Apr 22, 2024 5 min read

Craftsman Creative | Start Here

As an independent film producer, I understand the struggle of both being a company of one, and running a business with 100+ employees, short timelines, and not enough budget.

The struggle of working 80+ hour weeks and feeling the imbalance of not spending enough time with my wife and young kids. The struggle of working for someone else and not participating in the upside.

There's also the struggle of not knowing where or when the next client or gig will come, being overextended financially, and having to say yes to projects that aren't aligned with why you got into this creative work in the first place.

It took me over a decade to "figure this stuff out", but I've landed on what I think we all want:

The creative independence to produce meaningful work.

What that means - what that looks like - is freedom. Financial freedom to do the work we love. The ability to choose when and where we want to work, and who we want to do that work with.

A great living doing what we love. Said differently, having a business that supports the lifestyle we work so hard for.

That's what I've spent the last 7 years working on - first for myself and my businesses and creative projects, and then helping other creators do the same. In that time I've produced 4 seasons of television, and four independent films (one internationally), have built three successful creative businesses, and have helped thousands of other creators apply the same principles and systems to their businesses.

Those principles and systems make up the MOVIE framework, which I write about in my book, BLOCKBUSTER, and help other creative businesses implement in the following ways, ranging from turnkey, done-for-you consulting services to do-it-yourself books and courses:

THE CRAFTSMAN SYSTEM

Starting at $15,000

The core of what we do is bring the MOVIE framework into your business and implement everything for you.

We start with you, the business owner, and your mindset. We overcome limiting mindsets, define the outcomes for you and your business, and then get to work.

Working in your business for two months, we build out systems to generate awareness and visibility for your business through content and other marketing strategies, help you generate leads and engage them on autopilot so that you become oversubscribed, and optimize your products and services to be profitable.

Our clients have doubled their audiences, 10x their leads, and unlocked hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit through The Craftsman System.

For business owners with employees and at least $250k per year in revenue.

Learn more here.

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"Working with Craftsman Creative was the most impactful thing we did early in our business. Daren brought his systems in and everything changed - we doubled our revenue, growth took off, and we became much more profitable. Everything finally clicked, and growth from there was easy. We highly recommend working with Craftsman Creative."

Alan & Jono, Cinema Therapy

CRAFTSMAN CONSULTING

Starting at $2,500

We work with leaders of businesses large and small. If you are ready to take your business to the next level, our consulting packages and workshop options are perfect for you.

Consulting is one-on-one over six Zoom calls. We'll work through the MOVIE framework together on the calls, and apply the framework directly to your business. You also have access to us for accountability and to ensure you make progress every day.

To learn more, join the next monthly workshop on the MOVIE Framework to see how we help companies like yours grow their businesses.

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"T didn't even know half of these systems existed. I now have a podcast business that wouldn't have existed without the help I got from Craftsman Creative."

Doug McCulloch, Deep Tracks Podcast

WORKSHOPS

Starting at $2,500

We offer half and full-day workshops for creative communities and leadership teams. Bring the systems and experience from the film set into your business.

During these workshops, we focus on 1-2 parts of the MOVIE framework that will benefit your business the most, based on your Scorecard and our discovery call.

A half-day workshop is 3 hours spent on one area of your business. We'll identify the current constraints and show you the path around - or through - it.

A full-day workshop is up to 6 hours spent on 2 areas of the MOVIE framework for your business. Maybe you need more leads and a more profitable core offer. Maybe you need better communication and a different approach to create massive results from a limited budget.

To inquire about a workshop for your business, leadership team, or community, email us here.

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"Innovation is nearly always some sort of cross-pollination from another discipline, so I wanted to bring someone to speak to us who worked outside of technology and whom I thought we could learn important ideas from to help us focus on the work of the rest of the day. So I reached out to Daren to see if he would be willing to come and talk about the process of producing films and TV...

The workshop was great, and we kept coming back to the lessons learned throughout the rest of our leadership retreat."

Daniel Sellers, SVP of Product Technology at Lumio

STRATEGY CALLS

Starting at $500

We offer a handful of targeted strategy calls that are specific to where you are and what you need in your business right now.

In 90 minutes we'll get you a breakthrough that's worth at least $10,000 to your business, or your money back.

Schedule your call here.

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"I own a video production company and had hit a ceiling with getting new leads and clients. Daren packed so much useful insight into our 90-minute meeting. He walked me through where my business could improve with lead generation, and more importantly, helped me come up with some action items to put into place immediately. The strategy call isn't just a conversation, it's like a 90-minute workshop tailored to you and your specific pain points. I could tell Daren has a passion for helping creatives and I would recommend this call to anyone needing direction in their creative business."

Spencer Roberts, Forged Film Company

SOCIETY OF INDEPENDENT CREATORS

Current membership - $495/year

Prefer to work on your business with peers on the same journey as you? Want access to every single recording we've ever done, as well as a process to make progress every day on your business?

The Society of Independent Creators is a membership that includes all of that and more.

We meet multiple times per month as a community for Blockbuster breakthrough calls, monthly MOVIE workshops, and guest workshops. Each week we post what we'll work on that week so you can be held accountable. And, you get complimentary access to the Blockbuster Blueprint to help you build your business in the manner you want, at your own pace, with all of the resources you need.

Learn more about the Society here.

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"Craftsman Creative has helped me establish my bigger goals for the year, and then break them down into monthly projects and weekly tasks — with built-in check-ins to keep up with my progress. I love the quality of the instruction. The teachers are all folks who have built incredible businesses themselves, it's so great to learn from them. I would 100% recommend the Society — the instruction is perfect for establishing a solid foundation."

Jeff Felten, Content Remedy

Not sure where to start? Take our free Scorecard and attend an upcoming Workshop and we'll help you take the right next step on your creative journey.