Video is the key to marketing today. You might wish for the staff — and the time — to do it well. That’s where I can help you. I’m a freelance video producer in Seattle, and I specialize in fundraising and marketing videos. You can reach me at Mary@MaryJPeterson.com.  My clients hire me for small and large projects … from videos for the web, to videos for capital campaigns and fundraising events.

Shooting video is just the middle part

Before we get rolling, I help craft your message to fit the style for video. And when we’ve finished your video, I help put your video to work on the web. Using my years of experience, I can take us smoothly through the whole production process — saving you time and money.

The approach and style

I believe video has to be interesting and entertaining. I look to capture the moments and emotions that move us. I favor the human story over fancy graphics. I’m creative, yet not a crazy, wild creative … which means I’m also organized and practical. And I believe your video needs to look good. Put all this together, and you get a video that is both engaging and effective.

So what does a video cost?

Costs vary so much, depending on what you need. Most of the time, I work with small to medium budgets.

• Small budgets: Narrow topic and under two minutes. Filmed at one site, some B-roll shots and simple music. Good for the web. Might be one person’s story, for example. Costs average around $1,500.
• Medium budgets: More complex and under five minutes. This budget allows multiple filming sites across several days, and includes more evocative music. A video at this level might be an overview or vision video you keep on your home page … your workhorse video. At this level, you could create an engaging piece designed for major donors, or a video that kicks off a capital campaign. Costs can range from $2,000 to $4,500, but it all depends on what you need.

A little history

Just in case you want to know my background, I’ve produced videos for years in all sorts of situations.

• Videos for businesses such as Equal Exchange, which included location shoots in Boston, Chicago and Nicaragua. And recently I shot and edited a video for the Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County.
• Videos for many local nonprofits in Seattle. You can look up my client list.
• A large part of my work has been for international humanitarian nonprofits. One video helped raise $15 million for clean water in Africa. Another video project helped raise more than $500 million to aid 20 million lives worldwide.

After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, I worked as a journalist. Then I became a staff writer in the development department of an international humanitarian nonprofit in Seattle. That’s where I learned fundraising. After that I moved into freelance writing. I also worked as a story analyst in Hollywood, and that experience helps my work immensely because storytelling is the magic behind great videos. In my work as a freelancer producer, humanitarian groups have sent me to Africa over 20 times to produce videos.