ‘As some of you may be aware, I’ve been tasked by our esteemed leadership to bolster our brand image, bring in prospective clients from across the country with a new, exciting vision.’

         A smattering of nods and the occasional ‘hear, hear’ from the dinosaurs in the room. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, then remembered I was in charge and did it anyway.

         ‘My plan was simple,’ the hotshot went on. ‘I was just going to track down a video production company near Melbourne to help produce a corporate video.’

         His gaze slid around the room, as he paused for dramatic effect.

         ‘But that’s not what I’ve done,’ he said.

         Confusion rippled across the board. I began to frown as well.

         ‘What do you mean?’ I asked, hesitantly. ‘We had an agreement.’

         ‘Our agreement was that I would bolster your brand image,’ he said. ‘Not how I would do it.’

         ‘No,’ I shook my head. ‘You were pretty explicitly told that we wanted a marketing video production expert.’

         ‘But what I’m delivering you is so much better,’ he said, eyes sparkling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out – his smartphone.

         ‘Social media engagement,’ he began.

         ‘Nope,’ I cut him off, rising to my feet and leaning over for the intercom. ‘Security, come and retrieve this man.’

         ‘What?’ he asked, face sinking into a pale white. ‘But you haven’t heard my pitch yet.’

         ‘Sorry, kid,’ I said, gathering my papers and heading for the door. ‘But I’ve heard more than enough.’

         ‘Three words?’

         ‘Yeah,’ I chuckled. ‘Just one of them would have sent you packing. Three? No chance.’

         I swept out of the room, leaving him and the rest of the board looking very confused.

I can’t believe that the first book in my Giggle McWiggle series is finally going to get published. I’ve been waiting years for this moment, and now that it’s here I don’t really know what to do with myself. I always thought I’d be buying an expensive car and a mansion with the advance from my publisher, but it turns out that you’re expected to put all that money back into the marketing of your book.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been searching for the best marketing tactics, wondering how I should invest this money. Do I pay for social media ads? Do I get big banners across my local city? Do I pay for early copies of the book and send them for free to reviewers? Well, no. I’ve actually found the perfect thing to spend all my money on: marketing video production. That’s right, I’m going to take my ten thousand dollar advance and give it all to a marketing company that can make me an awesome video about my book. I’m thinking that it could be a scene from my book, acted out and filmed. I’ll then upload it to the internet and wait for it to go viral.

Does anybody know of a video production company around Melbourne that offers such a service? As I have said, I have ten thousand dollars to play with, so money’s no object. I’m assuming I’d be able to cover the production costs with that. We should be able to produce a high-quality video that adequately advertises my novel, right?

I can just imagine it now: Giggle McWiggle and Garthablog the Twenty-Seventh fighting in the climax of the novel, capturing audiences so that my novel becomes an instant bestseller when it releases in two years. I never thought the world of novel marketing would be so exciting. How much more exciting will it be when my book is actually published and available to buy? I think I’ll burst with excitement when that happens.