A quick peek
[00:00:00] Liam: If there's a host who's listening to this thinking, well, I'd like to have more video content. What would you say to them about the choice between just getting started with what they've got now, like just a, you know, Good quality phone? And that's, I think versus high production value.
[00:00:15] Gillian: Um, so I think that very much depends on who you are as a business and the quality of the service that you're trying to sell.
[00:00:23] Um, I would always, always advocate quality over quantity. I would, I run a video production business. I want to sell my services, but genuinely. If you can get in, um, a team who will come and who knows what they're doing and are specialists in the sector, that's important as well. Especially if you have guests, you need people who can come in and work around your guests.
[00:00:49] and appreciate that your guests are the number one, they're important but are still able to guide you into how to get the very best content.
[00:00:56] Liam: Having a blast, gonna get it on the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee likes Bruce Lee, cause it's so hard and the T is loose leaf. Making up those rhymes, don't write it, just do it loosely.
[00:01:06] If you want my respect, you better put direct. Um, here are the words in the podcast. That's what comes next.
Welcome back
[00:01:13] Hi, welcome back to the Boostly podcast. This is the podcast that gives you the tools, the tactics, the training, and most importantly, the confidence to go out there and get yourself more direct bookings.
[00:01:22] My name is Liam Carolan. I'm the co-host of this podcast and we do a series called the spotlight series, where we look at businesses, people in and around everywhere in the world these days, but, uh, for this particular guest, we're based in the UK and we're diving into a story. We're diving into video production and what you can do by listening to her story within your hospitality businesses.
[00:01:46] So, uh, our guest today is Jillian Davies. She's the director of Conteur, which is a communications company. Uh, she's got an awesome, uh, resume. Professional work. She's worked for ITV, you can go onto the website and you can see her presenting the weather and doing all sorts of production and amazing things.
[00:02:06] So I'm excited to dive in today to learn from Jillian's experience and things that we can do to take into our hospitality businesses and in life in general. So welcome along Jillian. for joining me.
[00:02:18] Gillian: Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be here.
[00:02:21] Liam: Gillian, what would you like the listeners who are tuning in to learn in the next sort of 20 or 30 minutes, what would you like them to take away, from your story and the podcast?
[00:02:32] Gillian: I think probably the most important thing is just getting the basics right. So if you're uh, in hospitality, which most of your listeners most certainly are, um, I think lots of people will. tend to overcomplicate things, tend to overthink things, especially when it comes to marketing. And it can be simple.
[00:02:53] Um, and comes down to a few, uh, probably quite basic points. Um, and consistency is consistent with what you're delivering marketing-wise. Um, and also being true to your brand, making, who are you, do you know who you are? So a lot of people, when you drill down, um, they struggled to tell you who they are, who they're targeting, who their target market is.
[00:03:23] So if you can figure all that out, um, then you're onto a winner and, uh, and then it's just about sourcing out your marketing strategy, um, and, um, everything that goes with it.
[00:03:36] Liam: A hundred per cent. I mean, this is the number one lesson that we speak about, which is knowing who you're selling to ultimately know who your market is. And I couldn't agree more
How did you start?
[00:03:45] When it comes down to what I've seen from the website and from, from the, the bio and even just having this chat before we've, we've hit records. You love what you do. Why is it important to you, this business and your career? How did you come to be doing what you're doing at the moment?
[00:04:05] Gillian: That is an excellent question. Um, and there are many different answers. I'm trying to decide which was the most appropriate for you and which one I should share. Which one I'll get shouted at for sharing? So I did work in journalism for a long time, about 15 years, uh, across many different aspects of it and loved it.
[00:04:24] It was my lifelong dream, but then I had children. Um, and I was on the road a lot. I wasn't seeing them. Um, so I also got a little bit disillusioned with journalism. Um, and I wanted to, I still wanted to tell people stories. Um, I'm very much a human journalist. I love telling human stories. For example, all of the politics, for want of a better word, rubbish that's going on at the moment.
[00:04:49] I don't have much of an interest in it. I like to tell human stories and get to the bottom of, what real people are doing. Um, and, uh, that was why I used to, before getting up to go to ITV super early in the morning to get about half four. And that's how Conteur started. We, uh, early mornings, late evenings until we got some bites and people started to trust us and trust in what we were doing.
How important is it to just get started?
[00:05:16] Liam: If there's a host who's listening to this thinking, well, I'd like to have more video content. Um, what would you say to them about the Choice between just getting started with what they've got now, like just a good quality phone and that side thing versus high production value? How important is the, Hey, just get started because you need to start recording stories and assets versus, Hey, when you record, make sure it is high-quality equipment and looks professional.
[00:05:48] What would your advice be around that?
[00:05:50] Gillian: So I think that very much depends on who you are as a business and the quality of the service that you're trying to sell. Um, I would always, always advocate quality over quantity. I would, I run a video production business. I want to sell my services, but genuinely, If you can get in, um, a team who will come and who knows what they're doing and are specialists in the sector, that's important as well.
[00:06:19] Especially if you have guests, you need people who can come in and work around your guests and appreciate that your guests are the number one, they're important, but are still able to guide you into how to get the very best content. Um, I would do that because from one filming day, you can get a video from your, as long as you organize it properly and plan it, you can have a video for your website, you can get, um, multiple, um, videos, short snippets.
[00:06:49] We've just done our editor just today. As I was out filming piece together one two-and-a-half-minute piece for a website and nine social media clips that will serve our client for the next six months. You can use it for external communications in newsletters and backlinks for press releases. But having said all of that, if you are just starting and the budget isn't there.
[00:07:15] Um, Then do something rather than nothing. I think, you know, there are plenty of, um, incredible social media sites out there, aren't there, that you can, um, push your business on as and when you get the opportunity, do it professionally, do it well, Google loves a well-made video, we all know that your SEO will thank you.
[00:07:40] Um, but. If it's a choice between doing something or doing nothing, do something. Absolutely.
Quickfire questions
[00:07:47] Liam: Uh, we need to know how we can find out more about the, the, the business, uh, where, where to go. But just before we do, I wanted to check in a couple of, uh, quick-fire fun questions, Jillian, just because, uh, I know that, um, it's just fun basically.
[00:08:01] So. We'll
[00:08:03] Gillian: see.
[00:08:03] Liam: Yeah. So, what is your karaoke song of choice?
[00:08:07] Gillian: Jolene by Dolly Parton, every time.
[00:08:09] Liam: Classic. Classic.
[00:08:11] Gillian: There are many, but that would be, that's the one.
[00:08:13] Liam: My other half would be up there sharing a mic with you. She loves Dolly Parton. Give me a few
[00:08:19] Gillian: drinks. I don't need it.
[00:08:21] Give me a few drinks. I don't need a karaoke machine. I just need a table and a, and a, and a microphone bottle and we're, uh, we're good to go. Awesome.
[00:08:27] Liam: Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. We're all about hospitality and book and direct, where would you like to go next? Or where is on the wishlist to go next, uh, for your travels, for your holidays?
[00:08:39] Gillian: I have always, always, always wanted to go to Oregon in America. And I don't know why. I love America. I've been to America, and lots of work in America, but I've never been to Oregon. And I'd love to go there. Um, But I think the next holiday, uh, was mentioned to you before we started. We've had not long dogs, not long had 10 puppies.
[00:08:59] So we're stuck here for this summer, but next time we're looking at France for, um, three weeks, uh, which is, as I was telling you before, Conteur means storyteller in French. I half grew up in France, France. I love it over that love for food. Um, so hopefully, yeah, it would be, uh, Oregon. And or France,
[00:09:18] Liam: Nice, nice. And, um, I was gonna mention that the puppies, and we, we did hear 'em briefly in the background, but congratulations on, uh, you know, some Thank you. Uh, you, you mentioned beforehand that, uh, uh, uh, Labrador and, uh, black Labradors and also red coated Labrador, which is amazing. So, um, they will be, uh, you know, sort of, uh, breaking some hearts at the moment is, is imagining breaking my hearts.
[00:09:41] Yeah, I can imagine.
[00:09:43] Gillian: I'm currently, I think, ripping up a garden chair, but, you know. Oh
[00:09:46] Liam: no! Well, The last two questions are, how can we get in touch with the business? If we want to follow more about Conteur's journey, um, how do we do so?
[00:09:56] Gillian: Um, probably a website would be wonderful. As I said to you, I'm rubbish at this sales stuff.
[00:10:01] I should have thought about this more, shouldn't I? But the website www. Conteur. co. UK
[00:10:10] Liam: Awesome. Thank you so much. And of course, if you listen to this on the podcast or watch it on YouTube, that'll be in the show notes somewhere as well. So you can click the link. Um, so the last question is, if you could go back to the start of your journey, what would you tell yourself and why?
[00:10:25] Gillian: Um, Oh, it's cliched, isn't it? But probably just have faith. It's all going to be okay. Work hard. Um, and I mean, I've always been really lucky and I've had a vision at every point for what I want to do. I think that's important. That vision and working towards something is, is hugely important in anybody's life.
[00:10:48] And I've always been lucky that I've had that. So yeah, probably just have faith. It's all going to be okay.
[00:10:54] Liam: For me, from this podcast, what I'm going to take away from this is, is the video content and the production of it, and also, um, have passion, have fun in what we do, you know, pick out their stories and put them within your business.
[00:11:06] And that's actually what makes, you know, work, which can be tough at times, you know, it makes it fun, doesn't it? All this stuff. So, um, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. Well, thank you so much. And thank you too, for listening to this on the Boostly podcast. If you want to continue. The journey within the hospitality and you're not already in the hospitality community on Facebook.
[00:11:27] You can do so just by searching on Facebook and you can come and chat about anything hospitality in there with us. Thank you so much. You've been listening to the Bruce Lee podcast and we'll see you on the next one. Bye for now. Having a blast. Gonna get it on the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee. Let Bruce Lee because it's so hard on the tee's loose leaf.
[00:11:43] Lick up those rhymes. Don't write it just to it loosely.
