Jeremy Mason · Video strategist
28+ years BBC, ITV, Channel 4, NBC, Netflix

What actually happens when strategy meets video.

Not likes. Not views. Real outcomes — contracts won, confidence rebuilt, audiences that keep coming back.

If you’re wondering whether video actually pays for itself — in contracts, bookings and reach, not just views — this is the evidence, drawn from real clients across done-for-you production, coaching and training.

The honest measure is contracts won, enquiries in the inbox and calls in the diary. Not views. Views are easy to buy and they’ve never paid anyone’s wages.

Every person on this page started with the same feeling you might have right now: wondering whether video would actually work for them. Here’s what happened next.

What it is What we did What happened
Inspired Cosmetic Training
1:1 video coaching programme
3–4 course bookings a month, (after 8 weeks of working together) adding around £3,000 a month
Do Lectures
Catalogue optimisation & YouTube strategy
3.1× view multiplier on legacy content over 90 days; 726 watch hours unlocked without new filming; CTR up 25% (2.56% → 3.20%)
Incuhive
Remote production coaching
Broadcast documentary delivered for around £4k against a £15–20k quote
Pabulum Catering
Done-for-you production
£300,000 contract won on the first pitch using video
John Deere Lubricants (via Blue Marlin)
Four cinematic films, archive and 3D workflow
Delivered against a conventional £600,000 production cost, with no location shoot
PayComplete
Global product launch, on-site production
Hero product films, FAQ content and a partner case study, all from two on-site shoots, delivered on a fixed launch deadline
Bring Me The Horizon, Royal Albert Hall
Concert film shoot design and production
£100,000 raised for Teenage Cancer Trust; 40m+ YouTube views
Federation of Small Businesses
Implementation coaching
Reach up from around 40 to 700–1,000 impressions per post

Clinics and Practitioners

Inspired Cosmetic Training, Glasgow

The challenge: Filling £897 training courses with qualified medical practitioners — without paid ads, and without the clinic looking like every other aesthetics account on Instagram.

What we did: A 1:1 video coaching programme building a filming system Carolyn’s team runs themselves, inside ASA and JCCP guidance. They shoot it. We taught them how.

Where it stands: The first bookings landed within eight weeks of the 1:1 training starting. Video is now bringing in 3–4 course bookings a month through Instagram — adding somewhere in the region of £3,000 a month to the bottom line so far.

What this means:

  • If your ad spend has stopped converting, this is what replaces it — a system you own, not a retainer you keep paying for.
  • Built inside ASA and JCCP guidance from day one, so there’s no compliance rewrite waiting for you later — which matters more in aesthetics than almost any other niche.
  • This isn’t a slow-burn brand play. The first bookings landed inside two months, not two years, and it’s kept paying out every month since.

Course Creators, Coaches & Independent Experts

dolectures

Do Lectures — YouTube Discoverability & Media Optimisation

The challenge: A 16-year-old media brand with a 529-talk catalogue was invisible on YouTube. Back-catalogue videos averaged 83 views and a 2.56% click-through rate — world-class speakers buried under vague, unsearchable titles.

What we did: A zero-filming, 20-video optimisation sprint — new titles built from the talks’ own transcripts, branded thumbnails, and binge-routing end screens.

The result: A 3.1× view multiplier on the retitled videos, channel CTR up 25% (2.56% → 3.20%), and 179 net new subscribers on a channel that had been growing at zero. No new filming.

What this means:

  • If your back-catalogue is quietly dying on YouTube, the fix is very likely the titles and thumbnails, not a bigger content budget.
  • You don’t need to film anything new to get a result like this — you need the content you’ve already made to actually get found.
  • The bigger your archive, the bigger the opportunity: this touched 3.8% of Do Lectures’ catalogue and it’s already 22% of their channel views.

Done-For-You Results

Incuhive — Remote Production Coaching

The challenge: An ambitious year-long documentary tracking low-carbon fertiliser trials — critical for the local farming community. No in-house video team, and a budget that couldn’t stretch to the £15,000–£20,000 industry-standard cost of a broadcast-quality film.

What we did: We designed a remote production workflow — built a DIY filming kit, trained the Incuhive team to capture their own footage, and gave year-long story guidance. We then edited what they shot into a broadcast-standard documentary.

The result: A professional 14-minute film delivered for around £4,000 — roughly a quarter of the typical cost — and used to engage councils, farmers and stakeholders directly.

What the client said: “They gave us the confidence and structure to tell our story ourselves — then made it look like we’d hired a full production company.” — George Scott-Welsh, Incuhive

What this means:

  • “We can’t afford broadcast quality.” You don’t need broadcast-crew day rates to get a broadcast-standard result — you need the right workflow.
  • Your own team keeps the skill once the project’s done, so the next long story doesn’t need a crew booked from scratch.
  • If you’ve got a long, unglamorous story that matters to the people funding you, this is what it looks like told well on a fraction of the usual budget.

Pabulum Catering — The £300k Contract, First Pitch Using Video

[Corporate Services]

The challenge: Pabulum’s usual presentations weren’t delivering results any more, and their hit rate was declining. They needed a hybrid format where video handled the storytelling, freeing the presenters to answer questions — and they needed to show the authentic culture of their on-site teams without flying them in for the pitch.

What we did: A one-day shoot at a partner school, cut into three distinct edits — a specific pitch video, a website version, and an internal comms piece.

The result: £300,000 contract won on the first pitch using video. Return on the £15,000 production spend: 1,900%.

What this means:

  • One shoot, three assets — the pitch video, the website version and the internal piece all came out of a single production, not three separate jobs.
  • You don’t need to look glamorous to win on video. Pabulum are a catering firm, not a lifestyle brand — this won on clarity, not polish.
  • If your last few pitches have gone quiet after the follow-up call, this is what changing the format did.

John Deere Lubricants — "Performance Engineered"

[Product / Manufacturing]

Commissioned by Blue Marlin for the US market.

The brief: Four cinematic product films — agriculture, construction, forestry, turf — with the production values of a £150,000 film and nothing like the budget. Four films shot the conventional way is a £600,000 job. One of the products didn’t even have signed-off packaging yet.

What we did: Rather than shoot a frame, we went through John Deere’s own archive — years of properly-funded footage sitting on YouTube — catalogued what was usable and upscaled it with AI. The product packs were built in 3D instead of shot in a studio. When the client changed the packaging colour halfway through, it cost a remodel rather than a reshoot — a saving of around £15,000.

The result: Four films delivered, no location shoot, production values intact.

What this means:

  • Four cinematic films for a fraction of the conventional £600,000 cost, with the production values still intact.
  • Unsigned-off packaging doesn’t have to stop production. One product hadn’t been signed off either — it got modelled instead of filmed.
  • If a late spec change usually means a reshoot for you, this is what it looks like when it doesn’t.

PayComplete — Global FinTech Launch, On-Site, On Deadline

[FinTech / Cash Management]

The challenge: Launching a complex hardware and software solution to a global B2B audience against a tight deadline. The units were too heavy to move to a standard studio, but the launch still needed cinematic hero shots.

What we did:

  • The Location Studio — a full lighting setup built on-site to film high-end hero shots without moving a single unit off-site.
  • The Efficiency Play — while on-site, we also filmed FAQ and technical support content for the customer service team.
  • The Strategic Case Study — a separate narrative shoot at Stonehenge showing the machine in action, built for dual use across PayComplete and their partner, G4S.

 

What the client said: “MP Video Production brought clarity and professionalism from day one. We got more value from the footage than we thought possible.” — Angus Burrell, PayComplete

The result: A global product launch delivered on deadline, with hero product films, FAQ and technical support videos, and a separate location shoot — all from one on-site production.

What this means:

  • Two well planned shoots can cover your hero films, your support content and a partner case study — you’re not booking three shoots for three different needs.
  • Heavy, technical kit doesn’t need a studio. The studio comes to the machines, not the other way round.
  • If you’re launching complex hardware or software against a fixed date, this is what holding the deadline actually looks like.

Bring Me The Horizon, Royal Albert Hall — (Zero Margin for Error) High-Stakes Reliability

[Live Events / Charity]

The challenge: A one-night-only charity show at the Royal Albert Hall with a full orchestra. No retakes, no second chances — the film had to be cinematic and commercially viable enough to raise real money for Teenage Cancer Trust.

What we did: Coordinated a 16-camera broadcast unit, managing the entire technical workflow to BBC standards while keeping costs tight enough to protect the donation.

The result: £100,000 raised for Teenage Cancer Trust after production costs, and more than 40 million YouTube views — a film that still generates revenue for the band today.

What this means:

  • A tight budget and a one-shot event don’t have to mean a compromised result — quite the opposite happened here.
  • The upside compounds: one properly-run shoot is still generating views and revenue years later, not just on the night.
  • If your event only happens once and there’s no room for a technical mistake, this is the level of production discipline that protects it.

Training Results—DIY Success Stories

From "Invisible" to 5x Reach —Weekly Videos in Under One Hour

The challenge: Nicky Kildunne (FSB Development Manager) was posting static images on LinkedIn. Average engagement: around 40 views per post. She needed a sustainable way to raise the FSB’s local profile without spending hours on video.

The solution: Part of a bespoke FSB training cohort. We designed a streamlined workflow: film, edit, and publish weekly videos in under one hour.

The result: From roughly 40 views per static post to 200–1,000 views per video — a 5x to 25x reach increase, at under an hour of time investment per video.

What the client said: “It’s raised the FSB’s profile and my own credibility locally. The numbers speak for themselves.”

What this means:

  • If you’re picturing new kit or an extra pair of hands, you won’t need either — this runs on what you’ve already got, in under an hour a week.
  • If you’re currently getting a handful of views on static posts, this is roughly the reach video unlocks from the same audience.

The Worst Videos I Made Landed My Best Contract

The challenge: Steve, a project management consultant, was overthinking video — worried about lighting, delivery, polish.

The shift: Stopped waiting for “perfect” and just hit record.

The result: Posted his first “rough” video. Hated it. A few weeks later, signed his biggest contract. The client’s reason: “You felt real. Everyone else looked like a corporate robot.”

What this means:

  • If you’re waiting to feel polished enough before hitting record, the wait is probably costing you more than an imperfect video ever would.
  • Rough and real can beat polished — this is proof that “good enough and out there” beats “perfect and unpublished.”

Retired Engineer, "Ready, Aim, Fire" to "Ready, Fire, Aim"

The Challenge: Rob, a retired electrical engineer, had spent a career — and a life — needing everything perfect before moving. He’d also spent years quietly disguising his own regional accent on recordings.

The Shift: Learning that “ready, fire, aim” is a legitimate way to work, not recklessness — and that the accent he’d been trying to hide was never the problem.

The Result: “I have always been wary of my ‘northern UK’ accent and have in the past tried to disguise it, but now I might just not.” Still getting used to publishing before it feels finished — and publishing anyway.

What This Means:

  • If you’re waiting to sound, look, or feel “ready” before you start, this is what letting go of that actually looks like — not an instant personality transplant, a permission slip.
  • Methodical, precision-trained professionals aren’t exempt from this — they just need permission from someone who understands why “perfect first” doesn’t work here.

5x Engagement Increase (Text → Video)

The challenge: Kristy, a consultant at Zest Consulting, was posting text and images to low engagement.

The shift: Started posting simple videos.

The result: “Way more traction on social vs text/images — far more comments, way more reshares.”

What the client said: “Video felt like a minefield. Now I just get on and do it.”

What this means:

  • No crew, no script, no extra content needed — just the same message, spoken instead of typed.
  • If your content already gets read but rarely gets a response, this is what changing the format alone can do.

People Recognised Me at Conferences

The challenge: Andrea, of AW Fire, was pulling favours for video edits, with inconsistent posting as a result.

The shift: Learned to create her own videos.

The result: Published consistently. Started getting recognised at industry conferences. “Great for business. Can’t put a price on that.”

What this means:

  • Doing it yourself is what makes it sustainable — content that depends on someone else’s favour tends to dry up the moment they get busy.
  • If you’re currently relying on favours for every edit, this is what happens once you don’t have to ask any more.

I Expected a Course About Cameras. I Got a Mindset Shift.

The challenge: Alan, a project director, thought his video problem was technical — camera settings, editing software, production quality. He was stuck trying to learn the “how” before understanding the “why.”

The shift: We moved him off the camera and onto the client avatar. The course reframed video as a messaging tool, not a technical skill.

The result: A complete mindset shift — from “I need better gear” to “I need clearer messaging.” As Alan put it: “I expected a course about cameras and editing. What I got was something far more valuable — a total mindset shift. It made me stop and really think about my message, my brand, and who I want to speak to.”

What this means:

  • If your block feels like a camera or software problem, it probably isn’t — it’s usually not knowing who you’re actually speaking to.
  • If you’ve been stalled on settings and software, the real fix is usually a clearer answer to “who is this for.”

From 'I Can't Do Video' to 2x Per Week Consistently

The challenge: Jaycee, a wellness founder, was stuck in tech overwhelm and fear of being visible. She thought video required performance skills she didn’t have.

The shift: We reframed video from a performance to a service. Once the focus moved to helping her audience rather than impressing them, the fear of the camera dropped away.

The result: From zero videos, after months of paralysis, to publishing two videos a week, consistently. “I’m keeping to two videos a week. It’s a powerful way to communicate who you are and what you do. I finally feel like my videos reflect who I am.”

What this means:

  • If confidence feels like the missing piece, it might not be — reframing video as helping someone, not performing for them, is often the real unlock.
  • If camera fear is the thing stopping you, this is what happens once the goal changes from “impress” to “help.”

The pattern across every one of these results is the same: clarity on the message before the camera ever turns on.

If you want the same kind of outcome — whichever path fits where you are right now — the next step is a five-minute conversation.