About Us

Rick Smith Panorma Studios

I'd like to share some of my background and why I'm so excited about teaching you how to make a living or supplement your income by producing and selling special interest videos over the internet.

I've spent over 30 years creating and marketing educational and training materials. I spent 22 years at a university as head of a program that produced educational materials which we sold all around the world. I started there before the advent of VCRs, at a time when films and filmstrips were shown in the classroom.

What I learned from this experience has shaped my life. I was in charge of both production and marketing. Although my education was in photography and media production, I found that I had an affinity for copy writing and marketing. During much of my tenure there the internet did not exist, so I cut my teeth in direct mail marketing, winning several prestigous marketing awards.

The university, in its bureaucratic wisdom, closed the program in 1997. Of course at the time I was dismayed, but in hindsight it was a wonderful, life-changing event for me. After licking my wounds and taking stock of my life I decided three things that I still adhere to:

1. I would never put my financial career in someone else's hands again. I vowed to be my own boss, the "captain of my ship."

2. I really loved working in video production and creative fields in general. In light of #1 above, my obvious path was to start my own video production company. I didn't have many financial resources at the time, but I took the plunge and have never looked back.

3. I understood that the internet gives anyone the ability to reach out to the world. With the understanding of marketing I brought from the direct mail marketing world, I knew that I could produce videos on topics that I was interested in and then use the internet, combined with traditional marketing skills, to reach out to the people who would want to buy those videos.

In Make Money Selling Your Own Videos I share with you the things I've learned that work - and don't work - so that you can quickly get your own DVDs or other media out there on your own website where they can start making money. I do all of the web design, shopping cart setup, marketing - everything needed to run my online stores - myself. I've had to learn a lot of things that I'll pass on to you. Why invent the wheel? If I can do it, starting from zero and without a lot of financial resources, there is absolutely no reason why you can't follow in my footsteps.

I'm living the life I always dreamed of. I wake up every morning and check my email first thing. There are usually orders waiting for me. Making money while I sleep never gets old. I love to take a walk or go out to dinner and return to the computer to see that I've been making money while I'm doing the things I really enjoy in life.

One of the things I say in Make Money Selling Your Own Videos is that you should produce topics about something you love. Once you do that, things will fall into place. The more passionate you are about your work, the more energy and motivation you will have to see it through. What could be better than spending time producing videos on subjects you enjoy, and then marketing them to people with similar interests, who appreciate your work? If this is your dream, isn't it time to get started?

My support doesn't end when you buy the DVD. I've just started an online forum where I'll be sharing what I've learned and continue to learn, and I'm also starting a new blog that will be fun to read.

I wish you success, whatever your dreams are.

Rick Smith