I recently had the opportunity to do an interview with Manoush Zomorodi, an inspiring woman from Brooklyn, New York. Manoush is an entrepreneur, consultant, author, reporter, and mother of two. She's certainly a busy gal, yet she finds the time to write, blog, create videos, and help other entrepreneurs. Her on-camera expertise comes from years of producing and reporting for BBC News, Reuters Television, and other media outlets. She's traveled the world to cover breaking stories and to interview prominent figures. More recently, she's gone into helping others create high quality videos with epic content.
Below is our recent interview with Monoush.
INTERVIEW
1. Tell us the story about how you came up with the idea to write an E-book.
“I was moderating a conference on new publishing tools which included a presentation by a new company called Vook. Vook is a publishing platform that lets you combine text with video. Writing a book was never at the top of my “To Do” list until I learned that video could be embedded in an ebook!  I had always wanted to write down my methods of helping people be great on camera- but now that I could show them too, it became a no-brainer.”
2. Who inspired you to become an entrepreneur? What helps you stay motivated?
“Do my kids count as motivators? We all know being a parent, particularly a mother, of small kids makes having a career very challenging. At least as an entrepreneur you can mostly choose your own hours and be home for bedtime. Whenever I get frustrated and think it would be easier to just get a regular job, I remind myself that flexibility is the ultimate benefit.”
3. How did you make the leap from being a full time anchor to starting your own business?
“I had been dabbling in teaching and consulting when I took some time off to take care of my first kid (who is now five). There is nothing like pushing a stroller for hours at a time to get you thinking about what you really want to do next. For me, I decided the work had to be worth it (either financially or intellectually) to justify being away from my kids and that I really wanted, if possible, to steer clear of inefficient organizations with lame office politics. This is, obviously, a privileged and lucky position to be in.”
4. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
“Launching new projects without having to deal with any red tape.”
5. What 3 pieces of advice would you give to start-up entrepreneurs?
1. Â “Don't give up your day job before you can prove your idea is potentially a winner.”
2. “Ask people out for coffee- chatting in person trumps an online relationship every time.”
3. “Read everything you can get your hands on when it comes to tech, business, and your field. Be an expert.”
6. What is your favorite quote about entrepreneurship?
“One of my bosses at the BBC always told me the way to win over an editor was to bring him a solution, not a problem. Wise words. I love people who just get stuff done.”
Think Entrepreneurship's review of “Camera Ready,” by Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush's E-book, titled “Camera Ready,” was a great addition to my iPad library. I've created videos for the past few years and am always looking to improve them. When I saw Zomorodi's book, I knew I had to read it because I have a lot of room for improvement! Below is a trailer about “Camera Ready.”
Why You Should Read “Camera Ready”
Camera Ready will teach videographers of all levels important tips that will make your videos more interesting and intelligent. Better content will lead to your videos being viewed and heard across the planet. Manoush's book is unique because it focuses on the presentation side of videos. Each chapter is packed with tips that will help with preparing content and filming more professional videos.
My favorite part about Camera Ready is how interactive it is. Each chapter in her e-book has a video interview with an influential person in the media world as well as a “Watch and Learn” segment with Manoush. Her energy and enthusiasm for helping others shows in each video.
Below are some of the topics in the e-book that I found most helpful
- How to prepare contentÂ
- Tips about prepping your hair, makeup, clothing colors, etc.
- How to set the tone and present a clear message
- Tips on setting up a teleprompter (even with your iPad, computer, or smartphone)
- How to add value to your videos
- How to create energy and use body language to convey your message – Tips on eye contact, voice, smiling, and so on.
- Tips about lighting, angles, and how to interview / be interviewed
Technology is changing the way we get our information
As noted in the e-book, every day over 4 billion videos are viewed each day online. Another interesting fact is that over 60 hours of video are uploaded to Youtube every minute. More businesses are getting online and videos are becoming a big source for people to gather information. Creating and sharing video is becoming easier and the barriers to entry for videography continue to decrease. Just about anyone with a smartphone can film video and share it with the world.
Summary
Manoush Zomorodi is an experienced reporter who wants to help entrepreneurs create videos that are well received by viewers. The e-book is very reasonably priced and is packed full of content that will ensure your videos improve. If you are interested in checking out her book it can be downloaded in the Amazon store, iTunes, and from Barnes and Noble.
For more information please visit http://www.manoushz.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter
Hi Pete, thanks a lot for sharing Manoush’s interview and a review on her book with everyone. I actually work with the online marketing side of things for my company and we are looking into doing videos for all of our products. I’m going to get her book as we need some tips so we can make good quality videos. As for a camera, do you have any recommendations with $800 or so in mind as a budget? Thanks again, love your blog.
Steph