Glenn Romero
Listen to the interview (approx. 1 hr, 20 min.) or download it.
Graduated in 2006 with a major in Music Business. Principal Instrument: Voice.
Position: Freelance Video Marketing Entrepreneur. In early 2016 Glenn launched his company, Snowcap Video Productions. Glenn works with companies on crafting one or more good (live action) videos to market themselves. The full process often takes weeks, as they plan out every detail of the shoot. He then shoots the videos (with hired help if needed), and handles the post-production. Snowcap has done other sorts of work as well, from assisting for others to wedding and even a time-lapse video of a bridge being constructed!
Overview: Shortly after graduating Berklee, Glenn wanted to make more money. His now-wife, who worked in radio, referred him to a job selling advertising for a radio station. “It was a rude awakening: I was cold-calling companies. It had nothing to do with music or audio, and it was brutal.” Working for a year with minimal success and sensing that he’d be let go soon, he confided in a friend, who recommended him for a job selling motorcycles at Boston Harley Davidson. Glenn was happy to work in a sales job with “warmer leads,” — people entering the place intending to make a purchase. He worked there for almost 4 years, promoted halfway through to financial manager, helping customers finance their purchases. But by 2011 the weak economy put sales at a record low, and he looked for better opportunities.
A friend at a company that sold river cruises gave him a referral, and he worked there selling cruises, with “even warmer leads–people calling us intending to go on vacation, and I’d help them figure out what was the best thing for them.” He again was promoted–to selling group tours–but after a few years it was clear that the industry wasn’t doing well and he was making less money each year. Moreover, his wife was pregnant, and child care was going to be over $40,000/year! It made sense for him to work mostly from home, where he could watch his child when possible. For over half a year, Glenn spoke with large numbers of CEOs and marketing officers about what was and was not a good marketing video, so that when he made the leap to being independent he had great knowledge as well as a large network.
You can see Glenn’s LinkedIn profile here.
Choice Quotes: “I’ve always had an artistic mind; seeing a project go from beginning to end is really satisfying. Delivering a video that a client is in love with feeds my soul, and is the same feeling as having just played for a crowd of thousands of cheering people.”
“I prefer not to post my prices online. Business is 90% relationship-driven. People want to do business with people they like. If I can talk to someone, show interest, understand what they’re looking for and explain how we can bring it to life we can make something good happen. I don’t want them just to look at price. Especially since I can take their budget into account in terms of how lavish a production we do.”
“Push yourself to do things you feel uncomfortable with doing. If you’re complacent and comfortable you’ll never grow. ”
Glenn as a Berklee student. While there, he was in a band Park View that toured up and down the East Coast. Being in that band was where my sales and marketing experience all started. We had a manager, were recording constantly, sold merch, had a street team. I learned how to reach out to venues, how to get gigs, what good press kits looked like.
Glenn adds, “We had it all, we just weren’t making any money.”
Glenn on his motorcycle. “That first sales job didn’t go well, and that pissed me off, so I ended up sticking with sales (working at Harley Davidson) because I wanted to get better at it (and make some money) and I’m glad I did.
Glenn hiking with his dog. “Don’t let go of the dream you have, but don’t be afraid if that dream changes, as that’s most likely. Before I had a kid my goals were very different. What makes me happy now wouldn’t have made me happy 10 years ago and vice-versa. But follow the path that you’re passionate about. ”