7 expert tips for expanding your network and finding new clients

To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes from the great Michael Jordan, “If you put in the work, the results will come.” And while MJ might have been talking about life on the hardcourt, this mindset holds true for just about any arena. 

In the world of film and video production in particular, it can be tough to get started. Especially if you’re a solo producer, shooter or editor looking to make a name for yourself and build up your client roster. 

And even if you work for a small company or with a tight producing team, finding new clients is never easy. However, as MJ says, if you put in the work, the results will come. But what does that work actually look like? How can you actually make moves to build your network and client roster?

Let’s explore some of these questions as we share some of the best ways for you to expand your professional network and find new clients for your film and video production services.

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1. Find your niche

When first starting out in film and video, the industry overall can feel like a vast ocean. There’s all types of different career paths, project scopes and niches to explore. While it might be fun at first to try out different avenues, it also can just simply set you adrift and without solid work.

The best way to build your brand and expand your client network is simply to find your niche. If you can cement yourself as a go-to producer in a certain avenue of film and video production, word about your skills can spread much faster.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you discover your own niche preferences:

• Are you a producer, shooter or editor (or maybe a “shreditor” that does all three)?
• Do you specialize in commercial, corporate, documentary or narrative?
• What about industry? Have you found success working in specific areas like non-profit, automotive, real estate, etc…?
• Which film department are you drawn to (art, camera, sound, electric, grip, etc…)?
• What size and scope of projects do you prefer (longer big budget ones or shorter one-offs)?
• Do you prefer any genres or sensibilities (comedy, horror, sci-fi, drama, etc…)

By using your answers to the questions above, you should at least have a general idea of what your individual niche might look like. (For example, maybe you’re a shooter who likes to work on big non-profits projects in the camera department.) Regardless of your answers, understanding your niche will help you market yourself and make connections moving forward.

2. Build your online profile (and brand)

Once you’ve decided a bit on your niche and personal identity, you can begin the process of building your brand and online profile. Of course, using Vimeo is a great way to go as you can customize your own homebase landing page where you can showcase your past projects and sizzle reels.

You can use the new Vimeo profile page (which has recently been overhauled specifically to help filmmakers find more work) to add in information about your rates, roles and preferred project types, as well as easily set yourself up on Vimeo’s marketplace where you can join specific communities and find job posts for free.

3. Search out networks and communities

Speaking of communities, it also helps to go IRL from time to time to join actual networking communities in your area. Depending on your locale, you should have at least a few professional groups which can be a great way to make real connections and build real friendships with your fellow professionals.

These types of professional groups usually have monthly meetings or weekly happy hours which you can find on networking event websites like Meetup or Eventbrite. You can also keep up with various local communities by joining any relevant groups on Facebook or Linkedin as they often post about IRL events coming up.

4. Consult job boards and staffing websites

You can also expand your network and career online by adding your name, resume and portfolio to the various job boards and staffing websites online. Now, there are a lot of job sites to check out, this is true. But for creatives who are chasing more than just a dollars-per-hour career, your best bet might be to look at the creative and video-specific job posting sites like the following:

It also never hurts to add your name to the client rosters at the various creative staffing websites which will send your name, resume and portfolio out to various companies, as well as shoot you an email with any leads for one-off freelance projects and/or full-time roles. Some of the better creative staffing sites include:

Those are just some of the bigger named job boards and staffing websites though, there are plenty more out there and new ones popping up all the time. For the purposes of growing your own small business or developing your personal brand, using these sites can be a great way to add some new clients, or possibly make the jump to full-time contract work or employment if you find the right fit.

5. Make professional friends (and partners)

From there, the name of the game is making new friends, partners and creative collaborators. The best contacts that you’re going to make in the world of film and video production are going to come from those personal ones that you develop while on set and from working with other video professionals.

I wouldn’t say it’s good advice to focus on making friends strictly as a career move… but it never hurts to stay close with those that you work with day in and day out. These are the connections that you’re going to stay in contact with as you both navigate the film and video industry, which means they will always be there to send new leads, possibly share clients and collaborate on cool projects.

Just be sure to keep the road open in both ways. When you do make personal connections, try to help them out as much (if not more) than they’ve helped you. Even if they’re younger or less experienced at times, you never know which small connection might turn into a big job later. So, don’t overthink it, be yourself, make friends, and stay creatively hungry and in touch! 

6. Market yourself online

Now this is really where the old school, MJ-style work begins. If you’re someone who might not be super connected in your community, or simply live in an area which might be overly competitive with few clients to go around, it’s going to be on you to put in the leg work to really build your brand up and market yourself online.

One of the best ways to do this is by establishing yourself as a subject-matter-expert in your relevant field or niche of film and video production. Building out your Vimeo profile page is a great place to start, as is joining the Vimeo marketplace and other job and staffing boards. But if you really want to push further, you can look into building your own personal website.

A simple sizzle reel might be great for some cinematography-focused jobs, but you can also double down and make specific sizzle reels for different project types (like documentary, corporate, non-profit, motion graphics, etc…). 

Also, don’t forget about your other social media sites. LinkedIn is still one of the top places people search out new partners and hires, so put in the work to make yours look well-maintained, professional and appealing.

7. Turn old clients into new ones

Finally, perhaps the best tip for expanding your network and finding new clients isn’t to look outward at all, but instead focus inwards on your networks, connections and clients that you already have built up. This idea that you have to always be chasing new gigs, new jobs and new clients might be appealing to a certain MJ-style of hustle, but in reality sometimes it’s best to stay put, so to speak.

If you do work for one big client, or even a few small ones, that have the capacity to send you regular work, then the focus shouldn’t be on how to spread yourself more thinly, but instead on how you can increase your value and output with these old ones.

Stay engaged with your clients and try to really learn their needs. Ask questions to see how your specific expertise actually helps their growth. If you can help to add to their bottom line, then the value of your work can increase along with their revenue.

However, it’s really up to you to learn and understand this balance personally. At the end of the day, it’s always helpful to build your network as you search not just for as many new clients as possible, but the right ones for you. And if you do it right, you’ll build a great network and make some awesome friends and fellow creative collaborators along the way.