By BizVid Communications’ Caz Taylor

At BizVid Communications, we use blogs like this to be a voice of encouragement or information to our business friends, like you. While this is just one company’s opinion, we put it out here in case it can be an inspiration to you. Here is our thought for the day.

You may think that sometimes there are inept, or self-serving, or downright bad-intentioned people out to block your forward company’s progress at every turn. It seems that the harder you work at making your business a success, the more roadblocks. Well, do not feel alone in this. Some of your fellow business men and women feel the same. It does seem that small and the middle sized businesses have a harder job in navigating economic and governmental hurdles than the larger corporations. Especially those who have lobbying power.

We have found that if you don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by your surroundings, it will be easier to stay true to who you are and what your company was created for. In your heart of hearts, if you believe you were created to succeed, we hope the contents of this blog will help you as you “mind your own business,” literally speaking. Put simply, distractions can be your worst enemy in the pursuit of business bounty. This is especially true in these challenging times.

You are being called upon to navigate your business in what may seem to be unprecedented hostile environments. This not only impacts you, but the people around you whom you entrust for the success of your day-to-day and long-term business. Employees themselves may be a bit anxious about the restrictions put upon them these days- of viruses, shots, heightened family problems, or other seemingly unrealistic demands put upon the way you and your business function.

Through the years we have found that straightforward honesty with those around you is most helpful. It shows that you, as their leader, desire to be transparent with those beside whom you work and reassure them of your care.  If you have developed a solid relationship with those who work for you and with you, their willingness to come alongside you can be helpful in many ways. First it can empower you to move forward even though so many things seem to be slowing your progress. Secondly, it inspires employees to have that hope and confidence with you and the business, as well.  You may also find it beneficial to listen to the needs and insights of those around you. Sages say that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Perhaps the greatest workplace or product innovation can be excavated from those around you. This could turn out to be the best time ever for you and your company. Keep your mind open and see.

I have a few quotes that I use to bolster myself. Similar quotes may work for you. It doesn’t have to be biblical, necessarily, but much profound wisdom can be gleaned from people who have gone through similar challenges. A phrase that I often use to bolster my spirit and confidence, is that “joy comes in the morning.” In other words, sleep on it, and see what tomorrow looks like. You may be pleasantly surprised.

    By Caz Taylor, BizVid Partner
                                                                                                            
In challenging times such as these, to remain solvent and have your best chance for success…Discerning the difference between objective and subjective decisions can mean the difference between being profitable and sustainable, or not. Discerning subjective from objective decisions can mean the difference between remaining lean and vibrant, versus struggling for your business to stay alive.

A few definitions are in order. Subjective decisions would be those decisions one makes which are subject to their own personal preferences. Objective decisions would be those which are made objectively, that is, decisions which look at the challenge from a broader perspective, and discerning what would be the wisest decision overall. A synonym for objective may be the word “compromise. “

Being a perfectionist in everything you do does carry great value, if you and your business can afford to do so. But, if solvency is important in these challenging times, one must ask the question, “Do the things that I care about really matter to my customer or do my personal, subjective preferences restrain my greater success?”  For many, this may be the most difficult decision a business owner can make. One may see this as compromising one’s own character when making bottom line decisions.

At this juncture, an important point must be made. There are distinct differences between making moral versus immoral decisions regarding your business. One must not count those as being subjective versus objective. In those instances moral character must always be in the forefront for your decisions. There is no room for compromise there.

Even so, making objective decisions deals with stepping outside your own personal preferences. As such, taking a point of view from the bigger picture, it may be advisable to bring in trusted partners, employees and/or a trusted spouse into your decision-making process. This approach may fly in the face of a person who relishes the value of being a self-made man or self-made woman. But, one may find if they objectively incorporate other points of view in their final decision-making, two important, invaluable things may occur.

First, by incorporating insights from your peers, your work environment will internally and perhaps eternally improve. Secondly, an improved internal business environment will eventually translate into a positive external business environment. This will further translate into longevity, also known as long-lasting success.

There is an old adage which tells us “If one can chase 1,000, two can chase 10,000.” This can be particularly true in business. This phrase is certainly less connected to subjective decisions and more valid when objective decisions are made.

With our company, BizVid Communications, we are co-owned by my partner and me. Through the years I have learned to treasure his insights, and I believe he has learned to treasure mine. In these challenging times we know that our best chance for success will be to be codependent one, upon the other. As such, subjective decisions must give way to objective ones. Both of us are perfectionists in one way or another. Ironically my subjective perfectionist decision often is in direct contrast to my partner’s perfectionist subjective decision. It has become a good discipline for both of us to give and take a little bit. As such subjective decisions transition into objective decisions and our company’s greatest good and best chance for success emerges.

I hope this point of view is helpful to you as you dig deeply and find your company’s greatest chances success in these challenges ahead. This should be most comforting in the fact that you really don’t have to do it alone. Such is the benefit of embracing the objective over the subjective.

Hey Business Leader: History Repeats for a Reason
By Caz Taylor, BizVid Communications Co-owner

History repeats itself for a reason. Our choice of topics for this blog are not selected haphazardly. We are vitally concerned for the welfare of businesses. In fact, that genuine concern for you and businesses like yours has been perhaps one of the greatest reasons for our long-term successes in video production. 

That said, as we contemplate our topics for this blog, often we are reminded that subjects of the past should be revisited in preparation for dealing with events in the present and future.

Repetition, persistence and consistency carry remarkable values for instruction. The benefits of redundant points of view not only apply to the marketing message that you as a business must present to your clients and prospects, but it has everything to do with your own sustenance.

With that in mind and in regards to the content of this blog, we are reminded of a topic with which we dealt a number of years ago. It bears repeating today.

The need to write snappy copy for your PR purposes is as important today as ever.

Here are four easy tips to help you craft a simple, yet commanding video script. I began writing commercials as an ad agency copywriter years ago. Here are some simple truths.

1. Write, knowing that people care far less than you think they do. Remember that people are probably not thinking about you, your product or service in advance of hearing or seeing your message. Keep it simple by succinctly accomplishing three things.  Commanding their attention. Informing them. Simply telling them what to do next. That’s it. The end.
2. Strive to make more out of less. Crafting and consolidating powerful words takes effort.. Often, giving people too much means that they retain too little. Be ruthless in your self-editing. Eventually, you’ll distill your message and make it palatable to the person who will give you only a few seconds of their time.
3. Have a single purpose, writing for an audience of one. Put yourself into the (often self-serving) mindset of your recipient and you’ll be starting well.
4. Write with restrained freedom. If people do not quickly connect with your message, your creative freedom is irrelevant. Often, you can set this up as part of your opening sentence. For example, using this product or service is like experiencing your first kiss… You get the idea.

Here’s one more helpful nugget we can offer. Adding a nuance here and a retouch there can make a huge difference. As we say, it is not the big budget, but the big idea. Learn to put your big idea into few words and you’ll find great success.

We hope our insights written in a past blog can be of value to you today and tomorrow. One’s history of learning solid skills can repeat themselves for your ongoing success.

Activating Your Business Miracle
By BizVid Communications partner Caz Taylor

Does your business need a miracle of “biblical proportions” to survive and even thrive in challenging times?  If so, here are four insights that are true and proven, whether you embrace those “biblical” principles or not.

Faith- It is very likely that some type of “faith” has gotten your business to where you are right now. For our definition of “faith,” let me use the idea of having an inner confidence that your original business plan was valid. Those steps that you originally took for licensing, preparation, the development of relationships, and taking advantage of any “good fortune” along the way need to be more than maintained, rather, enhanced. Your faithful company “point of view” will not only keep you stirred up, but it will inspire peers and employees to foster similar attitudes. Believing in yourself and believing you can succeed when others fall back, is perhaps your greatest asset. Start displaying the attitude that a greater success than ever before is upon your doorstep.  

Persistency- Assuming your business strategy is solid, perseverance is another key. Some may tell you that the definition of insanity is expecting different results from the same actions. While this may be true in some situations, if your business idea is a good one… and you persist when others give up, then, “expecting better results” may actually define your “faith” and be your pathway to excelling when others give up too soon, or come up short.

Consistency- To fell a large oak tree with one blow from an axe would be preposterous. But the number of planks created from this one tree will strengthen your building more than a smaller tree. Let’s say that the tree’s diameter represents the extent of your desired outcome in building your business structure. The bigger the tree, the bigger your potential success. The consistency of your well-delivered swings will determine the level of success in the building of your business. Some people say “go big or go home.” For our purposes, one might say to be consistent or go home. Having good intentions without consistency is fruitless.

Activation- Once you have dedicated yourself to the three previous steps (faith, persistency and consistency), it is time to look into the mirror. Ask yourself, “Am I willing to go where no one has gone before? Am I willing to solve customer or client needs where others have languished or fell by the wayside?  If the answer is yes… than, it is time to activate your company into higher, deeper and more profound ways than ever before.

In summary, pandemics and governmental restraints have caused many to abandon their hopes for great success. While the pathway is strewn with business failures, this actually poses a unique benefit for companies and visions like yours. Has there ever been a better time to forge forward when many of your competitors have walked away? As a video producer, BizVid Communications has employed this same strategy. If we can help you in your further activation, great. Regardless, join us as we stroll into our greatest futures ever.

by
Caz Taylor

If a business like yours cannot afford to alienate big portions of your consumer/client base due to politics, allow a few insights which you may find helpful. This, from a video producer who doubles as a journalist.

As a member of the media, complete with a number of press credentials, I was privileged to cover events that happened in Washington DC during the first week of January 2021. Here is my business “take away.”

Unless making your stand on one political side or the other is more important than (or defined by) your consumer/client base… it is best not to indulge in that conversation, whenever possible.

In my coverage, I witnessed levels of rhetoric on both sides which could take your “Covid-challenged” business and decimate it all the more.

In fact, it may be advisable to revisit your business statement and premise. If customer service is a cornerstone, stick to that as if your company’s life depends upon it. It just may.  Typically, your clientele are not patronizing you for your political stand, but for your product or service. Or people. In fact, your bigger draw may be in that you are a “politics free zone.”

My BizVid Communications partner and I treat every client and prospect with the highest respect and integrity, regardless. We try not to get sucked into fruitless debates. In the end, cool heads and hearts will prevail and foster your greatest success.

To this end, I conducted a little experiment during my DC media coverage. Understanding that my press badges could illicit comments, even vitriol from either political side, I engaged with people from both political points of view with my press passes showing. Then, I engaged with the same kinds of people without my press clearances on display. I was the same friendly person I always am, but as soon as I allowed myself to be defined by my press badges, the receptivity was split, depending on the polarized side with which I interacted.

As a customer/consumer dependent business, the message should be quite clear. Do what your company or organization was built to do. Don’t alienate, serve. Do not proselytize or seek to change someone’s mind, promote the kind of experience or environment for which someone will desire to come back.

In this current business climate, both you and your employees should be keeping and growing your business, and not making a political stand. Here is to your great success in the midst of challenging times. If that success could use proven video approaches, you know where to look.

By BizVid co-owner, Caz Taylor

Writing to you, as a business person, I suspect you have more question marks than exclamation marks in your plans for maintaining and growing your company in these “COVID-ified” times. In many ways, you may feel that the deck has been unfairly stacked against you and fellow small businesses. Perhaps it has been.

Please allow this brief blog entry to serve as an encouragement. An inspiration. A motivation for you and your organization’s enhanced success moving forward.

Sometimes, the best communications tool is to use examples and stories of others learning to survive and even thrive in antagonistic environments, as we are in. May I draw your attention to a beloved friend of my partner, Bill Gruber, and mine? This person and his “roaring twenties/mafia themed” restaurants, Notorious Burgers, are located in Carlsbad, California. His name is Brian Gruber.

You have likely observed that Brian’s last name is the same as my associate’s last name. Partner Bill is Brian’s father. This relationship puts us in a position to observe, provide video support and otherwise encourage, when possible and appropriate. This relationship gives us firsthand knowledge of the ebbs and flows in a promising business model and the threat of seeing a great idea snuffed out by a debilitating pandemic and less than compassionate regulations.

Bear with me as I present the story and provide a closing “moral to the story” to end this blog. If the “business closing” plague crippled commerce, the seemingly unfair local and state regulations nearly terminally strained the comeback of many businesses like yours and Brian’s.

Brian is one of the most creative and resilient business owners I have seen. As are you. To people like him and you, devastating challenges should really be taken as exhilarating opportunities to give you benefits and approaches which will separate you from the competition and enhance your success, rather than hamper it.

I will give you two examples born by Mr. Gruber and his restaurants. Government mandates to restrict inside dining afforded Brian the opportunity to expand his primary location by enhancing his tables and service to include an outside experience. This was presented to customers not as an inconvenience, rather a benefit of taking their dining experience “to the street,” almost literally.

His second location was within a “restaurant row” kind of a setting named the “Windmill Food Hall.” While the whole restauranteur clientele braced for the impact of COVID restrictions, and many closed down, Brian made lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. Instead of being “grilled” by restraints of COVID and government bureaucracy, Brian’s strategy turned to “barbeque.”

Discovering there were no longer any restaurants in the area offering barbeque, Mr. Gruber altered his menu to command the attention of hungry and cooped up diners. He revisited his menu and marketing approach when he realized he could tastefully corner the “barbeque” market. This decision and his flexibly creative strategy is being met with resounding success.

By BizVid Communications Partner Caz Taylor

Through the life of your business, you have likely experienced challenges which war against your greatest success. The Covid-19 issue is just another such combatant, how be it, more robust than many of the others.

Take heart. The values that have proven themselves successful in past combats will pay off in today’s battle for your company’s surviving and flourishing.  Here are a few top-of-mind traits employed by successful women and men, along with their businesses.

Keep in mind that these BizVid Communications viewpoints are from personal observations, and less from today’s bloviated and so-called facts. This point of view, however, comes from a faith and confidence that doing what is right within your business acumen will win over the elements that threaten your company’s failure.

We are reminded of ancient words of wisdom, the likes of which will be the springboard for this blog. Hopefully, they will be a springboard for your heightened success in contrary times. By paraphrasing, the saying goes: “Displaying the heart of godliness will produce fruitfulness in our lives (and businesses): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

The last sentence in these words of wisdom is most curious. Neither the constitutional laws within America, nor the greater, supernatural laws of the universe violate the aforementioned precepts.  This should present an added comfort as you decide your best ways of sustaining and even expanding your business within troubled times. Though nay-sayers may challenge your proactive business decisions, if the annotated precepts are followed, “there is no law against them.” Being bold and confident in these times will carry great promise of reward. Watch and see.

While the nine precepts mentioned carry great weight and promise of success for you and your business, this missive will focus on only two of them. This duo are perhaps the most difficult to achieve and maintain, which makes them all the more important to your success.

I am speaking of your application of “patience” and “self-control.” As the current threat abates, we are likely to see the landscape strewn with large numbers of businesses in ruins. Two of the most significant causes of this ruination deal with a lack of business patience and self-control of the leader(ship).

Patience. What is the most truncated version of your business which can survive? I am reminded that many of today’s great organizations began in someone’s garage. What is your equivalence of that garage? Is it a single room office? One-desk? One clipboard? One faithful vision? This may not be a time to fully abandon the ancillary elements of your earlier successes, rather prune them back for a season. A pruned tree will be more fruitful when the season changes. Keep your relationships with the people who helped you become successful in the first place. Though those relationships may need to be in storage for a season, as the promises of fruitfulness come back, so can the fullness of those relationships. Nature would suggest that this pruned tree will become even more fruitful. Patience, indeed, is a virtue.

Self-control. The operative word here is “self”. One rarely can command full control of others. You, however, carry the clear responsibility for controlling yourself. Your perseverance or lack thereof in light of YOUR company will either help relaunch your success or assure its failure. Winston Churchill was credited with saying “Never (never, never) give up.” We are reminded of a cartoon showing a troop of soldiers trudging over barren dunes and across the desert, with the leader saying, “I give up. Let’s go back.”  From the cartoonist’s vantage point, we see a beautiful oasis just on the other side of the knoll which inspired the troop’s retreat. This troop leader is you, my friend. Your reenergized success is much nearer that you can even imagine if you never give up.

In this brief BizVid Communications blog, we reveal a secret to success which we have observed in some of finest businesses and the most endearing people throughout this nation, and world.

Simply put: focus yourself and your communications based on what you would like to be, rather than what you are not. The following insights embrace our personal work ethic. We hope you find them helpful.

As the whole world tries to find its way in the midst of troubling, even contrary times, there are a few communication techniques that have proven to outlive the braggadocious, self-elevating, often demeaning babble that one hears (and sometimes self-professes) as businesses like yours strive to survive.

Over the decades, BizVid Communications has worked with a variety of people and organizations. Businesses whose actions exhibit a level of contrition, humility, and concern for others have enduring staying power. Businesses with more-critical and less-compassionate attitudes for others may find that their successful days numbered.

A prophet once said: “A word fitly spoken is as ‘apples of gold in pitchers of silver.’” 

Our present day interpretation: “Choose your words kindly and wisely when communicating with others.”

This also supports a well-known quote from Bambi’s friend Thumper who said, “If you can’t say nothin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

At BizVid Communications, we have dedicated our company’s principles to giving everyone with whom we work (staff, contractors, and clients) the benefit of the doubt.  We find grains of goodness within all aspects of our production crew, and we expand on those as we communicate to achieve a common goal.

Sometimes it may seem that the human psyche seems to relish hearing about only the bad stuff, it’s been our experience that positive and sustaining messages are tied to what is actually good and helpful for humanity.

Someone once said that when you point the finger at someone or something, the majority of your fingers are pointing back at you.  Perhaps the best recipe for finding the good in others is by taking a brutally honest look at ourselves.

Have we gone out of our way to serve and help others, even when this high ground is best attained from being on our knees? We have found that when one has the attitude of elevating others, we ourselves are elevated. 

This opens the door for examining the difference between true compassion and humility versus and acting with self-serving, false humility and insincere compassion. As we each look in our personal mirrors of self-reflection, we should let our unfiltered conscience have its say. From personal experiences, when one must weigh between “what is right” against “what is best” for one’s self and company, “what is right” should ultimately win out.  I know this may be hard when faced with some business decisions. 

Bottom line is this: your peers and clients are watching. When you and your organization personify grace, compassion, and honesty, the truth-seekers who really count will sustain you and your company in challenging times. 

Welcome to another video tutorial from BizVid Communications a leader in video production for businesses, industry and health.  Today I’m going to show you how to put a border around a video clip and make it whatever size and color you want. 

First, scale the clip to 75%. Look for the “rectangle tool”, which is found in the dropdown box of the “pen tool”.  Next, click and drag to make a box around the clip that is larger than the clip itself.  This creates a graphic similar to text a graphic. 

Then, extend it to the length of the video clip.  Now, drag the video clip above the graphic and here’s the border… but we’re not done.  Next, select the video clip, then go to the motion controls “position” numbers to center the clip on the graphic.  This still needs work. 

For this I will use “scale” but must uncheck the “uniform scale” box.  Now I can manipulate the height and width independently.  First, be sure that the graphics clip is selected then; begin to adjust the scale and height settings to your preference.  To finesse, select the video clip and move to your desired position.

I will show you how to lock the two together but first, I want to change the color of the border.  Select the border, double click the “fill” box and change the color. To nest, select both clips, right-click, then “nest.”  It is now one clip and can be manipulated any way you want.  

And there you have it…simple and effective.  

Welcome to another BizVid Communications video tutorial.  The title of today’s Vlog is “How to Blur a Moving Subject in Premiere Pro.”  This video is an update to one I produced a few years ago called “How to Blur Faces in Premiere Pro.”  

The two ways I use to blur a subject are “Gausian Blur” or “Mosaic.”  Today, I will show you both because the process is different for each.  Let’s get started.  I placed in the timeline a proud US Marine walking to meet another person but I’d like to blur her face.  First I will use the “Gaussian Blur” method. 

 In the Effects Panel I’ll type in the word “Blur” and Premiere will reveal all of the blur options available.  To be clear, you can use any of the “Blur’s” listed as they all look a little different.   But today, I’ll start with “Gaussian Blur”  then show you, “Mosaic.”   Next, I’ll place the“Gaussian” effect onto the video clip.  I can do this by double clicking the effect or, dragging it onto the clip.  

 Next, I need to select the mask tool that will be used to highlight the specific area to blur.  The’re three options:  “Elipse,” “4 Point Polygram,” or the “Pen.”   But, because I want to track and blur a face, I will use the “Elipse” mask.  As soon as I click on it, it appears in the program window.  Be sure that your play head is at the point where you want the blur to begin.  At this point you don’t see any blurring and won’t until I add it.  If I were to add it now, it would be difficult for me to precisely form the ellipse around the face.  

To form the ellipse, I will use these little square handles.  Once formed the way I want it, I will add the blur by increasing this number to about the 50 mark. Obviously you can choose whatever degree of blurriness  you want.  I’ll also add a slight “feather” so that there are no hard edges. 

Next I’ll begin the mask tracking process.  I can do that one frame at a time like this….or, by letting Premiere do it automatically like this.  The program is pretty good about keeping a precise track.  If it does start to go awry, you can stop the progress and manually adjust, then start again. One the tracking finishes, give your video a watch and see how it your “Gausian Blur” turned out. 

 The other method I talked about was using a mosaic to blur the subject.  So, I’ll type in “Mosaic” then double click to add it to the clip.  As you can see, unlike the “Gaussian Blur,” the “Mosaic” applies the effect to everything and  It’ll stay that way until I select a masking tool.  Again, I’ll use the “Ellipse” mask.  Next, I’ll reduce the mosaic effect to a point where I can more easily shape the ellipse around the face.  I’ll do that right here at “Horizontal” and “Vertical” blocks.  

Next, I’ll use the same procedure to form the ellipse as shown earlier in this tutorial.  Now that I’m done forming, I will add the mosaic effect.  Next, I’ll start the mask tracking…….and here’s the finished result.  As with “Gaussian Blur,”  If you have several points on a clip that need blurring, simply keep applying the “Ellipse” or any of the three masks as many times as necessary like this.  So, I hope this tutorial has been helpful.  Be sure to subscribe and also visit the BizVid Communications website to see the type of work we produce.  Thanks again and happy editing.