Are you in the field of multimedia/ video production?

[Chris333]

At the risk of sounding like I'm promoting my services, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself and see if there are any other forum members who share similar business interests. I have obtained administrative approval from roddy for posting this, but if any of the moderators feel the content strays from the interests of this forum, please advise.

I'm a fairly recent arrival, less than 7 months since we arrived in Beijing, and I'm working on setting up a video production business. The primary focus right now is to produce web video for international clients. My Chinese is still far from conversational and even further from business level, so I've decided not to pursue domestic clients for the moment.

I was an architect in the US for many years, starting the video business in 2004 and operating it on the side. It floundered a bit in 2007 and 2008, primarily because my wife returned to school full-time for her masters and we had our first child. The business suffered from a lack of attention and a conscious decision not to take on much side work while I was working full-time to support the family. It wasn't really a good time to quit my job and give the business a go. In 2009 I decided I would explore it full-time, but shortly thereafter my wife's company presented an opportunity in Beijing. We decided as a family to take advantage of this opportunity, which I think is very good for her, and at the same time explore the potential opportunities in the production industry.

In the last few months I've begun to see that there are definitely opportunities here and that I think this is a viable business venture. As I meet more people I realize that networking and connections play an important role in business. To that end, and to meet people and establish relationships here, I wanted to see if anyone on this forum is in my field or a related field. Please take a minute to reply if you are, or PM me if you'd rather keep it a private discussion.

-Chris

Edited March 23, 2010 at 07:45 AM by Chris333
grammar

[Starcaller]

Hey Chris,

That sounds interesting. I'm a graphic designer, specialized in interactive design, web design, and Flash design and the likes. Been in Beijing for almost a month now to study Chinese. Glad to see a person in my related field. =)

[Chris333]

I wish I had known you a couple of months ago when I was trying to set up a Flash-based website. I have a template but didn't know how to modify it. I ended up settling on a standard template I could use and modify myself with the free Sitebuilder app provided with my hosting plan.

Anyway- good to meet you. Are you working or just here to study?

[Starcaller]

Aww too bad. Flash based website would be my thing. haha. Nice to meet you Chris.

I'm here mainly to study Chinese, but I'm still working on a few personal projects or two. Prior to this I had been working for this multimedia company, though later I quit to persue personal interest (which isChinese) while I still can. How's your company doing, by the way? Wish it works great for you.

[Chris333]

I'm still in the process of setting it up, but that process includes meeting people and making connections, which seems to be going well at the moment. Let me know if you find yourself with gobs of spare time on your hands. I'd still like to find a volunteer to help me set up a Flash-based website. Perhaps there's something video-related I could do in return.

Don't know why- but I find it incredible that people like yourself just want to study Chinese full-time. There's a thread somewhere else on this forum started by a person who chose to study Chinese 'as a hobby.' Outstanding! I'm learning purely out of necessity...maybe that's why I find it interesting. Compared to Spanish or French, Chinese is such a difficult language to learn. It wouldn't have been a first choice for me. Maybe that's changing now as China becomes a leading economy.