Ballet Dancer Shifts to Photograph, Video Creator

Artistic professionals are sometimes multi-dimensional. An architect may also design furnishings. A author might compose music. And a performer, akin to Matthew Gattozzi, founding father of Goodo Studios, might shift to pictures.

Till early 2020, Gattozzi was knowledgeable ballet dancer. A again harm pressured a profession change and the launch of his enterprise, which produces pictures and movies for ecommerce firms. “We work with established and up-and-coming manufacturers by understanding how you can use and leverage content material for income,” he informed me.

He and I not too long ago mentioned his journey. The audio of our total dialog is embedded beneath. The transcript is edited for size and readability.

Eric Bandholz: Inform us about Goodo Studios.

Matthew Gattozzi: We create pictures and movies for shopper manufacturers. We do TikToks, user-generated content material, and high-end or paid media, utilizing all the pieces from cinema cameras to iPhones.

Earlier than Goodo I used to be knowledgeable ballet dancer. I danced all through the U.S. and Europe. I used to be dancing at Ballet Austin and injured my again. So I needed to cease that a part of my profession and shift to pictures and movies. I not too long ago moved from Austin to Seattle. I used to bop there, and I met my spouse there.

I based my firm in early 2020. It was simply me, and I didn’t begin in ecommerce. I labored regionally in Austin with many superb eating places, however issues got here to a halt with Covid. I needed to shift and rebuild. Now I work with a crew of photographers, creatives, and editors. It’s not simply me anymore.

Many consultants within the area went to high school and realized brand-building expertise. I didn’t go to varsity. I used to be supposed to bop till I used to be 30 and ended up jobless at 21. I knew lots about social media, however individuals weren’t thinking about hiring me as a result of I didn’t have a resume. I needed to say sure to all the pieces to start with, which was onerous, nevertheless it was additionally good as a result of I might work out what I needed to do.

It helped me to comprehend that the individuals I serve are advertising managers and paid media professionals. I tailored my communication to talk to them. I began taking what I do as a inventive and translating it into how they discuss. Many creatives don’t do this.

I work with established and up-and-coming manufacturers by understanding how you can use and leverage content material for income. Manufacturers put money into content material, however in addition they have the mindset that the content material will generate revenue. So we communicate to that and assist construct model methods — on natural channels, product pages, web sites. We be taught to adapt to the most recent media consumption. For instance, after I began two years in the past, TikTok wasn’t as outstanding. A lot of the movies I shot have been horizontal. Now all the pieces is vertical.

Bandholz: How do you deal with copyrights?

Gattozzi: My strategy is to be as beneficiant as doable. I inform my shoppers, “You should use this content material. You’re investing in these pictures and movies, and also you get unique rights, copyright makes use of, and industrial use all over, with no licensing.”

I would lose out as a result of I’m not nickeling-and-diming the model, however I’m attempting to determine a long-term relationship. I’m a bit non-traditional in that manner. Some creatives say, “You must know your price; put your foot down.” However I wish to change how we produce content material. I wish to work with main manufacturers. I’m not going to get there until I do one thing completely different.

A buzzword you’ll hear lots is inventive technique. It boils right down to content material creation. Creatives for giant advertisers are lacking out by not adapting to how briskly media strikes and the way shortly manufacturers have to create. We’re attempting to construct a content material engine for manufacturers. We provide you with concepts, check these concepts, and execute them.

We contain crew members in the complete course of. Disjointed manufacturing is widespread within the business. An excellent photographer who isn’t a part of the planning gained’t perceive how the pictures can drive gross sales.

Bandholz: Describe a Goodo Studio engagement.

Gattozzi:  Most manufacturers ought to give attention to why shoppers are shopping for. Typically we’ll ask shoppers that, they usually’ll record their product options. Okay, cool, however what do your prospects say? It’s good to perceive your audience — discuss to them and do surveys. The concepts are infinite in the event you be taught your buyer psychology. Most manufacturers miss that. So I advocate for the intent behind the pictures and the movies.

We do picture and video shoots. However we additionally do TikToks, user-generated content material, and advert enhancing. We take current property, and we extract worth from them. When a model involves us, we begin with enhancing earlier than we shoot something. The exception is an upcoming model or product launch.

We take a look at why prospects purchase and undergo a course of to determine that out. Most manufacturers have a backlog of nice content material. They only haven’t remixed it sufficient as a result of they don’t have the sources or the crew.

As soon as we’ve confirmed some ideas and generated concepts, we double down and scale these ideas and check extra. Then we are able to usher in creators which can be ideally suited prospects for that model. We provide you with the briefs and ship the product out to them. They shoot all the pieces and ship it again to us. We edit all of it.

We’ll rent a crew, whether or not it’s in Seattle or in Austin, to work on the manufacturing. That’s how we flip round. We don’t do picture and video manufacturing with a model each month, however we do a number of enhancing. That provides us time to plan these shoots. Many manufacturers are hesitant to spend the cash for in depth manufacturing for worry it’s going to flop. So we attempt to check the ideas early with some low-lift inventive, then go to larger productions.

Bandholz:  What makes somebody an excellent inventive?

Gattozzi: A superb inventive asks nice questions, interprets the solutions, and uncovers what the shopper needs. A awful inventive will say, “Okay, obtained it,” and depart. Asking a number of questions helps the model pinpoint an issue. Some come to us and clarify what they want. It may be difficult for people to explain an concept of their minds. I’ll ask them questions. How is their enterprise? The place has their advertising been? The place are they attempting to go? Why do they want a inventive associate?

Typically, after the primary name, we notice they don’t want pictures or movies. They want enhancing. It can save you manufacturers 1000’s of {dollars} by asking the fitting questions.

Bandholz: How can listeners join with you?

Gattozzi: They’ll go to our web site, GoodoStudios.com, and subscribe to my publication. I’m on Twitter and LinkedIn.