Are You a Maker, Manager or Video Leader?

At uStudio, we talk a lot about serving the needs of video “Makers” and video “Managers” – those who produce videos and those in charge of the video plan. Makers are the storytellers, Managers are the folks who determine the reason for telling the story. They develop the budget and create a strategy to reach the right audience. Managers are also the people held accountable for a return on their business’ video investments.

More and more, I seem to find myself in conversations with Makers and Managers who are frustrated with one another for what I would call a lack of shared knowledge. Makers can be incredibly disappointed with Managers — be they colleagues or clients — because they don’t seem to appreciate fully the art of visual storytelling, the time and cost it takes to do it well (remember our TCVO post), and the growing challenges in file and data management that stand in the way of more, better video. Managers, on the other hand, often feel that Makers don’t fully grok the business parameters and rules that govern a Manager’s job.

In general, Makers are video- and story-centric beings. Managers are business- and audience-centric beings. It’s all too easy (and sometimes entertaining) to stereotype these folks further: Makers are right-brained and Managers are left-brained. Makers are more likely to be early adopters of technology like Google Glass. Managers own iPads. Makers have RTF degrees. Managers have MBAs. The list goes on.

But what intrigues me most is that a very important hybrid of these two personas is emerging. We call them “Video Leaders.” While their titles today vary, their mission is singular – to use video in new and inventive ways. Video Leaders embody the know-how of the medium itself, but also have the technical chops and business savvy to transform video into measurable results for their organizations.

Video Leaders are people I can spend hours talking with and never get bored. (You know who you are!) These are the people who push us to make better products. These leaders will outlast all of the online video fads and gimmicks. And they have no patience for analyzing the gap between Makers and Managers — however pronounced it may be — because they know it is only going to get smaller. Simply put: Video Leaders are problem-solvers. They learn the language of the other side so they can reach new heights and realize video’s full potential.

Are you a Maker, Manager or Video Leader? It’s your choice.