My first ever documentary is LIVE! Filmed on an old but brilliant iPhone 12 Pro, and edited on iMovie. As you may know, I'm working through the Local Creator Cashflow course alongside you, making myself 'famous' in my hometown first, and building up from there. I've done it in several areas before, but not in my new Manchester location. My usual method is to make short funky reels, which require very little narrative structure. Quick to bang out, but about as mentally nutritious as a Big Mac and fries. The film is only five minutes long, but it took me three weeks to conceptualise, film, edit, voiceover, finesse and upload. Here's how I did it: 1) Found a topic of public interest that I could film for free. In this case, it was upgrades to a local square that was originally a cluttered, anonymous street corner. 2) Found an angle. The square was named after a nuclear pioneer, Ernest Rutherford, so the film is about him, and all of the interesting upgrades to the area. This took some serious thinking and re-editing. 3) Went out filming on a sunny day. ALWAYS try to film in the sunshine - I've noticed videos get many more views with blue skies, sharp shadows and bright light. 4) Spent days hunched over my desk putting it together. I'm trying to emulate BBC documentary style here, with concept, pacing, voiceover, sound design, shots, etc. 5) Completed thumbnails, artwork, description, hashtags...and eventually managed to upload it, after some fraught rendering. Over an hour to save a five minute piece? I really need a new laptop. 6) Uploaded it to my Youtube and my new Facebook page, Withington TV. I highly recommend setting up a Facebook page for your local videos, and naming it TOWN/ AREA TV by the way. Even if you're not a proper TV station, it generates interest and makes you look official. I used Canva for my artwork and logo design. 6) Once it was live, I tagged in relevant venues and organisations. As it happened, while I was co-working, I met the lead responsible for the town's regeneration. A tremendous stroke of luck! He provided me with archive images and quotes, and even watched the full film when I asked him to 'proof' it.

Blimey, what a few weeks I've had, setting up my own Local Creator Cashflow system here in Manchester. I'm working through this course in real time with you, so you can see exactly how I make local connections and turn them in to well-paying customers. I've zeroed in on my local high street, and a big regeneration project. I've made my first ever documentary about improvements in the town (only five minutes, but it's high-concept, and it's taken me two weeks to edit!). I've set up and branded my Facebook and Youtube, I've found a free 'studio' for my live streams, where I can broadcast daily, and I'm already a familiar face on the high street because I've been going in and introducing myself. I've also started co-working, my first time doing that too. Couldn't believe my luck, on my very first day, I met the decision maker in charge of the local regeneration. I've shown him the film, he's helped me with archive images, and he's watched it too! SCORE. I'm on his radar, and hopefully he may commision me, and / or give me referrals. I've also been getting used to my new camera, the DJI Osmo Action 6. It's robust, it looks great, but I've got to be honest, I don't think the quality is much better than my old iPhone 12, and the sound is certainly not as good. So loads of fiddling with cables, microphones and settings. If you want to build your influence, I absolutely recommend starting hyper local and rippling out from there, rather than competing against the trillions of vloggers online. You become known, trusted, and useful far faster when you focus local. Visibility compounds quickly. One conversation leads to another, and doors start opening. It's easier to leverage local Facebook groups, community pages, and word of mouth when people recognise the places and faces you are talking about. Here's some of my branding and art work. Once I finish this bloody documentary I'll upload that too. I'm quite proud of it. How are your local efforts coming on? @Abigail Thomas @Abdullah Rizwan @Dovile Rancaite @Megan Fitzpatrick @Sophia Gaston

I’m putting all my money where all my mouth is, and launching a 'TV channel' in my small town, which is a suburb of Manchester. The high street is famed for indie businesses and street art, in a world where many main drags are overtaken with illegal vape and chicken shops. Plenty of good stories to uncover. I’m starting this as a very, very small project, with the aim of gradually unfurling to incorporate Manchester as a whole. This is the trust-building exercise, plus a video lab, where I will hone my style and build my reputatiojn. Here’s the method behind it, for anyone wanting to follow the same model: 1. Pick your test bed – start in a small, manageable area where you can get access. I chose Withington because it’s vibrant, community-led, and has lots of businesses and street art worth filming. 2. Immerse yourself in the community – spend time walking, filming, and quietly observing. Don’t just make content about businesses; capture the streets, the murals, the atmosphere. This builds a library of authentic b-roll and establishes your presence locally. 3. Start with teasers – short, cryptic clips that hint at your series without giving everything away. My first teaser is a retro static intro, just saying Withington TV, coming soon. Simple, premium, and intriguing. 4. Be the face of the content – I’m both presenter and filmmaker. This makes the channel personal, trustworthy, and action-oriented. My style invites people to experience the place, not just watch it. 5. Engage businesses naturally – start with hellos, casual introductions, and show them the vibe of the series. Don’t pitch hard at first; trust and credibility matter more than immediate contracts. 6. Build a coherent body of work – every video, teaser, and insert contributes to a portfolio of high-quality content. This is what can scale beyond your initial area and attract clients, sponsors, and bigger projects. 7. Think long-term, not viral – this isn’t about chasing views or subscribers. It’s about creating a sustainable model, with a signature style, trust with the community, and proof of concept for future work across Manchester. 8.

This winter, I've learnt the hard way, that as a self-employed videographer, that you need to be fitter than the fiddle section in an orchestra. My health is normally great, but I've had two super-colds back-to-back, on top of two sprained wrists and a sprained ankle after falling down a tiny two-inch step. I've been out of action for eight weeks, and it's been horrendous. Many 'wasted' hours on the couch, looking longingly at the world outside, and watching my bank account dwindle because I can't get out to see clients. Also everyone got crap Christmas presents because I couldn't splash out on the usual matching Bugatti Veyrons for my family /s. I am certain that if it wasn't for my moderate fitness routine, things would have been worse. A lot worse. And I'm not a fitness fanatic either. I go to the gym a few times a week, and practice qigong, which is a slow motion martial art that hones breathing, flexibility and concentration. So, my lungs were big, my muscles were strong, and my mindset, well, it wasn't quite Mr Miyagi, but at least I could stay positive through some of the toughest times of my life. Here are five reasons a vlogger (and anyone else self employed) should stay fit. 1) Your body is your primary kit.Cameras break. Lenses get replaced. Your body does not. 2) Videography is physical work. Carrying gear, crouching, standing for hours, reacting fast, staying steady. If your body goes down, the whole operation goes down with it. 3) Illness and injuries happen. That’s life. But baseline fitness acts like a buffer. Strong lungs, decent muscle tone, and good circulation mean you bounce back faster. Without that, a cold becomes weeks. A knock becomes months. 4) When you’re self-employed, energy equals income.There’s no sick pay and no cover. If you don’t have the stamina to leave the house, chase work, film, edit, and deliver, the money simply stops. 5) Movement regulates anxiety. Freelance life already puts your nervous system under pressure. Exercise, especially slower practices like qigong or yin yoga, keeps stress hormones from running the show.

Welcome to new members @Sophia Gaston, @Abdullah Rizwan and @Megan Fitzpatrick. Come and say hello to the Creator crew, introduce yourselves, and say what you'd like to get out of this course. It's totally flexible, and I create content based on your needs. I'd say that one of the easiest ways to get started is food vlogging. Food videos are relatively simple to make once you've learnt the basics, and if you film the right dishes, it can be a shortcut to going viral quickly and landing local clients. Take a look in the 'Classroom' tab and you'll see the Food Fame Formula course. It's a quick start to finding a decent venue, how to use your phone camera to film mouthwatering shots, and where to post your video to get you noticed. A tasty burger is a great first assignment. https://www.skool.com/local-creator-cashflow-1416/classroom Good luck, and let me know how it goes.