In one of my previous posts, I talked about how important video has become in content marketing.

This is super news for me because I'm a content writer who happens to LOVE to produce videos! I enjoy the process of coming up with original content that's not only fun for me to shoot and edit, but will also deliver value to the viewer.

I've already produced various short video series featuring:

• Bike rides in lower Manhattan
• Quirky short interviews with cool performing arts people

In my newest short video series, ROCKIN' IN NYC, I take you on various excursions throughout New York City that are affordable, and that I also think you'd enjoy yourself.

I try to pick activities that are not necessarily going to be on your radar that show how to experience New York City in ways that reveal the city's spontaneity and soul. 

Even though I'm a longtime New Yorker, you'll get to see me run into my share of obstacles. (Weekend MTA schedules anyone?) As a result, we all get to learn an important tip or two about navigating the city, as well as always being open to move to a Plan B, which can often be as good -- or even better -- than Plan A.

My latest episode is below. I hope you enjoy it.

​Please consider liking the video and also subscribing to my YouTube channel, RockinWorks Creative.

I'm looking to reach 150 subscribers by 12/31/21.

🙏 Will you help me get there? (Thanks in advance for liking and/or subscribing!)

You are not just a content creator -- you are a content re-creator.

Chances are you've put a lot of thought into that blog post, case study, or report. It's a solid piece of content, right? 

So, why should that outstanding blog post, case study, or report be the end of the road?  Why not leverage and maximize the heck out of it to bolster your brand and reach more people? 

How do you do that? By repurposing the content.

Repurposing content is exactly what it sounds like -- it's taking content assets you've already created and adjusting them to fit a different channel or medium, or finding new ways to expand the content further using the same topics or subtopics.

Why is repurposing your content important?

• Repurposing your content keeps the momentum of a topic, ensuing subtopics, or related topics going by reaching a wider audience.
• Repurposing your content increases the chances of your audience interacting with your content, leading to fresh ideation on your topic and related themes.
• Repurposing your content strengthens your brand's authority by expanding your presence and expertise across multiple channels and mediums.

In other words, repurposing your content is the gift that keeps on giving -- and giving, and giving!

With so much technology available today and constantly evolving, it's foolish not to utilize some of the many methods to get your content out there and milk your hard work for all its worth.
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If you repurpose and distribute your content strategically and holistically, chances are this will help boost the SEO for your content and ultimately boost awareness of your personal or business brand.

While there are endless ways to repurpose your content, this one is the most important method that I think you should be, er, focussing on.
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​YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world, so it makes sense that video is one of the most popular tools for marketers.

According to Wyzowl, roughly 86% of businesses use video as a method to support their brands. And a Smart Insights article stated that 92% of marketers indicated that video was a key part of their strategies. And, of course, one of the marketing world's greatest oracles, Gary Vaynerchuk, has been a big fan of video for years.

And then the pandemic hit. 

And everything changed -- fast.

Video became the main tool most used to connect for the better part of 2020.

I was a already fan of video before the pandemic; I had begun purchasing gear and producing work. So, I was ready to create my own original video content during the pandemic, as well as repurpose high-quality written content created by others that deserved more attention.
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​When I read Indie Theater Fund's Emergency Grant Report based on the funding the organization provided New York City theatre artists at the onset of the pandemic, I recognized immediately that this was a valuable piece of content. 

It deserved way more than just living in an obscure Google Doc.

The data and testimonials were crying out to be repurposed into a video.

Why video?

• The video could be a PSA to secure more donations.
• The video could get discovered on YouTube, raising awareness for the Indie Theater Fund.
• The video could be easily shared across social channels (which is essentially repurposing the video! Remember when I said repurposing content is the gift that keeps on giving?)
• Other websites could link to the video, which would increase traffic for the video and Indie Theater Fund
• The video would be an example for Indie Theater Fund for how they could repurpose other content assets moving forward.

Here are the three simple steps I took to make the PSA repurposing plan happen:

1. I got Indie Theater Fund's executive director on board with the idea of turning portions of the report into a PSA.
2. I scripted copy directly from the report and filmed a rough cut of myself as a placeholder for the executive director to film herself.
3. I then swapped in the executive director's footage for the final edited video.

Indie Theater Fund used the first anniversary of the theater shutdown in New York to publish the video on YouTube. The organization also promoted the video on social. Creating social posts promoting the video was also a form of repurposing. And the social posts sparked comments that could also be used for future content. And on it goes!

Based on the positive comments I saw, I know the PSA will add value to Indie Theater Fund.

Take a look at the PSA when you have two minutes. Compare the report to the video. 

I'd love to know what you think! 
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Do you have high-quality content that you're ready to repurpose into a video to build awareness for your brand? I bet you do! Let's strategize!

In this latest episode of "TAKING FIVE WITH..." I chat with a comedic and multi-talented actor, singer, improviser and creator who you will undoubtedly recognize – even if you don’t know their name.

But now you will!

In this episode, we cover...

• How they got their start as a performer
• Which acclaimed TV show gave them their big break
• Memorable Broadway experiences
• How they stayed creative and connected during the pandemic
• Their latest TV show where they get to wear a lab coat -- again
• The personal project they love and can’t wait to get back to performing

 
Find out the answers to these questions and more -- in just five minutes!

Looking for someone to help script and produce
your next short video project? ​

Excited to announce my latest bike tour video highlighting some of downtown NYC's coolest landmarks, public art, and monuments! 

This is the third video in a three-part series that I produced for Village Preservation.

In this final episode of the series, discover the history and delights of Astor Place, St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, Charlie "Bird" Parker's Residence, and Tompkins Square Park.

The video also includes interviews with local experts: Village Alliance Executive Director, William Kelley; Reverend Anne Sawyer, the fourteenth rector of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery; and professional saxophonist and "Bird" expert, Jason Marshall.

If you like this video, please check out here and here for the first two videos in this series.

As I say over on my home page, I'm here to tell your organization's most compelling stories. 

Compelling, positive stories. 

I mine positivity. Because there are already plenty of people out there putting out the negative stuff. And I've got nothing to add on that front. Nor do I want to add anything on that front.

Speaking of mining positivity, here's something that got me excited that I really wanted to share. The HBO show Betty was recently shooting some scenes in SoHo for one of their second season episodes. We used to have TV and film shoots in NYC all the time. And this shoot was a sure sign that we're gonna have a whole bunch of shoots again very soon!

I decided to get a little meta and did a short shoot of the shoot. Check it out here.

​Or, you can see it by clicking this photo:

New York City and its people have a long history of heroism and resilience.

In this video I produced for the highly respected non-profit Village Preservation, I take you on a special bike tour that highlights downtown public art and landmarks that honor our past and resonate with our times today.

If you enjoy the video, please give it a “LIKE!"👍🚴🏼‍♀️

Well, the world has certainly changed since my initial 2020 post. (Yikes!)

Yet, despite this, I still continue to forge ahead with my number one 2020 goal -- Producing More Video!

These strange circumstances we now all find ourselves in have provided me with the unexpected gift of time. Time to focus on those activities that make my heart sing. Time to slow down and take in the small things. And just time to get totally quiet and clear and focus on what's important -- and that for me includes focusing on what's important through the camera lens.

Just before everything shut down around here back in mid-March, I produced a short video for Village Preservation that highlighted one of our terrific small downtown businesses. I was already planning to produce more small business videos for VP when things took a turn. I have tremendous faith, though, that small businesses will come back and, when they do --  I will be ready to help promote them!

In the meantime, the limits on the ability to interact with people IRL has forced me to figure out ways to use this restriction to my advantage. To that end, I conceived a video project that I'm currently in the midst of shooting right now, and that I expect to complete in a few weeks. It's going to be great, and I can't wait to post it here!

These are not only surreal times, but also terribly painful times for many, many people. Yet, I see this as a chance for each of us, in our own way, whatever our circumstances, to regain some sense of clarity, to regroup, to rejuvenate -- and to refocus.

I hope you also see 2020 as an opportunity to refocus your life in some way that brings you joy.

I had one of the most joyful summers I can remember in recent memory, and it unofficially wrapped up with a literal "bang" over Labor Day weekend in Long Beach Island (thanks to a glorious fireworks display over the bay).

I hope you enjoy my happy LBI footage and puts you there with me.
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​More videos to come this fall.