People
have often asked me why I give away my “secrets” (they aren’t really
secrets, more like detailed information) in my manual, and why am I
telling other people how to do my job, since I’m only going to create
competition for myself. The way I see it; the more people offer
affordable video to tourism businesses, the faster video will become a
standard in the tourism industry because more companies will start
using video and their competitors will catch on too and soon video will
be as necessary as having a website.
Also
the world is such a big place and there are literally millions of
tourism-related businesses in the world, in fact tourism is the single
largest employer in the world, so there is plenty of work out there and
I don’t have to worry about shooting myself in the foot.
Finally
I have always believed in sharing a good idea with others, especially
if it means following a fulfilling and beautiful lifestyle. I honestly
derive a great sense of satisfaction from hearing about people who have
made their dream come true and knowing that I have inspired another
person to be free and helped them to become happy, it’s a kind of
natural high.
We
all know that helping other people actually feels good and we also know
that helping others helps ourselves, so I have learned quite a bit from
writing this manual, but also I have learned so much from people
writing to me and telling me about websites and opportunities I didn’t
know about. I have also made some great friends, here in Sydney, as
well as internationally, and we continue to communicate and share
ideas. And that’s what all of this is about; sharing ideas and building
an international network of people wanting to live a life that does not
involved sitting inside an office for most of the time, or taking
orders from people, but rather a life that involves constant change and
new experiences; a life full of passion and appreciation for the
beauty around us. I mean you’re going to get paid to be on vacation for
god’s sake and do something you love. So
many people write to me and say “finally I have found a way to combine
my love for travel and video.” So that’s why I do it.
So
why do I charge for it and why don’t give it away for free, you ask?
Well I did sit down and write the whole thing and it does take me a lot
of time to answer questions and write blogs and so on an so forth and
while I would love to just do it for the joy of it, I do have to pay
the rent and follow other projects as well.
But
hey 40 bucks for a new career and possibly new way of life is really
quite a bargain, but again don’t take my word for it and have a read
through some of the testimonials below.
“Tom
Reissmann's manual helped me to see the obvious. Filming holidays was
in front of my door but I couldn’t see it. Tom helped me to manage my
own business. He gives the best instructions about the target and the
aim of filming holidays and I have now started to create videos for
money.
He
also considers quality as one of the highest targets and he gives good
instructions for the process of both production and post-production.
One of the realizations that comes with the manual is that when you
love something you can make it work. I actually believe this helpful
manual is for any kind of Independent business.”
Yulie, Greece
“I've
almost finished reading your manual and both your style how you have
written it and the content (introduction as well as the technical
details) are exactly on my wavelength, which means I enjoyed reading it.
I
am sure your business is exactly the direction I want to go and I have
had these thoughts for a very long time but exactly like you wrote in
your manual, I could never see the commercial value in my hobby.”
Christian Thaller, Austria
“I
love the manual so far. And I just wanted to let you know every night
this week I've looked forward to coming home to read more of the manual
etc. New hope is a nice feeling. What I'm really excited about is
having a real good initial conversation with my boyfriend Greg, who
started reading the manual with me, about all this. The opportunities,
our dreams, desires, goals and using all that to start brainstorming an
initial strategy to flesh out. And we both are excited.
This
is such an exciting subject for me all around. I have found the
psychology sections incredibly interesting. I've always been a fan of
psychology and seeking to understand people. Having the PDF with places
to get started with is definitely a great selling point.”
Lori Blau, US
“For
any person wanting to make a career as a videographer Tom's manual is
the first place to start. Step by step every area of the business is
covered from equipment and mechanics, industry knowledge and a
realistic plan with moving forward. Though the focus is on the travel
industry this information can be translated to other target industries
to suit all videographer's. Thanks Tom for your easy to read and
structured manual, you have given me the kick start I needed.”
Michelle Bova, Australia
“I
was given the opportunity to travel to Cambodia (my May trip) and
bought a video cam to take over. After purchasing it I heard on the
radio a news bulletin about tour companies paying for your holiday
videos.
Thinking
it would work in well with the other work I want to do over there I
googled and found a written story about you ...very thought provoking.
I
love the way you freely offer information and tips on facebook. This is
in line with myself as it seems very genuine and from the heart. I was
very impressed with this aspect and could see that you potentially have
the foundations for big company if you continue operating with your
passion from your heart.”
Therese Pitman, Australia