Author
Taylor Andrew
Partner & Head of Project Services, Spexster
Taylor leads Spexster's White Glove project services, helping brands and agencies scope projects, build crews and manage timelines from brief to delivery. He brings a decade of experience in business development, talent management and video and photo production logistics, and drives the vetting standards every professional on Spexster has to meet.
Cinematographer vs Videographer: Which Does Your Project Need?
Two people, two titles, and a brief that could go to either. Here is what a DP and a videographer each really do, which projects need which, and why getting it wrong costs more than the day rate.
How to Hire a Commercial Photographer for Your Brand
Every commercial photographer's portfolio looks good. That is the problem. Here is how to work out which kind of photographer you actually need, what to put in writing, and what you are really buying when you pay for the images.
How to Hire a Drone Operator: Licensing, Insurance and What to Ask
The reel is spectacular. The question is whether that flight was legal, and whether yours will be. Here is what a commercial drone shoot actually requires in the US, Canada and the UK, and how to hire a pilot who already has it covered.
How to Hire a Film Crew in Another City: A Brand's Guide to Remote Shoots
The shoot is in Atlanta. You are not. Here is how brands run a shoot in a city where they have no crew: hire local, brief in writing, watch the camera live from your desk, and lock the spec so every city cuts together.
How to Hire a Freelance Video Editor: Briefs, Handoffs and Turnaround
The footage is shot. Now the real wait begins. Here is how to hire a freelance video editor so the cut comes back on time and looks like the thing you briefed.
How to Hire a Videographer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brands
You have a shoot coming up and a browser tab full of reels. Here is how to hire a videographer without guessing: what to decide first, how to tell the good ones apart, what to put in writing, and how to skip the search entirely.
Talent Release Forms and Location Releases: What Brands, Agencies and Crews Need in 2026
The video is finished, approved and live. Then someone in it asks you to take it down. Here is what a talent release and a location release each cover, what a good one says, and what has changed for 2026.
What a Video Production Brief Should Include (With a One-Page Checklist)
Most video projects go wrong before anyone picks up a camera, in the gap between what the brand meant and what the crew heard. A one-page brief closes it. Here is every section, in order, with a checklist to copy.