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MURRAY — Remember the first time you used an Uber? You opened the app, pushed a few buttons and a car showed up, ready to take you from Point A to Point B.
Utah entrepreneur Dan Chipman wants to bring that simplicity to videography.
In early January, Chipman and his team launched Bideo — an online marketplace of video pros. Those searching for videographers with specific skills can search through a cache of professionals offering their services for everything from weddings to advertisements.
Bideo allows customers to refine their search to specific needs or specific areas, then browse the profiles of various videographers, including their bios, sample work, ratings and hourly price quotes.
While Chipman and his team used to be the middlemen between clients and videographers, they realized they’d prefer to get out of the way, yet still provide a platform for both groups to come together and connect on their own.
“The problem we’re trying to solve — and this is a problem we were dealing with in recruiting videographers — is it’s kind of the Wild West out there in terms of finding a good, reliable videographer,” Chipman said. “Your options are either to do a Google search or ask somebody you know if they know a videographer, and you’re never quite sure if you’re finding the perfect person for what you’re trying to do.”
Bideo also gives smaller production companies or freelance videographers the opportunity to be found without paying to show up as the top return in a Google search, Chipman said. And it’s completely free for any videographer to create a profile — even a film student just starting out in the business.
When a videographer makes a profile, Bideo will vet the uploaded information to ensure the customer is getting what they expect when they choose a certain profile. The site also operates on a badge system, so videographers can earn specific badges as they complete certain milestones of experience or quality work.
“No matter your budget or the size of your job, you should be able to find somebody that can fill your need,” said Brett Beynon, Bideo vice president and creative director. “By seeing their portfolio samples and their ratings and reviews … you’ll be able to get a good, transparent look into who these videographers are and whether or not they’ll be a good fit for you and your project.”
From there, everything from video file transfers to monetary transactions can be handled on Bideo so that customers can securely and safely manage the minutiae of the project in one place, Beynon said.
Though headquartered in Utah, the company has focused their advertising on Southern California, where they’ve seen some good success. Their focus now, Chipman said, is to continue recruiting videographers to the site.
A search for videographers in Salt Lake City returned over 20 results as of Thursday evening.
“We’ve been trying to find a downside for videographers here, but we just can’t think of one,” Beynon said.
Bideo is currently headquartered in Murray.
