BRAND PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
OVERVIEW:
I love making Internet videos in my basement. I mean, that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
It’s like that scene in City Slickers where Curly tells Billy Crystal’s character, Mitch, that the secret to life is just one thing. Mitch asks what that one thing is, and Curly tells him that’s what he needs to figure out.
I’m 44 years old. I’ve been making YouTube videos for 5 years, and I’ve learned that it’s not necessarily YouTube videos specifically that make me excited to jump out of bed every day and get to work… It’s that content creation affords me the ability to do exactly what I want to do every single day.
So when it comes to working with brands, I’m very protective of that state.
My hope is that what I have to offer brands in terms of value allows me to include brands as characters in my channel without me suddenly feeling like I’m an employee again or that when I wake up there’s all this time-consuming work I have to do in exchange for getting an invoice paid.
I have to protect that delicate state where my channel is something that never gets old, that it’s always fun, that it never leads to burnout, and the best way to do that is to run my channel in a way where I have a deep connection with my viewers, a trust and rapport that makes them feel safe with my channel - that every video I make is something I want to make.
Something I feel has value.
Something that I would want to watch on YouTube.
Something I would make even if it didn’t have a brand integration.
And while revenue is incredibly important, it is not my top priority. My top priority is preserving my love and passion for making the content and providing value to my viewers. This, I believe, will lead to the right kind of revenue that gets me the best of both.
So knowing all of that, in a perfect world, a collaboration between Matthew & Lens Distortions would look like this:
POSSIBLE INTEGRATIONS:
Lens Distortions becomes a character in the world of my YouTube channel and viewers see Lens Distortions across all of my content in a number of ways:
They see me use it to source music when I’m conducting a tutorial.
They hear me mention it as the source of the music that’s seen in a tutorial video.
They see me mention it in YouTube Community posts when I’m talking about the tools I use to make my videos.
They see a live demo of the Lens Distortions website during some of my livestreams or I live demo other editing post-production processes and Lens Distortions is a mainstay in those demos with score, sound effects, etc.
Channel members see me use Lens Distortions lens flare effects to make my thumbnails for my videos (I regularly post breakdowns of how I make my thumbnails as a members only YouTube video).
They hear Lens Distortions music in the background of my livestreams, and I mention it during each stream and provide a link to Lens Distortions in the description.
We create a list of curated music, sound effects, and/or effects that are accessible to visitors to the Lens Distortions website.
Lens Distortions sponsors my Final Cut Pro courses - these courses will be behind a paywall for channel members with pricing/access TBD. Any chance I have to use Lens Distortions in the making of my course - music, sound effects, effects - this content from Lens Distortions’s website could be accessed repeatedly to make these lessons.
They see me use Lens Distortions’s sound effects in the sound design for my videos.
Craig Nashleanas appears as a guest on my livestreams to talk shop - but more as a friend / friend of the channel than as the CEO of Lens Distortions.
They hear me mention Lens Distortions at the beginning of my videos: “This video is brought to you in part by Lens Distortions” and during this they see an opening credits slide with the Lens Distortions logo (this may be required per FTC guidelines)
Lens Distortions’s link would be included in the description for every video.
Matthew would create short documentaries and create BTS videos that show how these documentaries were made with a look at production but a heavier look at post-production - what does the overall app/plug-in/effects ecosystem look like when it comes to making films.
What would these documentaries be about?
A local artisan entrepreneur in Omaha like Chris Hughes of Artifact Bag Co. or Dan Lumen of Lumen brewing - their story, their business, how they see the world creatively.
Social issues stories in Omaha - what is real and really happening in Omaha that is a powerful, moving story about someone overcoming tragedy, someone working their ass off for something that means the world to them.
Stories that are connected to Lens Distortions. A composer of music that Lens Distortions uses, a BTS doc of how a crew filmed a new set of lens flares with a set of historic or famous lenses, how another YouTuber made a film or a powerful video for their channel and Lens Distortions was an essential part of that process.
These are all ideas about what we could do. Do we do all of it? Not necessarily. Some of it might be a better move after six months, a year, two years. Do we start small and see what kind of results we get? What ideas do you have of ways to integrate on the channel?
LENS DISTORTIONS ON & OFF THE CHANNEL:
I want to produce content beyond just Final Cut Pro videos.
I want to make short documentary films - I have no shortage of ideas and inspiration. I’d love it if Lens Distortions’s support meant that my monthly costs (and more) were covered so I could pursue these passion projects with the hope of Len Distortions’s support / patronage.
When these films & videos are released, the opening and closing credits could include credit to Lens Distortions as a partner or producer or sponsor.
“This film made possible with support from Lens Distortions” - something like that.
Not all of these films would involve Final Cut Pro, but I would use the post-production process employed on these films as a resource for creating more Final Cut Pro videos for my channel - everything from how to organize your footage to how to turn over your edit to a colorist.
And in those videos where I show the post-production process, Lens Distortions is mentioned each time an asset of theirs is used - a sound effect, a score, etc. I’d also want to just thank Lens Distortions in those videos for making the film the video is breaking down possible. I want my audience to understand that Lens Distortions’s sponsorship means that they get to see more awesome content, content that I may not be able to make without Lens Distortions’s patronage.
In addition, I’d love to create documentary-inspired content surrounding creators and filmmakers who are using Final Cut Pro in their workflows.
I’m connected with a lot of film / tv professionals and would love to be able to travel to their edit bay or in-home studio and talk to them about why Final Cut Pro is so meaningful to them. These videos would allow viewers to see behind the scenes for some of my friends & contemporaries as well as some of their favorite content creators.
PRICING:
So what kind of compensation would change the future of my channel?
$2,000 per month would cover all of my business expenses and help me stabilize the feast & famine cycle of content creation and freelance filmmaking.
$3,500 per month would allow me to set aside profit every month so I could handle emergencies, unforeseen expenses, and increase my salary.
$5,000 per month would do all of the aforementioned things and allow me to invest in my channel in meaningful ways that would then allow me to really take my channel to the next level without, again, putting that feeling of loving what I do at risk.
SO WHAT DOES $5K GET YOU?
Regular mentions on the channel in videos, Shorts & livestreams.
Two tutorials per month where Lens Distortions plays a larger role in the tutorial. Any additional tutorial videos on my channel will mention Lens Distortions.
Lens Distortions is a course sponsor for every course video I produce for my channel members.
Lens Distortions assets used, mentioned or demonstrated throughout my course.
Mentions in YouTube Community posts.
Continued use of flares in YouTube thumbs with “Making the thumbnail vids” for channel members.
End credits mentions whenever I use Lens Distortions music in a video - “Music courtesy of Lens Distortions”.
One or two short docs per year about something we all agree on and the process of making it is documented on the channel through BTS and tutorials and Lens Distortions’s assets are used in the making of it.
Top of video credit for larger projects sponsored by Lens Distortions including my members only FCP course - “This video is brought to you in part by Lens Distortions”…
Media usage rights for the content I create.
SO WHAT DOES $3K GET YOU?
Regular mentions on the channel in videos, Shorts & livestreams. This is more casual, maybe a quick look at the website while I grab a sound effect, something simple.
One tutorial per month where Lens Distortions plays a larger role in the tutorial. Any additional tutorial videos on my channel will mention Lens Distortions.
Course sponsor for alternating course videos + Lens Distortions’s assets used in the course videos that are sponsored by LD.
Mentions in YouTube Community posts.
Media usage rights for the content I create.
SO WHAT DOES $2K GET YOU?
Regular mentions on the channel in videos, Shorts & livestreams. This is more casual, maybe a look at the website while I grab a sound effect, something simple.
Mentions of Lens Distortions assets being used in my tutorial videos. If I have a score in the video, it’s from Lens Distortions. Same for sound effects or other effects. Any chance I can in my tutorial videos, I’ll mention how some component of my edit was sourced from LD.
Mentions in YouTube Community posts.
Media usage rights for the content I create.
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