I wanted to check with fellow wedding videographers because lately I have been internally debating this question.

How much weight does a wedding business name carry? Do you feel brides either get tuned in or cut off by certain business names? Do you feel your business name could make or break the number and quality of brides? Or, do you feel that regardless of your business name, it can succeed just on shear customer service and quality samples (granted its not offensive or outlandish)?

Thanks in advance for your input and I am interested in seeing your replies.

Here in maine there are quite a few business names that sound silly to me, and just hearing them sounds low end in my opinion. But if your asking if it has to be wedding related in terms of your name, my answer is no. My company name is Media Northeast, and we do a ton of weddings and a lot of corporate stuff, and other web commercial shoots. Pick a good solid name you can brand, not just aim at "Josh Swan wedding videography" or something like that. For some reason that screams 80's or 90's to me.

Jeff,

It is an interesting topic.

In my case, I use a separate names and websites for wedding work than I do for my corporate/other stuff. I just find it easier to manage that way.

I think your work makes your brand. Santo in Aus has 'Paper Cranes', Danny in the UK has 'Minty Slippers'. Those biz names work (IMO) because they are distinctive and the work they produce speaks for itself. They are not necessarily descriptive of what they do, but to me their names are synonymous with superlative work.

Who would call their company Ebay or Google? They've both done ok though.

BTW, I think Media Brewer is a good name as it plays on your name, and is general enough to work for both weddings and corporate.

When I started doing video work it was shooting bar bands for promo videos. The name I settled on then, came from a phrase I used, and is RealDangerous.Com.

Now RealDangerous works great when talking to aspiring rock stars, but when I was asked to quote a corporate job, the name brought a "tainted" reaction from the person I was to be talking with.

There's nothing "wrong" with MediaBrewer" but IMO it sounds rather "corporatey". If I were to make any branding suggestions it would be to do as Ken does, multiple sites, stressing the various markets you want to hit. Maybe something like "Greensboro Premiere Wedding Films by MediaBrewer" and then leave the MediaBrewer site for everything else.

Interesting topic indeed. Although there are really cool business names like Minty Slippers (really like that), there are some videographers who just goes by their name. Ray Roman, Jason Magbanua. I guess the drawback for having your name as your business name is that you can't double book, it does not make sense for Uncle Joe shooting as Ray Roman or Jmags.

In my opinion, and as a personal preference I would go with a catchy Business name. There's a company here that goes by The Wedding Story Teller, very catchy name.

I would say your business name carries huge importance. It's the keystone of your brand and likely the first thing most brides will ever see of you. It shouldn't, but it always surprises me how excited some of our brides are about our name. It's just one more thing you can use to connect emotionally with your couples. For us, the name also has special meaning on a personal level, and sometimes we get to share that with our couples and that makes even more of an impact.

That said, a name isn't everything. If you have a great name but a really weak brand or really weak work, then the impact of your name will be minimal. By the way, you can still double-book if you use your own name. Jmag has other teams that shoot for him all the time. He doesn't even edit much anymore because he has editors that do it. But he stills provides the creative guidance for his crews.

I think as long as it's relatively related & professional it would suffice. Good work & references can fill in the rest. As long as it's not totally personal preference like Top Dawgs Elite or Full House Poker or something off base where others wouldn't get it, and might become turned off. Not to get into details, but 2nd shot for someone once who's company name had to do with being sure to "wipe" cleanly basically. Funny too, because he's kinda talking with me, and giving me feedback & criticism on what I'm planning, and I'm thinking to myself 'buddy, you might wanna change you freaking name!!'.


FWIW, I think I'd like BrewerMedia more than MediaBrewer, but could just be me.

Who would call their company Ebay

Nobody. However, they would call it eBay. :)

I think a name is important and you need to run it by several disinterested parties (such as this or another message board.) Don't ask your friends/family because they'll just be nice and say it's a good name, when it may not be.

Finding a name that has wide appeal can be tough. "Minty Slippers" is a cool name and works well with wedding video, but I think corporate types might think it odd. As mentioned, "RealDangerous" may not translate well into the world of weddings.

I've noticed that some of the cheap wedding video company names just sound dumb and cheesy to me. None on this board, but typically the smaller $500 per wedding types. I guess if they're not creative enough to get more than $500, they're not creative enough to come up with a memorable name. I'd mention a few, but I'm afraid they'd eventually be found on a google search.

Great discussion and comments. Knew I could depend on the community to provide some input. When I first named and created my business it was with the intention of shooting videos for events and corporate and absolutely no weddings. But hey, I shot a few and fell in love with the work. So, I am wanting to branch out into something that looks and feels much more related to weddings.

I of course would retain the current company but have a sister company that is wedding related. I know that has been mentioned several times and I do think it is the best option. That way any current equity in my name can easily be transferred to another name. Still on the hunt for something that I really like, but wanted to get some opinions before making such a large change.

If you did undergo a name change, what part of the year would be the best?

If you did undergo a name change, what part of the year would be the best?

It depends, how drastic a change will it be ??? Will the sister company ditch the MediaBrewer name completely ??? Or will it be the "blah blah blah productions from/by MediaBrewer" ???

Another off the subject thing to check out, any license/ tax ID issues because of the change??? Can you switch without carrying a complete new business license/tax ID ???

The more drastic the change the longer it will be to transition those who know or have heard of you to the new name/site/referrals. For that reason alone, I would use "by/from MediaBrewer" for now and if you wish at a later date, drop that when the public has transitioned to the new name.

Jeff, this is a topic that goes to the heart of any business.

I believe that more than relevance to the business of the business, the name needs to be relevant to the size and nature of the business.

By that I mean "Jeff Brewer Films" sounds as if the business features your personal expertise, style, experience and input whereas "Big Time Films" has a more "corporate" ring to it. If you aspire one day to a corporate structure then I'd go for the corporate name today - even Brewer Films. If you hope always to be a craft based business with strong personal involvement, then I'd recommend "Jeff Brewer Films".

The exceptions, oddball names like Amazon (for a book seller) etc, may work but only as corporate type names. They don't conjure up a person or even a personality. They will typically also cost more to establish - look at the fortune it took in TV advertising for Amazon - part of which was to establish what the company [I]wasn't [/I ]ie a South American River Touring company or a modern day version of a female tribe allegedly given to self-harming.

Finally, remember the importance today of a domain name. If you expect or intend that most people will reach your site by typing in the domain name, the fewer letters the better; it's easier to remember and less difficult to mistype. If you expect or intend people to mainly reach your site by click through then it matters less but not for nothing are most if not all two and three letter domain names taken in most areas.

Another thing that I have been taking into account when researching new names is the current competition in Google and other search engines. Some names or titles already have high rankings in google simply because they are common words or maybe even have a movie named the same, so of course imdb is going to whip you in rankings.

Just another tid bit that makes it more difficult to finding the perfect name.

If you're looking for Google hits, you can always choose a few domains that match likely search terms. For example, people you may want to reach might google "Greensboro wedding video". You don't necessarily have to name your company "Greensboro Wedding Video", but it wouldn't hurt to register "greensboroweddingvideo.com" as one of your domains. Having the search terms in your URL definitely puts you higher in the search results.

Hi all!.

I have been very successful with sticking with my name for the business.

Too successful.

Just after my tenth year, I sorta wanted to get more passive income by creating a more "sellable" second team with a "company" name.

I am in the midst of that process. And it's testing how good of a marketer I really am.

I will put out full page ads in lieu of mine. 3x this year. Join around four fairs this year. And put up a separate blog for it. Initially, there will be {a jasonmagbanua studio} attached to it but as it grows, hopefully, I will disassociate from it.

It has a separate phone number.

I will give the shooters/editors at least 50% more what they are earning with me. They will meet with clients not me.

I want them to grow the brand.

Let's see what happens. The launch happens on march.

{I realized this was not really answering the original question. In my opinion, the name is secondary to the work. It is ancillary that the succesful ones have good company names. In any case, I think good is subjective anyway. Case in point, I don't regard my name as nice sounding. It doesn't roll out the tongue smoothly. Even here in the Philippines, it doesn't sound nice and bound for mispronunciation. Foreigners have battered it to death. But it has persevered and caught on and here to stay. Pick a non-horrible name and go do great work )

By that I mean "Jeff Brewer Films" sounds as if the business features your personal expertise, style, experience and input whereas "Big Time Films" has a more "corporate" ring to it. If you aspire one day to a corporate structure then I'd go for the corporate name today - even Brewer Films. If you hope always to be a craft based business with strong personal involvement, then I'd recommend "Jeff Brewer Films".By that rationale Warner Brothers might want to consider re-branding:-)

Very good Nigel. I set myself up for that, but I think a company that's been around for more than 75 years is entitled to be an exception.

However, not only do you correctly point out that there are exceptions, you also draw attention to the fact that the more generic the name, the more opportunities it gives for people to suggest even litigate that you are passing off. (I believe that's an English legal term but I'm sure there are equivalents in other jurisdictions).

In 1972 Ford Europe introduced a large prestige car model they named "Granada". The MD of Granada Television tried to stop them because he'd already "got" (un-legal term) the name, on a chain of cinemas owned by his family since 1926 and transferred to their television company in 1954!

The case was found against them, not least perhaps because, if I recall correctly, the city of Granada in Spain had not registered any complaint despite its somewhat longer provenance.

With that in mind Jeff might like to know that in the UK there's a chain of pub restaurants called Chef and Brewer!

I've also been asked if I brew beer. Perhaps there is a wedding market for those who want their own personalized beer created by their videographer?? Hehe. Appreciate all the input.

Hi all!.

I will put out full page ads in lieu of mine. 3x this year. Join around four fairs this year. And put up a separate blog for it. Initially, there will be {a jasonmagbanua studio} attached to it but as it grows, hopefully, I will disassociate from it.

It has a separate phone number.

I will give the shooters/editors at least 50% more what they are earning with me. They will meet with clients not me.

I want them to grow the brand.

Let's see what happens. The launch happens on march.


Jason, will this new company target the C & D market? I hope I am not being rude but only the A listers can afford you right now =)

I use a separate names and websites for wedding work than I do for my corporate/other stuff. I just find it easier to manage that way.



I think that is smart. This prevents you from sounding like 'Jake's Septic Tank Cleaning and Donut Shop'. It's difficult to do justice to presenting wedding and corporate video services on one web site without diluting the messages for both.

The case was found against them, not least perhaps because, if I recall correctly, the city of Granada in Spain had not registered any complaint despite its somewhat longer provenance.

About a block away from my office is the headquarters of a communication company that owns several small telephone companies. I was chatting with the owner and he mentioned he had recently received a phone call from a lawyer representing Starbucks. The lawyer demanded that they change the name of the "Starbuck Telephone Company" as it infinges on their copyright. He said "You first..." since the Starbuck Telephone Company (located in Starbuck, MN) has been around more than 100 years! He said he's never heard from them again.

I've also been asked if I brew beer. Perhaps there is a wedding market for those who want their own personalized beer created by their videographer?? Hehe. Appreciate all the input.

I am not sure of the legal ramifications, but you might consider creating labels for beer that you can slap on either home brew beer or commercial beer and use it as a giveaway. Most cities have at least one homebrew club where you might get some help or look up people from the Brew Your Own magazine annual label issue.

Jason, will this new company target the C & D market? I hope I am not being rude but only the A listers can afford you right now =)

Hi Noel!

I would say it starts with the B crowd. Well within the range of current competitors. =)

Pick a good solid name you can brand, not just aim at "Josh Swan wedding videography" or something like that. For some reason that screams 80's or 90's to me.

Yeah, because Joe Simon Cinematic HD Wedding Video Vintage Super 8 Wedding Videography Austin Houston Dallas San Antonio TX (http://www.joesimonweddingfilms.com/) has really had a difficult time branding his business. ;)

Indeed, Serendipity Studios is a fantastic name. In fact, it's a name I wanted to use as well. The reason I chose not to use it wasn't because your company already existed, it was because the domain name was being squatted on. So, in terms of real world functionality, the name ultimately failed the litmus test for the simple reason that I would have had to choose a domain name that was different than the name of my company. And regardless of how good a name is, that is a big marketing error.

How many times has someone heard great things about Serendipity Studios, then went online and typed in: serendipitystudios.com and been directed to an empty page or link farm. If you've lost just one customer because of this, I would argue that you've chosen the wrong name, regardless of how perfect it sounds.

Lucky for Serendipity Studios that they're so damn good that none of this really matters anyway. Because, in truth, a name isn't the keystone of your brand, it's the work you produce that defines your image.

Lance, I have to disagree with you. I would agree that having your business name and your domain name match makes it easier to market your brand. However, choosing two that don't match is not necessarily a 'big marketing error' in my opinion.

In our case we felt the name was very strong and had a lot of potential. It also fit us personally and on a philosophical level. The potential for a 'big marketing error' was really in how we chose to market the name, and the domain name is only a small part of that. So we developed a plan to be able to use the name and limit the difficulty of marketing it. It was worth the trade-off.

You mentioned people going online and typing in serendipitystudios-dot-com and not finding us, but in reality that's not an issue. When I hear of a new business (say Patti Cakes) and I want to check out their website, I wouldn't just go straight to a browser and type in patticakes.com. I'd go to Google and do a search for it. That's what most people do. And for us, if you go to Google and type in Serendipity Studios .. guess who comes up first? d;-)

Worst case scenario, someone types patticakes.com and gets a link farm page. What next? They just give up? Not likely. They're just going to go ahead and do a search at that point, so no harm done.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on this. As with everything in life, there is never just one right way to do anything. You have to find what works for you. d;-)

I do also agree that the work you do is a huge part of your brand. You can't just put a nice paint job on a junker car and hope that it sells well.

Deciding whether you want to have weddings in the title is probably the biggest decision.
On one side having "wedding" in the url really gives you a head start with search engines, absolutely no question about that. But on the other side a lot of your competitors will do the same.
A real world example would be a potential client searches "wedding video" and a lot of companies come up all with the word "wedding" in the title. However if a site that doesn't have "wedding" in the name manages to get a good search position, then that name is more likely to stick in the mind.
I would suggest that once you deal with that fundamental question, then how to; market/brand, who your market is, etc etc all seem to follow naturally.