We were lucky to catch up with Jayce Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jayce, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

Since the lockdown I feel like everyone has had to rethink how work is done, especially small business owners. For me I worked at a large law firm that had to make the shift quickly and that got me thinking about how I need to operate going forward if I was going to branch off and start my own company.

For video editing, the biggest challenge is getting the footage delivered in a timely manner. High-speed internet is one way to jump this hurdle. It requires good communication with the client and letting them know this will take some time. It is far easier to have the footage right there on your desk and ready to go, but this can’t always be done.

The biggest benefit is the quick turnaround. When you don’t have to drive into a production office, you can save time and respond to edits/challenges quickly and efficiently.

Jayce, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started Atlanta Video Editors LLC as a full stop editing service. My venture tries to avoid the idea of specialization, we take your footage and your vision and get to work. With that in mind I have done work ranging from NBA sports highlights, to corporate training videos, working on narrative films, and even stringing together a weekly craft show.

I find that this approach sets me apart from other post-production businesses. I am one person (and frequently collaborate and hire other freelance editors) which makes me the cheaper option but my versatility and ability to connect with other editors means I can take on anything and any “style” of editing.

I take a personal approach with my clients often having strategy sessions with them before the camera rolls. Being on the same page is often a great place to start before getting the assets together for an edit.

I am incredibly proud of the fact that I can do a narrative film edit while working on a corporate project at the same time.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I am 100% self-funded.

I had my full-time job at the law firm cutting and shooting videos for various internal and promotional videos. I would then slowly work on my businesses on my own time. It would be 9am-5pm of work, then 5:30 – 12am of market research, website building, contacting potential clients, taking on small jobs, and taking other pieces of training to get to where I wanted to be.

My paycheck would be divided up into rent, bills, then funding certain parts of my business and then most importantly a big safety cushion in my savings before trying to go out on my own.

By the time I left my job I had set up a website, had a few customers in the bag, and a ton of experience.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I was able to secure the business name and website domain for Atlanta Video Editors. When I went to register it online I was blown away my first choice was available, then even more shocked the domain name wasn’t taken either. I get so many calls from potential clients just looking for anyone to string together their video.

One of my best and reoccurring clients found me this way.

It really is all about keeping your SEO simple, direct, and descriptive.

When people google “video editors in Atlanta” my domain and businesses contain three of those key words. I have no ego in my business name and keep the creativity to my work and not necessarily to my branding. I just need people to know exactly what I do and where to find me.

Outside of that good work begets good work. Lots of my new clients are often referred to me by previous clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: atlantavideoeditors.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaycemichaelhill/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaycehill