Meet Tom More | Video producer and freelance cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom More and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting down the road of entrepreneurship was totally unexpected but driven by seeing no enjoyable future where I was headed, and a resentment of management that stifled innovation. I’ve always been happiest with projects where I had the freedom to improve what was being done and build more efficient and effective frameworks to deliver the best result. If I can fully immerse myself and bring all my knowledge and experiences solve the problem I will definitely find the most personal and professional satisfaction. A vast majority of corporate and government jobs are…..not that;-) The flip side is that you can fail, of course, even repeatedly, and you will own that without the “safety” of an established organization and procedures.

Following my 14 year military career I moved back home to Dallas, Texas and, several years doing security and defense contracting work I was ready for another change. It was my wife who suggested making my longtime hobby of video recording my own commercial videography business. Video marketing had become the new rage, equipment was way more affordable than in the recent past, how hard could it be? Business plan in hand I got a loan, gear, and a website, went to networking groups, joined the chamber of commerce, did free jobs for non-profits, all the stuff you’re supposed to… and, over the next four years, drained my savings, cashed in my investments, sold things out of the garage to make ends meet. Why? 1. Starting cold in a new industry is about the hardest thing to do. Despite your best research there are a thousand details and nuances of your industry that you still won’t know. You have no colleagues or support structure yet to turn to and you can’t market yourself based on experience, one of the most important factors to better clients. 2. Fishing in the wrong ponds. You can have the best elevator pitch and know all the stats to prove your value but if you aren’t talking to the decision-maker who already knows the value you can bring you’re pushing a flat rock up a hill. 3. Getting found through all the noise. I thought I could do enough SEO and maintain the website. No. It’s a time-consuming and never ending process that I find as enjoyable as doing my taxes. Without those elements working for you 24/7 it’s down to how many hours you have in a day to find clients and, in a world that no longer wants to be sold to directly, the answer is you don’t have enough. My remedies for these three are: 1. Find a way to get experience BEFORE you start. Learning an industry from the inside is the most effective way to keep from making stupid and costly mistakes. Plus you’ll have work friends and maybe even mentor to turn to when the time comes. 2. Understand clearly, beforehand, who and where your target market is. Develop a detailed plan of how to reach them and know what problem you’re solving for them – that’s the center of every conversation! 3. Put a HUGE emphasis on your on-line presence. You don’t have to have a fancy site but it must make your value proposition clear from page one – how are you solving the client’s problem. Be willing to pay what it takes to be near the top of the search results for key terms unless you’re one of the weirdos who enjoys doing it yourself;-) I should have gotten double the size of my initial loan and put the extra 50% into the site and SEO. It hurts up front but it will pay you back in the end.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have two sides to my company currently. RL Film Productions (est. 2012) focuses on corporate videography and video freelancing for other companies/production houses and television. I have infinite scalabilty depending on the needs of the project from one guy with a camera to a full crew and actors performing on a studio set. My key client demographics are larger, small and mid-sized businesses with an understanding of and focus on their marketing efforts, ideally with a marketing person on-staff. Also marketing and ad firms looking to add video to their client’s campaigns and out-of-town producers/production houses that need filming in the DFW/Ark-La-Tex region. I’m happy to travel farther and with our big airport that’s pretty easy. The other side is On This Site Productions, which is producing a show about Texas history called “On This Site: The Historical Markers of Texas.” Each episode will take one of our state’s 12,000+ markers and tell its story along with giving context and how it matters to us today. The mystique of the Lone Star State travels far beyond the state line and, considering I grew up here and have a history degree, it seems a great way to combine all my interests and resources into another stream of revenue. We almost had it sold before COVID and our executive producer is now working on a private investment deal that could get it independently syndicated. I continue to work on several TV and film concepts, primarily for sale, but some that I might be able to produce in the future. These projects outside corporate work diversify my potential revenue and will act as some protection for wild events like the pandemic and the current economic troubles.

Perhaps the best shield a new business owner has is not fully understanding what they’re getting into. If we did probably fewer of us would do this. I think the truth is, just like marriage and parenting, you can never be fully “ready” to run your business…you have to become the most of who you can be by doing and nothing less. But if you have the right mindset I cannot overstate how rewarding it is. To focus all of your knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, and energy to make a life for yourself and family is risky and daunting, but to taste the success is intoxicating. Yes, you did build that, and now you’re in a position to help others whether clients with your product or service, employees with a paycheck and great workplace or other business owners who might be in need.
Between being more of an introvert and spending 14 years as a “quiet professional” self-promotion and selling are REALLY hard. I much prefer to be very good at what I do and simply available if someone wants my services. That can work but it is a slow process relying mostly on word of mouth, though word of mouth is the strongest referral you can get. For a long time I beat myself up about resisting grabbing the spotlight and yelling “lookie here!” whenever there was a chance. I’ve come to accept it’s ok to not do that and find other ways – even if the experts tell you differently. Ultimately I have to lie in bed at night proud of how I carried myself that day. Trying to operate in a fashion that runs counter to your nature only creates more problems for you and those will negatively impact the workings of your business eventually.
Four years into my business, 2016, was when things bottomed out and I really thought I was going under. Too few jobs and pretty poor budgets. What probably saved me was a lack of a “plan B” and Lord knows I tried to find one! The truth was I had found something I really liked to do rooted in a hobby I liked that stretched back to before high school…and was very good at it. I had simply underestimated the business requirements of the business and backed myself into a financial corner. You can’t reinvest or hire help with money you don’t have. I mentioned elsewhere how I should have gotten a bigger loan to establish a better online presence and that probably would have made the difference. But, especially without anywhere else to go, I dug in my heels, took a part-time gig in a related industry and began a climb back to profitability starting in 2017. By 2018 there was breathing room and in 2019 I was able to start advertising on a number of industry-specific sites which gave me a good leg up. Except for the challenge of the
pandemic business has really moved forward fast and there has been no looking back.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I make no bones about the first stop being Bucee’s whether in Denton, Anna or Ennis! That is the quintessential “bigger in Texas” experience that you must see to believe. I’ve shamelessly brought out-of-town and even international clients there and everyone was appropriately in awe. You can’t pass through Dallas without a stop at Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum to consider the change that one day brought to modern American history. Plus, there are plenty of folks hanging out ready to share “what really happened” with you. The Perot Museum of Natural History is another place not to be missed and you can certainly spend a whole day there. Since we’re talking museums the Old Red Courthouse on Dealey Plaza is a treasure trove for those who still can’t believe John Neely Bryan’s trading post at the Trinity River ford is on track to be the biggest metropolis in the U.S. by 2100. While it will cost us an arm and a leg we do have to tour AT&T Stadium. I’ve been inside three times now…all working trips so it has cost me nothing, Jerry!;-)…but it’s an amazing structure in size and design and the art and decorating is second to none. If the season is on we’ll attend the Mesquite Rodeo to watch that cowboy spectacle that connects us directly with the days of the western frontier. I’m also old enough the remember when it wasn’t air conditioned so there’ll be plenty of “so tough back in the day” stories. Across the metroplex we must mosey through the Fort Worth Stockyards and watch the longhorn herd trundle down Exchange Avenue. Beside blowing a bundle on western clothing and some beautiful boots you can’t find a bad restaurant for at least 7 blocks in any direction. And if you don’t have a steak at Riscky’s BBQ at one end of Exchange Avenue have one of their burgers at the other. Since it is practiacally illegal to visit DFW without trying Tex Mex we’ll go just up the block to Joe T. Garcia’s and, if we don’t get lost inside the sprawling eatery, we’ll have a spread of the most generous border specialties we could hope for. The history of the Stockyards and much of the mythology of the American cowboy is wonderfully preserved at The Stockyards Museum in the old Exchange Building. We interviewed docent (and cowboy poet) Theresa Burleson for an episode of our Texas history show “On This Site: The Historical Markers of Texas” a few years back. She’s a font of western knowledge and will be happy to show you around. Another full day is needed to take in the fantastic and extensive Fort Worth Zoo. They’ve developed the enclosures and exhibits to harmonize perfectly with the river bottom location. I’ve been a visitor and shot video behind the scenes and it is amazing how much animal science is going on there. Just across the street is Log Cabin Village featuring original and recreated structures from Texas’ frontier days complete with historical reenactors demonstrating the crafts and skills of the first anglo settlers. Since we’re talking FTW we also want to stop by Panther City BBQ at 210 E. Hattie St. on the south side for a fantastic BBQ/Tex Mex blend from owner Chris Magallenas. I was fortunate enough to shoot a promo video for them back when they were just a food truck and picnic tables but now they’ve grown into a beautiful restaurant and bar. So glad to see entrepreneur’s make it! Food stops on the Dallas side should also include The Old Warsaw (don’t have to wear a tie but it’s so fancy you’ll feel like you should), Ser Steakhouse atop the Hilton Anitole, and, for a fabulous “down home” culinary experience, Main Street Cafe in my city of residence, Lewisville. If their potato chip chicken doesn’t make you rethink all your food choices in life you don;t have taste buds;-) And, while prices are high, so is the view at Crown Block, the new restaurant on top of Reunion Tower just outside downtown Dallas. The floor no longer rotates but the drinks are great and the view stunning. To continue that stunning view we’ll book a room on the north side of the Hilton Anitole, giving the best look at the Dallas skyline, period. Connect all of these hot spots with drives through the High Five, Mixmaster, and dizzying loops at the DFW International terminals and no one will ever doubt “things are bigger in Texas” again!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first few years of being in business for yourself are generally the hardest, especially when you start cold in a new industry the way I did. During that time finding regular client(s) is critical and I likely wouldn’t have survived if not for Devin Connelly at Ethos Media (EthosMedis.net). He found we worked well together and hired me many times as part of his crew giving me not only cash flow but valuable experience. Couldn’t have done this without him!

Website: https://rlfilmproductions.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rlfilmproductions/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RLFilmProductions

Youtube: www.YouTube.com/user/RestrungLefty

Other: https://vimeo.com/restrunglefty https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7651378/?ref_=fn_al_nm_9

Image Credits
Jennifer Bussey