It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I watch the events unfolding in Afghanistan. I’m sure many of you feel the same. While the situations are arguably very different, I can’t help but draw a few parallels between what the people are facing there and the experience of a good friend of mine, Ramy Romany while fleeing Egypt with his family during the 2011 Revolution.

As a Christian Egyptian married to a white woman, Ramy was automatically considered an infidel by the Muslim Brotherhood who were rising up to take control of Egypt. Ramy and his family were lucky enough to make it to the United States unharmed.

Years later, my friend, Nick Nanton, who directed the documentary I co-produced for Folds of Honor, sat down and interviewed Ramy. His story was riveting, and reminded me that we all must have hope.

Although, the stories you have to tell do not hopefully involve as much drama, you do have stories, as do your borrowers. Think about how you can share those stories, because...

Zoom offers the ability for you to easily record a video and share your screen at the same time.   There are a few tricks to getting your Zoom settings dialed in so that you can show your screen and your video at the same time.  We’ve made some simple step by step instructions and created a video to help you set up your Zoom App to allow you to do a Split Screen on Zoom.

Let’s begin by setting up your settings in the Zoom App.  

1. Do Not Go To Zoom.us webpage
2. Go to Your Zoom App and Update your Zoom App Settings
3. Check on Record Video During Screen Sharing under Recording Section
4. Do NOT Check Place Video Next to the Shared Screen in the Recording under Recording Section
5. Under Screen Sharing Section, Check all Settings

Now that you have your Zoom settings in place, let’s hop on over to the Zoom meeting room and show how to show your screen.

Once you are in your meeting:

1. Click on the green Share Screen and share your screen.

2. Open your Power Point and under Slide Show Sel...

1. Shoot Horizontally

Computers are formatted to view videos horizontally.  If you’re shooting on your phone, make sure to shoot horizontally. This produces an overall better quality video and also allows for more of the scene to be in the frame. 

2. Shoot in 4k

If possible, record your videos in 4k. This quality was made for videos and allows for an amazingly clear and beautiful video, especially if you’re zooming in on something. It also allows for a much deeper and truer color tone. This is great because you really get the true colors that are in the shot.

3. Start and End with a Smile

Always remember to look at the camera lens at the beginning of your video and smile.  It is the first thing someone will see when they watch your video and it will help to make a connection.  At the end of your video, do the same thing.  Pause, look at the camera, smile and thank them for watching.  

Formatting your video is not difficult, you just have to get used to your settings and what work...

If you want to create an engaging video, there are many parts at play! You need to come up with a topic, check the video quality, lighting, composition, position, etc. 

The first thing is coming up with a topic.  Don’t let the idea of brainstorming topics scare you -- It’s not as hard as it seems! Here are a few tips for creating video topics.

1. Start with your Customers 

Have you been asked the same question multiple times by different clients? Start there. Go back and think about what your customers and prospects ask most often or which questions they have unanswered that could be the basis for a useful tutorial. 

2. Think about Your Partners

Is there a new process for something in your company? Create a video walking them through the new and/or updated process! Most people are visual learners and learning the new process through a video will help them retain the information better than they would if it were in text.

3. Look at Your Products

Here are some ideas of topics to s...

Creating videos every week requires discipline and planning but can provide great rewards in marketing your mortgage business.   To help generate ideas for your videos, I recommend dividing your weekly videos into segments or categories.  If you have one category for each week of the month, you will be able to come up with ideas for those categories rather than looking at the whole topic of “mortgages” to figure out what video to make for that week. 

Four Course Menu

Think of it as four courses in a menu:

1. Appetizers
2. Salads
3. Main Dishes
4. Desserts

Yes, there are certainly other options and specialties, but let’s keep this simple.  You can do the same in your monthly video production:

1. Community/Lifestyle
2. Focus on YOU
3. Mortgage Updates/Program Highlights
4. Stories

By knowing “what” topic you need to create a video about, you can focus more on completing a video within that topic.  Let’s look at the first item on our menu, Community/Lifestyle.

Community/Lifestyle Video

One ...

If you want to create an engaging video, there are many parts at play! You need to come up with a topic, check the video quality, lighting, composition, position, etc. Don’t worry we have some tips that we’re sharing with you to help you get on your way to creating amazing videos!

The first thing is coming up with a topic. Don’t let the idea of brainstorming topics scare you -- It’s not as hard as it seems! Here are a few tips for creating video topics.

Tips for Choosing a Topic/Idea

Start with your Customers

Have you been asked the same question multiple times by different clients? Start there. Go back and think about what your customers and prospects ask most often or which questions they have unanswered that could be the basis for a useful tutorial.

Think about Your Partners

Is there a new process for something in your company? Create a video walking them through the new and/or updated process! Most people are visual learners and learning the new process through a video will h...

Over the past two weeks we have talked about tips, tricks, and attachments to help elevate your mobile video production output. So now you are ready to start filming. Follow these four basic tips to increase the production value of your mobile content.

• Video Settings 

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of those few switch-flips. They can make a huge difference when it comes to capturing beautiful video on your mobile phone! IF you have a phone that’s relatively new, you might have the ability to record video in 4k. The best way to check in is your settings. 

If you're using an iPhone, for example, we recommend going into the camera app, selecting video and choosing "4k" in the top right hand corner of the screen if possible. Doing this could instantly bump up the quality of your footage with just one simple tap.

• Lighting

Make sure the light is behind your subject, not in front of them. It's more important that they're lit nicely than anything else and if you can't con...

Have you ever tried to record a video on your phone only to find the angles awkward or that it's just not high quality enough for what you need? Well worry no more! We have compiled a list of great apps and attachments that we use for a smooth recording process so that filming will be as easy as possible. 

We’ll begin with phone attachments.  

Phone Attachments

Third party companies are making attachments for phones that enable you to add a variety of lenses, microphones, stabilizers and more. These attachments will bump your production value up to near-pro level! Here are some of our recommendations:

Rode Microphones - these are great for recording clearer audio to ensure that the background noise isn’t overpowering your voice and the important information you are sharing.

Stabilizers - If you are going to be out and about while shooting, getting a stabilizer is great for reducing hand held shake. Shakey videos are distractions from the content you are sharing!

Lenses - Unless y...

You don’t need a fancy camera to start recording videos!  It’s as simple as picking up your phone!  Seriously!

Smartphones have evolved into powerful video creation machines and anyone can do it. If you want some tips on how to get started, read on - I’m sharing some secrets for mobile video recording. 

Whether you want something quick and raw, or polished with special effects, it's important that before hitting record on your phone to have an idea in mind for what you will be recording.

In this four-part series we'll explore what makes great videos good as well as walk you through some tricks like video formatting, lighting and composition to mapping out your ideas.

Let’s jump in!  These are some quick hacks to ALWAYS remember when using your phone to shoot video!!

#1 DON’T SHOOT VERTICAL VIDEO

This is a big one!  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to call people to let them know they have to reshoot an entire video project because they shot it veritically.  Turn your ...

Video can be used to educate, inform and entertain and you may be wondering what you can shoot a video about.  Coming up with video topics does not have to be complicated.  Let’s look at some examples of what you can create a video or even a video series about:

1. Product and/or service demonstration are great for video, especially if you are a product-based company.
2. Ask customers to provide video testimonials. It’s a great way to mix things up.
3. Walk-through your company and record it. This is great for real estate and mortgage companies. Or introduce your team. Show your borrowers who they are doing business with.
4. Record a commercial instead of creating an email with a lot of text.
5. Create an educational video series. Keep the videos short, create a proper call-to-action, and release them through an email campaign with supporting text.
6. Record a personal thank you. Get your team involved and have them record a thank you message to share in your welcome emails. It could be the CEO,
...