by Jason DeSimone**
**Starting your own production company is no easy task, and making sure you have all your ducks in a row is essential. Here are a few quick tips from pro, Jason DeSimone, who knows first hand about starting his *own *production company and finding success in doing so. **
- Start Small**
Technically I am a one man company. That being said, there isn't one project I have delivered that didn't take a team. While I am a "company" I do not have salary employees. This is mostly based on my average workload, it would be in no way cost effective and also because I am a firm believer that there is nothing worse than wasting people's time. I of course hope to grow to the point of needing a full time staff, but right now I hire my team project to project. This allow me to keep my operating costs low and bring on the best people based on each project's needs.
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2. Always respect your bottom line**
While it's great to have a couple big clients, its important to constantly be building new client relationships. This sometimes means taking on smaller jobs that in turn have smaller budgets. Vincent Laforet wrote a fantastic blog post last August regarding your C.O.D.B. (cost of doing business) while this was geared towards freelancers, it is equally relevant to a small production company. Establishing what it will cost you to operate per day is a great starting point for evaluating if that small job you are thinking about taking is too small for your own good.
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3. Be a good neighbor in your production community**
Competition is good, but so is cooperation. We can't always take every job that comes our way, sometimes issues of schedule and circumstance require that we have to pass on an opportunity. I never turn down a gig without referring the client to another capable production company. In return I find myself getting referrals from the folks to whom I send business quite often and have even collaborated on a few "co-pro" deals as well.
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About Jason DeSimone*
Jason DeSimone has over a decade of experience in Film, TV and commercial production in the New York, Miami, and LA markets. In 2008 Jason made the transition from working as an assistant director to producing and directing his own content with a focus on music, sports, and fashion.
