Hi Bianca, first congratulations are in order! The information you provide is exceptional. Thank you so much for your impressive expertise and generosity.

I’m in the final stages of  launching a software platform and foresee the benefits of producing a short demonstration video about the service offerings.

I’m beginning to acquire my studio equipment and could use some help from someone very experienced. Finally, I want you to assess if I’m the best person to perform the live demos. I want you to first assess if I’m appropriate for fronting videos.  I mention that because one of my eyes has an anomaly and as you mention in your articles, the eyes of the presenter are so important.

Is this something you would find motivating to be involved in, and if yes, what is your availability and rate, please?

RM — Los Angeles, California

Thank you, RM for sharing your video footage with me. I appreciate that it was rough “point and shoot” footage, so I’ll focus on your primary concern, which was whether you would be an ideal front person for your video initiative. After reviewing your footage (based on my first impressions) I think you ABSOLUTELY can, and should be, the spokesperson for your video productions.

Here is a list of my initial first impressions:

On-camera Presence.

RM, you have everything going for you. You are fortunate to naturally have “presence” on-camera. This is actually quite rare, but you do have it. You communicate warmth and trustworthiness in your physicality, facial expression and voice. They all appear to be congruent with your messaging. These are important skills for on-camera work.

You don’t appear to have any nuances that could be a visual distraction (i.e. facial tics, facial tension, or speech issues). You have great teeth, which is important for on-camera work, but also, some people use such things to judge a person’s socio-economic status. You have good profiles and balanced facial features, which is important because the camera can distort proportions.

I do not see an issue with your eye-contact with the camera lens. In fact, you are quite capable of holding a “natural” warm engaging eye line with the camera.

You mentioned your eye anomaly. In my opinion, this is minor and is not something to be overly concerned about. My view is that your self-confidence overshadows this. If you were perhaps self-conscious or unsure of yourself, then I think the anomaly would draw more attention – but this is not the case for you. If it is something that you are concerned about, there are a couple of creative things we could try to “cheat” this – but it’s not a major issue in my opinion. I also think it brings character to you as a person. You have a ton of it already, but it just seems to make you more relatable and human, not some veneer plastic istock image that we often see in a lot of online material.

Passion is key.

On video, passion is key. This is is something that you naturally convey. People will pay more attention to a heartfelt passionate delivery, than to a person with “model” looks delivering a flat presentation to camera. I have seen this many times having models audition for presenting roles. They quickly lose their “aura” after their first few words.

Your on-camera energy demonstrates a good level of naturalness, warmth and humor. With your mannerisms, nothing appears to be over-compensated or forced (which is common in people trying to suppress nervousness).

You also appear to have an accessible emotional range. This is good. Your delivery is not “one note”.

You don’t appear to have any major “blockages” and seem to be freely expressive (i.e. not stiff, awkward, flustered etc).

RM, I hope my comments encourage you to charge ahead with your video production. When you are ready, let’s connect to discuss the finer points of your video strategy. This would concern the technical aspects of your performance and how to enhance the production value. Things like: how to use persuasive framing, powerful angles, backgrounds, styling and grooming, wardrobe, look and feel, on-camera movement, and how to maintain the viewer’s visual interest from beginning to end.

I look forward to supporting you to be the “face” of your business and to help you achieve your business goals.

To my readers, feel free to contact me if you need help with your video presentations, or jump on my “Early Notify” Booklist. You won’t find generic cookie-cutter content or advice, that you see plastered online. My book is jam-packed with insider tips and techniques to help you deliver compelling, masterful videos for your business or personal brand.

If you have a burning question. I’m always listening!