Eric Thayne – Six Figure Filmmaker

 

Salepage : Eric Thayne – Six Figure Filmmaker

Arichive : Eric Thayne – Six Figure Filmmaker

How long are you willing to take to build your video business?”

From: Eric Thayne

Subject: Calling All Freelance Commercial Filmmakers!

Are you a freelance filmmaker who wants to figure out how to get paid well for your work?

Are you tired of having to fight “cheap” clients who want you to work for basically free?

Are you tired of having to lower your rates just to get hired?

Have you ever wished it was easier to find great clients to work with in your area?

Have you ever worried you’re not going to be able to make a full-time living as a filmmaker?

If you answered yes to any of these questions…

I feel for you.

Because it wasn’t very long ago that I was where you are today.

I was working full time at a small production company I started with a friend. We were having pretty good success shooting little music videos for YouTubers.

But something inside me didn’t feel right.

For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to go out on my own.

To do my own thing.

And I just wasn’t getting that “fix” working with my friend.

So I decided I would take the leap and branch out on my own.

Little did I know it would be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

Or that I’d lose nearly everything I owned in the process.

See, when I left I thought, “Getting clients will be easy! I can figure this out!”

“I know how make cool videos that people will pay me money for!”

What else did I need, right?

Well to start, finding clients turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.

And the ones I did find were cheap. I’d work my butt off for them and they wouldn’t want to pay me very well for my work.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get someone to pay me more than a few hundred bucks for a job…

Which when you’re working 60+ hours a week, still doesn’t give you much to live on.

And as I watched my bank account drop lower and lower, I knew I was running out of time.

To be honest with you, I was freaking out.

Because I was about to get married to the girl of my dreams…

And I couldn’t seem to be able to make any money.

I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to support my (soon to be) new wife.

Because I couldn’t even support myself for crying out loud!

To say I was embarrassed (or that I felt like a failure) would be an understatement.

I was starting to wonder if I just wasn’t good enough to be a full-time filmmaker.

That I just didn’t have the skills to make it happen.

That I’d have to go get a full-time job, which I guess wouldn’t be the end of the world…

But while it would pay the bills, it would mean I’d basically given up on my dream of being a professional filmmaker.

So I decided I’d give it 3 more months. Three more months to either succeed, or go home.

Luckily I still had some savings left. And with that three month goal in mind, I’d have just enough to cover my expenses, and still pay what I needed to for the wedding.

At least I thought I had savings, until I got a little letter from the IRS (courtesy of my accountant)…

I owed $7,000 in taxes.

It’s pretty safe to say reading that was the worst moment of my life.

Because $7,000 was everything I had left.

I sat there slumped over on the couch, the laptop clenched between my hands.

I didn’t know what I was going to do.

The money I had planned to carry me until I could figure things out, was going to be gone.

I felt so defeated. Like no matter how hard I tried, it was never going to work.

Because the odds were stacked against me.

Have you ever felt that way before? Like you’re trying your hardest but the cards are stacked against you?

You dream of being able to be a full-time videographer because you love creating art…but the money just isn’t flowing?

And you have to pick up extra jobs (or even just keep a day job) so you can pay your bills?

I get it. Obviously you can tell from my story that I have felt that way too.

And needless to say, it sucks.

So let me just say if you have felt this way (or are feeling this way right now):

You’re not alone.

I want to take a second to acknowledge you for where you’re at.

And encourage you to keep on going. Here’s why:

Because what happened next in my story changed EVERYTHING.

The reality was that I had to pay the IRS an extra $7,000 that I wasn’t planning on.

But there was no way out of it.

So I had to make a choice:

• I could either be bitter about what happened, and give up…
• Or I could choose to get better.

Well, I’m not the giving up type.

So with my fiancee’s blessing, I dug in my heels and got to work.

In that moment I decided that I would do whatever it took to make sure that I never experienced something like that again.

And I decided that I would work until I was so successful that nobody—not the IRS, or anyone or anything—would ever be able to ruin me like that again.

The process hasn’t been easy.

And I’ve made so many mistakes it’s embarrassing.

But I discovered something while making all those mistakes:

A system that I now call…

“The Six Figure Framework”

(I’ll tell you more about that in a bit.)

But it’s the exact process I was able to use to earn more than six figures as a filmmaker within the next 12 months.

Now just to be clear, I made SO many mistakes and I did more things wrong than I care to admit.

But even so, I was able to go from working with clients who barely wanted to pay me, to being able to work with people who were happy to pay me $10,000 for one video.

And before long, I had made more than $100,000 in less than a year.

It wasn’t just about the money though.

With this new system, I was able to confidently support my new family with my work.

My wife and I were confident we’d be able to afford children (and so we had one ).

Now my wife is able to stay at home with our daughter, instead of being forced to work a job she doesn’t want.

And I was finally…FINALLY…able to live the dream I’ve had for myself for so long.

To be a well paid, professional filmmaker.

Now over the last few years, I’ve had the chance to meet and work with a lot of filmmakers at different stages in their career.

Some have already been successful commercial filmmakers.

Many are just beginning, trying to make the leap from filmmaking for fun, to filmmaking full-time.

I’ve seen what works.

And I’ve seen what doesn’t work.

I’ve seen who becomes successful.

And who doesn’t.

Here’s what’s interesting…

The ones who succeed all have three things in common.

And ironically enough, they’re the three “main” pillars of the Six Figure Framework.

FIRST: They are masters of “delivery”.

“Delivery” is more than just being able to make a good video.

Because there are millions of videographers out there that can make a good video. You’re competing with the masses.

REAL delivery is creating work that is beautiful, cinematic, AND gets the client a tangible result. It’s also creating an amazing experience for the client from beginning to end.

When you do this right, your clients won’t be able to STOP talking about you.

You’ll have referrals flying in the door, more than you can handle.

But as awesome as that is, believe it or not, that’s the least important piece.

There’s more…

SECOND: They have the right “message”.

Now you may be wondering, “what’s a message?”

The “message” is what makes you unique. It’s specifically what makes you different from your competitors. It’s the story you tell about your services that makes people interested in working with you.

And not having a compelling message is what makes most videographers end up fighting for clients and work that’s left at the bottom of the barrel.

If you’ve ever had a competitor steal a client from you, even though you thought your videos looked better, this is why.

It’s exactly why I struggled for so long to make more than a couple hundred bucks for each project. Outside of “making videos,” I hadn’t taken the time to really figure out what I was offering my clients.

And until I did, my bank account showed it.

In contrast, once I did, I’ve been able to get new clients in ways I’ve never dreamed possible. Most of them now come find ME, instead of me having to constantly cold call or email them.

And they’re more than happy to pay high prices to work with me.

THIRD: They know how to get “attention”.

Eyeballs.

If you can’t get people looking at your work or your business, you don’t exist.

The most successful filmmakers build automated systems to get “attention”.

Now you’re probably wondering what I mean by “systems,” which is a great question!

It has to do with following an easy and repeatable way to find new clients, and then getting them to hire you.

So rather than you going to “networking events” and hoping that you meet someone that’s interested, you get new leads all day long on autopilot.

It’s a system that works in the background, whether you’re at work or not.

Every successful filmmaker I’ve known has had all of these three things in place.

And every filmmaker I’ve watched struggle, struggles because of problems with at least one of these three things.

You can see, they’re not complicated things.

In fact, they’re not even that hard to implement.

At least not when you have someone to help guide you.

But before I go any further, let me introduce you to one of the people I’ve worked with, who has actually implemented (and succeeded) using the Six Figure Framework.

Meet Elizabeth.

When I first met Elizabeth, she had basically no experience.

She didn’t even own a camera!

And she definitely didn’t know what she should do as a filmmaker.

While she wanted to create beautiful videos for clients, but she couldn’t find people that shared her same vision.

She even said that she felt like a “fake” when she tried to charge for her work.

Over the next few months I started working with Elizabeth, to help her implement the 6-figure framework into her business.

We figured out a better way to “message” her services, so she could separate herself from the competition.

We upgraded her portfolio with a passion project for BOSE Headphones.

A post from Elizabeth when she was just getting started.

Elizabeth’s Passion Project For BOSE Headphones

To be clear, I didn’t do any of the work. She did it ALL on her own.

I just guided her along the way. Showed her the process and helped coach her, so she could get better faster.

With some work and a bit of persistence, a representative of a prestigious wine region in France saw her new portfolio.

And they paid her $37,000 to fly out to France and shoot a video for them!

Elizabeth literally went from struggling to get a few hundred bucks for a job to landing a huge $37,000 project in a just a few months.

Elizabeth’s post after landing her gig in France.

All because she implemented the Six Figure Framework.

Now she’s still on her journey to six-figures, but she’s so much closer now that she’s made the framework a part of her life.

But here’s the thing:

Elizabeth’s story isn’t unique.

Parker & Patrick

started out shooting videos of frat parties. They loved shooting videos, but didn’t like coming home every night with ears ringing and covered in beer. And they only made $3,000 total in one year.

Within their first year in Six Figure Filmmaker, Parker & Patrick have started shooting cinematic videos for good clients, have increased their rates by over 400%, and are on track to make $40,000 this year (most of which happened in the last 5 months). They also got to work with one of their DREAM clients twice this year.

Barrett

was getting occasional projects in the range of $3k–$5k, but they were inconsistent and they weren’t the type of videos he wanted to be shooting. He was always wondering when the next gig would come in.

Now he’s getting consistent $10,000+ clients, shooting beautiful cinematic commercials, and has nearly doubled his business revenue in the last 12 months.

Barrett’s passion project for Nixon

Greg

was shooting wedding videos for years at the same low prices. He really wanted to get into more high end commercial work though.

Working together, he was able to more than double his wedding rates (so he could do half as many weddings and still make the same amount of money), which freed up time for him to shoot an amazing passion project to attract high-paying commercial clients to his business.

“I was worried at first about signing up to work one-on-one with Eric because it was a lot of money for me at the time. But my first month working with him made me glad I did it! Eric helped me make some simple (but powerful) changes in my business and now I’m easily making more than my investment back every month, AND I’m making more per project than I ever thought I would. I’ve never fully understood the power of investing in myself until now. If you’re building any kind of filmmaking business, you can’t afford NOT to do this.”

Greg’s passion project for Shoei

Hundreds of filmmakers have followed this same process to grow their own businesses and make a full time living as a filmmaker.

And you can make the same transition by following the same step-by-step system.

So…

If you’re ready to scale YOUR video business and take things to the next level… Then I’ve got just the thing for you.

Six Figure Filmmaker is a personalized coaching program designed to help you scale your video business to a six figure production company in the next 12 months, and make at least $10k on every project you do… EVEN if you don’t have the best camera OR if there are no good clients in your area.

You’ll get all the tools and resources you need to make this happen FAST.

So here’s what you’re gonna get:

The 8 Week “Cinema Mastery” Masterclass

($1997 VALUE)

When I was learning cinematography I became obsessed with analyzing Hollywood movies.

(To be honest I couldn’t even hardly enjoy them anymore…)

But I loved how they had this amazing unique look to them.

And I wanted to learn how to adapt that to my commercial work.

Learning that skill was what helped me to separate myself from the sea of videographers I was competing with, and catapulted my business to 6 figures.

So a couple years ago I put together an 8 Week LIVE training for just a handful of filmmakers to teach them the exact same things.

So they too could learn how to create cinematic work that would make them stand out from the crowd.

Each of the 10 filmmakers who joined paid $1,000 to go through this class.

And now I’m giving you ALL of the recordings from this event, plus TONS more content including:

• Behind The Scenes videos so you can see exactly how I work on set and be more confident on your own sets
• My favorite camera and gear recommendations so you know exactly what to buy for your skill level
• Business advice and tips to get your business set up correctly and develop the right mindset working with clients

So you can see exactly how I create cinematic looking videos for clients.

And you too can channel your videography, make it look cinematic, and set yourself apart from the masses.

The “Perfect Passion Project” Blueprint

($1997 VALUE)

If you’re worried that you don’t have enough experience or a good enough camera to create amazing projects for your portfolio, the Perfect Passion Project Blueprint is for you.

When Elizabeth created her first passion project, she had very little experience shooting and didn’t even own a camera.

But by following the right process, she was able to create her amazing BOSE video that landed her a $37,000 client.

Now I’ve taken the exact process that I walked her through, and I’ve developed it into a fully fleshed out system.

So now any videographer can follow the step-by-step instructions to create amazing videos for their portfolio.

Even if you don’t have much experience or don’t even own a camera!

Each step of the process is detailed with video explanations, worksheets, checklists, and more to help you do it too.

The “Six Figure Filmmaker” Systems Course

($1997 VALUE)

With Cinema Mastery I’ve been successful in selling over a million dollars worth of products and services to filmmakers.

Most of these filmmakers don’t know anything about me when they start.

Yet somehow they go through a process of getting to know me and eventually buying services from me.

This process is a very calculated system that I’ve designed to attract clients, build a relationship with them, and get them to hire me.

It all runs completely on autopilot, even when I’m on vacation.

And you’re gonna get exclusive access to my full blown course outlining exactly how I do it.

So you can take the exact same systems that I’ve used to sell over $1,000,000 in services and use it to scale your filmmaking business to six figures and beyond.

The “Secrets” Courses

($891 VALUE)

When Michael Jordan was running practice drills one day, a man came up to him and said, “You’re the greatest in the world. How come you’re wasting your time running basic drills?” Jordan responded, “How do you think I became the greatest in the world?”

Michael Jordan knew that success comes from implementing, practicing, experimenting, and repeating the fundamentals over and over again.

Lighting Secrets, Business Secrets, and Cinematic Secrets provide a comprehensive basis for learning the fundamentals of cinematography, lighting, and running a video business.

Too many filmmakers get so caught up in complicated, advanced camera procedures that they forget to turn back to the basics. Often, taking a step back to revisit the fundamentals will do more for you than learning another advanced camera move or lighting skill.

You’re never too experienced to remind yourself of the fundamentals of cinematography and business.

These three courses will help you get your basic drills down, so you can create beautiful commercial films and building a thriving business doing what you love.

The “Six Figure Framework” Portal

($2497 VALUE)

With Six Figure Filmmaker you get access to a LOT of resources.

But I don’t want you to get overwhelmed.

So rather than just diving in and getting lost in all the material.

I’ve created a step-by-step framework for you to follow, broken down into easy milestones, so you can easily track your progress.

The milestones will take you from wherever you are now, and show you every step to take to become a full time videographer, make $10k+ for every project, and build a six figure business.

Each milestone is broken down into actionable steps:

• Videos explaining what to do and how to do it
• Check lists with step by step “to-dos”
• And activities and exercises to keep you motivated and on track to reach your goals

So you never have to guess what do next.

You just follow the framework.

PLUS, the framework is broken down into three distinct phases, depending on where you are in your business right now.

Because growing a business requires you to focus on new things at every level.

Which means the things that got you where you are now won’t get you where you want to be.

The “Six Figure Framework” Portal will give you all the information you need to take steps toward your goal every single day.

Deep Dive Private Coaching Call

($1000 VALUE)

This is a tailored-fit program that is custom designed to YOU.

So whether you’re wondering where you fit in the six-figure framework, or you’re not sure where to start…

I want to make sure you have everything you need to succeed.

Which is why when you sign up for the Six Figure Filmmaker coaching program, you’ll get a 30-minute personal coaching session with me.

We’ll talk about where you are right now, what dreams and goals you have, and what you want to achieve as a filmmaker.

And then I’ll put together a custom-tailored roadmap specifically for you, so you can achieve the dreams you have.

Weekly Mindset Coaching & Critique

($26,000 VALUE)

You might be worried that if you invest in Six Figure Filmmaker, you won’t be able to stay committed and actually make it worth it.

I want you to succeed!

So, in order to help you stay accountable and motivated throughout the whole process,

I’ll be doing a LIVE training for an hour or two every single week throughout the program.

That way you can stay on track and actually get results.

Each live session will be split into three parts:

1. Me training you on specific parts of the Six Figure Framework that you need help with
2. Live critique of your offers, portfolio, videos, and systems so you can get the coaching you need to be successful
3. General Q&A so YOU can get YOUR questions answered

EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

There’s literally no reason not to succeed with this program.

LIVE Hands-On Cinematography & Business Workshop

($6,976 VALUE)

Filmmakers are visual, tactile, hands-on learners.

Yes, watching courses and learning online can be EXTREMELY valuable (not to mention much cheaper than traditional education).

But to really learn cinematography (and business), it takes DOING, not just learning. The information will only get you so far.

Implementation will make you grow FAST.

That’s why this entire program is designed around helping you implement. So you actually grow fast and get the results you want in record time.

And we’re taking it even one step further this year with a LIVE Hands-On Cinematography & Business Workshop.

During this two-day event you’ll get to hang out with me and all the other Six Figure Filmmakers, practice cinematography, learn business, network with your peers, and just have fun.

This way you’ll get the actual hands-on learning you need to be successful.

And you’ll come away from this event feeling inspired and motivated to finish out the rest of the year strong.

10k CLUB Awards

($147 VALUE)

There’s no better way to motivate someone to action than by offering a reward for achieving results!

This program is no different.

I want you to be motivated to get your first $10k client.

So when you do, you’ll be officially inducted into the 10K CLUB, an exclusive group of high-performing commercial filmmakers.

And I’ll even send you customized plaque to commemorate your accomplishment.

You deserve it!

Let me just recap that for you…

Here’s everything you get…

• Cinema Mastery Masterclass ($1,997 VALUE)
• The Perfect Passion Project Blueprint ($1,997 VALUE)
• Six Figure Filmmaker Systems Course ($1,997 VALUE)
• The “Secrets” Courses ($891 VALUE)
• The Six Figure Framework Portal ($2,497 VALUE)
• Deep Dive Private Coaching Call ($1,000 VALUE)
• Weekly Mindset Coaching & Critique ($26,000 value)
• Live Hands-On Cinematography & Business Workshop ($6,976 VALUE)
• 10k Club Awards ($497 VALUE)

TOTAL VALUE: $43,852

Is Coaching For Me?

When I started filmmaking I spent most of my time learning from YouTube videos and online courses.

And those resources were amazing for getting started.

But eventually I hit a ceiling.

There’s only so much you can learn from a course.

But everything changed when I discovered coaching programs.

The difference between a course and coaching program is that in a course you just get a bunch of videos you watch and hopefully take action.

But in a coaching program, you actually get one-on-one feedback from a coach who already has experience doing what you want to do.

So the coach actually watches you work and helps you recognize where you need to make a change.

In just the last two years I’ve spent over $80,000 on coaching programs from other people.

That number seems CRAZY even to me.

I think about all the other things I could have spent that money on.

But the reality is—there was no better investment I could have made.

That $80,000 was the difference between me building multiple 6 figure businesses and being stuck.

Because I chose to invest in myself, I’ve been able to achieve far more than I ever could figuring it out by myself.

And that’s why I’m inviting you to invest in Six Figure Filmmaker.

You’ll get $43,852 worth of coaching and training to help you succeed fast.

Now obviously I’m not going to charge you that much (even though I think it would be well worth it).

And others are paying me up to $1000/mo to have access to this kind of coaching.

But this week I’m launching this program for an insanely affordable price…