My local video project is starting to take off. My short film about upgrades to the town centre is on 1.5k views! I have dozens of new followers on my Facebook page. I've impressed the regen lead, and now I'm on the radar of the local Civic Society, see their enthusiastic email attached. Plus, I've had my first incoming lead - a local band want me to film their comeback after 30 years! Even though the Civic Society probably won’t pay, this is exactly the kind of opportunity that can open doors. They’re connected to local councillors, business owners, heritage groups, and community leaders: all people who notice quality work and have influence. By offering one strong free video, I get on their radar, demonstrate my skills, and start building a portfolio of high-value local content. This kind of strategic freebie is not wasted effort - it’s an investment in visibility, credibility, and future paid work. Once people see the results, it’s much easier to move from free to commissioned projects. In short, one well-targeted free video can pay off in opportunities, connections, and social proof far beyond its initial effort. For me, this sure beats sitting home alone churning out videos to battle a cold, unfeeling algorithm on YouTube or TikTok. It gets me out of the house, meeting interesting people, and getting recognised in my home town, which is where the commissions will start to come from. Is this something you feel you could do too? Let me know!

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.

Hello Creators, Want to know how to start building your local presence and making profitable partnerships? Here's a live example. If you're new to my story, I've been making local videos, with great effect, for ten years, but since I moved to Manchester, I haven't pushed the project. So we're working through this course in real time together, and I want to share a nice little local win. A few days back, I was at a gig for a band who hadn't performed for thirty years. It was in a small local hall. At the gig, I noticed this historic venue had a new co-working incentive, funded by the government. The 120 year old venue is located in a fabulous vibrant area of Manchester, famous worldwide for its street art. Now I suffer terribly from isolation, working from home, and I realised if I were to start co-working, and making videos and streaming from this community venue, it would raise my profile, and hopefully get a stack-load of footfall for the hall. It's very early days yet, but to show I mean business, I made a demo video for the band (which could also result in a commision one day, as their star rises) showed it to the venue owner, and with a bit of luck, I'll be working from this cosy hall, able to use their blazing hot wifi, and piggybacking my local presence right in the thick of a newsworthy regeneration project. I shall see whether the venue owner will be willing to swap co-working for free video, as we will both benefit immensely. He gets free footfall videos, I get a high visibility base to work from, with a natural story arc. Plus I get access to fellow freelancers who may need video, and access to the local shops and venues in the town. Wish me luck! This is what Local Creator Cashflow is all about. Building trust on a hyper-local scale and working outwards from there. Rather than losing yourself in the millions of creators on Youtube and TikTok, you're establishing a powerful local voice, gaining trust, and winning videography / reels commissions right on your doorstep.