We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Pope. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am really lucky to have worked full-time as a freelancer for 4.5 years! I certainly wouldn’t say that I’ve always made a good living doing this work, but constantly striving for that has given me motivation to keep going even when I feel uninspired or stuck on a project. I started out doing some work for free or for very low cost to build up a portfolio and client base. I’m glad I was able to do this, but deciding how and when to raise prices as my experience grows has been a huge challenge. I’ve struggled with undervaluing my work, which impacts my income. Imposter syndrome is definitely the enemy when it comes to determining fair prices for your work that allow you to have a sustainable income! It has been so helpful to talk to other freelancers around me about pricing. I think in the corporate world, people hesitate to talk about their salary, but in the freelance videography industry I think it is essential!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a freelance videographer for 5 years, and my videography business is called Pollie Film Co.. I create short-form video content for businesses and organizations that want to tell their story on social media, their website, or at events. I typically work directly with clients to produce their videos, which I often shoot and edit myself. Occasionally, I hire other videographers to help with various aspects of projects as needed. But working on solo or micro-crew projects allows me to be very hands-on with every project and develop it from start to finish. A lot of my projects involve interviewing people about what they do in order to share their story. I like to think that my ability to help them be more comfortable on camera and to draw the story out of them is one of my biggest strengths. As someone who spends so much time editing videos, I am always thinking about how everything will come together in my head while I’m shooting. My favorite thing about my job is the constant variety. I get to meet different people, visit businesses in all kinds of industries, and tackle new creative challenges every day!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I am still learning is that you have to have good boundaries to your people-pleasing when it comes to providing creative services for people. I have always been super motivated to make others happy and go out of my way to not inconvenience them. I think this trait is good to a certain point, but it can absolutely cause trouble too. In my work, my people-pleasing tendencies can help me work hard to make sure a client has a great video. But I’ve learned that I can’t let it take over the way I price my work and schedule out my projects. In order for my work to be sustainable, I have to be honest with clients about the cost of their vision and how long it will take to execute. With every project I do, I am learning how to set expectations that will make the client feel good AND allow me to have a healthy work schedule and income.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I was totally surprised to find that word-of-mouth was my key to finding clients. While I was a student, I always got the impression that being a freelancer meant you had to accept the “starving artist” life. I expected to have to do lots of cold-calls and marketing. However, I am so, so fortunate that the recommendations of friends and past clients have been huge source of work. As it turns out, a lot of people just don’t know of many videographers in town (even though there are a lot). It can be pretty difficult to find a videographer or production company that fits your price range and the style you are looking for. So when people are looking for a videographer, they’ll often look for recommendations from their colleagues and friends. It makes me so happy that my clients have good experiences and want to connect me with others. That is the best feeling ever for a solo entrepreneur!

Contact Info:

• Website: polliefilmco.com
• Instagram: @polliefilmco
• Other: www.vimeo.com/katiepope

Image Credits
Arielle Pickerign