I worked nearly exclusively on this course for over two years.

It's scary to even type that because I know it sounds like a stupid-long amount of time, but I didn't want to just slap together a string of tutorials at breakneck speed. The internet is already saturated with those. I wanted to make a less random (and more efficient) learning experience than the one I had.

I never went to film school, so I'd end up constantly googling myself in circles trying to learn skills out of order — and oftentimes I'd find out after doing my own tests that some YouTuber had given me bad info, but was still killing the algorithm. Not to mention, I hardly ever saw a female filmmaker sharing her expertise.

Fast forward a few years, and my skills had advanced, our business had grown and I began mentoring team members. That's when I started realizing: I seem to know a lot about making videos. In fact, I might be a dang expert who could teach people stuff.

I'd always loved teaching: I'd taught English at a university in Germany. I'd taught middle-schoolers with a nonprofit. Why couldn't I teach video now?

The only thing stopping me was time, and my client work monopolized it. So I quietly sat on this dream of making a course until the pandemic struck and I had no excuse.

I dove in with all the excitement you have when you start a new project — researching, filming, scripting, editing and ... woah, this was going to take a long time. Like a terrifying amount of time.

Months passed and I'd see other creators churn out weekly content as I labored behind the scenes on a big project that I thought was extraordinary, except on the days when I wondered whether it was a reckless waste of effort destined to fail.

I kept giving myself the same pep talk: Mary, all this time you're spending is what makes these lessons so good. Getting the details right, nailing the flow, finding the perfect bit of comic relief: that's all needed! How else are you going to keep people on the edge of their seats for a tutorial on editing software or microphone types?

But, of course, that little speech didn't always save me from self-doubt, and on the days I felt like giving up, a notification always seemed to pop up right as I was on the verge of emotional devastation.

Somebody just signed up to know when the course comes out. Or somebody just commented on a YouTube video that it was the best tutorial they'd seen.

That feedback gave me much-needed validation to not only keep going, but to keep obsessing over the tiny, but important details.

I'm not saying this course is perfect because it ain't, but I believe in investing in quality and I really put my heart into making it as delightful and valuable for you as I could.

If you decide to enroll, I'd be so grateful for your trust in me as your instructor and so excited for you to learn video. It's the most personal, most imaginative way to communicate, and you'll be surprised by what an impact it can have on you and others.

And if enrolling's not for you, stay in touch anyway! You can never have too many creative internet friends. ❤️