Become a Freelancer Video Editor in 2023 | Q1: starting from scratch!

When you first even LEARN that freelance is a thing and that, as a video editor, there’s an alternative path beyond “going to film school, moving to a huge city and working in a post house”... you’re probably like me and start thinking “well where do i start?
That’s definitely what I thought when I first started my journey. I didn’t really know how freelance worked and I didn’t know how I’d go from having zero clients to possibly having a full time income from freelance work.
Little did I know at the time, the freelance creative industry was on the rise and continues to grow for copywriters, graphic designers, videographers and, of course, video editors!
I decide that this year, I am going to start a quarterly series all centered around the steps to take to go from wherever you are now (that could be employed full time but ready for a change, no video editing experience, or you're just interested in taking the path of the freelance video editor)... to earning a full time income as a totally freelance video editor, being your own boss and being in complete control of your video editing career.
This is quarter one, so this is part one of four for my 2023 series. And if you’d like to follow along with this guide, then the info in this video will carry you for the first 3 months of this year.
Building a freelance career for yourself is not an overnight goal, especially if you’re like me and you want to transition to freelance while being a full-time employee somewhere else.
So, enough of this intro, let’s get into your first quarter of starting your freelance video editing career.
👇🏽 👇🏿 Check Out 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 Videos Here! 👇🏿 👇🏽
Become a Freelancer Video Editor in 2023 (Part 2 - Get the CLIENT!)
• Become a Freelancer Vi...
Become a Freelancer Video Editor in 2023 (Part 3 - The THICK of it)
• Become a Freelancer Vi...
Become a Freelancer Video Editor in 2023 (Part 4 - Mastering Freelance)
• Video
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[@miahryan300]

I have been a cook and a carpenter my entire life and now I'm learning how to edit videos so easy thanks to you! 🙏

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yayyyyyy that makes me so happy!!! Best of luck on your video editing path!

[@doitandmakemoney7039]

I start my journey to become a video editor today. I'm optimistic 😊

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yayyyy I’m excited for you!!!!

[@imaenzi7346]

How far did u come mate

[@UncleFrostyPoo]

I've been watchin' a lot of KZbin videos about this topic and I've found yours to be the most helpful. Thanks for being helpful. You're a good, helpful person.

[@ColleenCavolo]

Wow, that means a lot. Thank you so much for saying that!!!

[@vladislava511]

13:08 we're polar opposites HAHAHAHAHAHA I stress thinking about "how to make a short engaging, what are other creators doing, what is the trend, what catches attention quicker" ...

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

Nice to meet you - so excited about this series! I've been editing for myself for a number of years now and I'm totally burned out on my current job. I've been exploring options and this is the direction I've been leaning for months now. Thank you for the help!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Oh my gosh I’m so happy you found this video!! Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I’m really happy you’re here! 💚

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

@@ColleenCavolo Thank you so much, that's super kind of you.

[@keishaj1977]

thank you so much! im looking at doing video editing as a small side hustle and i know these videos will help me!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yayyy I hope so! Please let me know if you have any specific questions!!!

[@AlexWanderlust7]

Thank you for sharing. It persuaded me to start taking clients earlier. But I still hesitate about my skills to do it professionally.

[@ColleenCavolo]

I did the same thing. Sometimes it’s best to just jump into it and see what happens. If you have clients, you’re good enough to do it professionally!!

[@emmanuelbask2868]

Hey Colleen, just came across you, like right now. This is a really great video and I'm definitely going to implement cause I've been trying to add freelance video editing to my web design and dev skills but was looking for a roadmap and for me, this is the best roadmap so far. Thanks for all you do. You just got another subscriber with the notification btn actually turned on 😎

[@ColleenCavolo]

🥹🥹🥹 Thank you for saying all that! Wow. It’s seriously comments like these that keep me going sometimes. I’m so grateful to hear you subscribed! Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you on your career path!

[@Teriyakipapita]

This is so helpful, thank you so much!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yayyy so happy it helped!

[@kermitera]

Thanks for the advice, I love how informative this video was and currently I just upgraded my pc for editing for my second year in film school. I had a 2019 macbook pro and it was doing good until it started slowing down and closing my softwares randomly. I've been looking into freelance to earn extra income but also to earn more experience and improve my skills. I'll definitely subscribe.

[@ColleenCavolo]

Thanks so much, and HIGHLY recommend jumping into freelance/internships whenever you can! Getting into the job market and getting experience behind you is one of the biggest hurdles editors (and creatives in general) are facing, and if you can take advantage of that now while you’re in school I think you’ll set yourself up nicely come grad time!

[@machogwapito3095]

Thank you so much , I really learned from this video

[@ColleenCavolo]

I appreciate you saying that, so happy it was helpful!

[@dogflirt]

Great video, good info in here… 2 things I’d like to add: most people don’t know Apple has refurbished computers on their website. I’ve done it twice, and they are like new with warranties and all. Saved thousands. Also around 7:00 you talked about computer gear needed for editing a TikTok or KZbin video vs corporate videos. In my experience, it was the complete opposite. I can’t speak for TikTok, but my annual revenue and client rate went up drastically when I was hired by a KZbin client. Corporate videos were hit or miss and had much less in their budgets. With longform KZbin, my monthly income almost tripled. Not exaggerating. And the amount of files, renders, 4K, 6K footage, plus vfx compositing; I definitely needed more computing power for my KZbin clients.

[@ColleenCavolo]

This is GREAT thank you for your insights on this!!

[@Vshamann336]

So I had the same problem when doing work for myself where I couldn't shut my brain off for my work because there was no setting switch. I ended up doing an introspective extrospective meditation. I found it from Andrew huberman. And in just one week it really had amazing results on being able to switch my focus from one thing to the next and not have my mind on the previous thing. It ended up helping with what you're talking about. Big time and fast

[@ColleenCavolo]

WOW I have never heard of that before! Definitely will have to look into this. Thank you for your comment!

[@TheWrightTimes]

I enjoy video editing. Editing my own videos. I lose track if time doing it. Learning new stuff like how to try to do certain things

[@ColleenCavolo]

That’s when you know you’re meant to be an editor!!! Thanks for watching!!!

[@TheWrightTimes]

@@ColleenCavolo maybe. Would get a job doing it though. No qualifications and experience in it for a job

[@HudsonJJH]

Thank you so much for your video. Filmmaking and video editing specifically have been my dream job since middle school. I always struggle to push myself to get started, despite the fact that I have a lot of editing experience and all the equipment. Last week I finally sat down, organized everything, made a brand new portfolio, and managed to get an editing deal for the company i currently work full time for. Im excited, but nervous to try and land more clients and finally be able to make enough to edit full time and leave my job. Your videos have helped give me hope that i can make it, thank you!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Wow that’s awesome to hear!!! It’s such a great feeling when you can take that time out to focus on your own business and getting yourself to a good place where you can pitch your skills to get the job you want. I’m really excited for you!!! Definitely let me know how that freelance journey goes!!!

[@snoozsn]

That’s so so exciting for you 🥹🥹!!🎉 how has it been going? I’m feeling the same with struggling to push myself to get started even though I have a lot of experience!😊

[@HudsonJJH]

@@snoozsnhonestly life got in the way and I lost the confidence again, but as of the last 2 weeks I have been editing as much as I can and once again working on a new portfolio, I’m currently trying to create as much of whatever I can to build up a collection of “skill showcases”. I haven’t given up on my dream of being an editor, I’m still trying, I wish I could have replied to this 9 months later saying I’ve made it, I haven’t but i haven’t given up either.

[@snoozsn]

@@HudsonJJH I really admire your determination and think you’re doing fantastic with what life throws! 🥰🥰🥰

[@HudsonJJH]

@@snoozsn thank you for your comment, since your original reply I’ve posted 2 edits!! Never stop trying!

[@MakesYouThink-zk1mo]

Pro tip: Do not "like" this video to prevent it from spreading in order to minimize your competition

[@ColleenCavolo]

🤣🤣🤣 thanks for the tip!

[@ThisGuyRightHere353]

Great video

[@ColleenCavolo]

Thank you!!!

[@NeoLivingston]

I started off as a student and doing short film editing. Life went downwards,lost majority of my work and now I’m starting over again with a new laptop my current job provided for me on Amazon . I was on Mandy looking for potential film editing work. So I’m literally starting from scratch again 🤣

[@ColleenCavolo]

You’d be surprised how many people have similar stories, including me! I’m excited to know you’re getting back into it, I hope it all goes well for you!!!

[@sherules5005]

I appreciate your intro to VE

[@ColleenCavolo]

And I appreciate YOU watching!

[@heavydremer8716]

Thank you for the advice! It's helped alot in terms of planning out a career path. I had created a draft gig on fiverr and didn't feel like I had anything worth selling. Gonna work on a demo reel next! +like +sub :D

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yesssss that is awesome! It’s those little steps that really get the ball rolling!

[@vi5574]

So I do enjoy your videos! I am just asking myself, if there is a way to become a video editor with the love for creativity and working with my laptop but without too much of more gadgets and huge computers and WITHOUT the nerdy love for neon lights ... is it possible?

[@mackyntoshTV]

nice content very inspiring

[@ColleenCavolo]

I appreciate that!!! Thank you :)

[@EruditeYT]

This is an amazing video! Very informative! Can I ask what you studied for your degree? And did it help you get where you are today?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Thank you so much!!! I have a BA in cinema and digital arts. I think it definitely helped me meet a lot of people that helped me get where I am today. But dang it was expensive to get 😅😅

[@moneyball9260]

How do you go about charging a hourly rate? How do they know how many hours you’ve been working on the video.

[@ColleenCavolo]

From my experience, clients have wanted a rough estimate OR you just learn how many hours after the first few videos and they decide from there if that works for them

[@mohitpatidar5030]

How you get clients? Please make a video on this? It will be highly appreciated Collen

[@ColleenCavolo]

Coming at ya! Thanks for watching :) How to Find Video Editing Clients kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYXaqml3qLCogKM

[@Edumacator]

I’m getting started in editing, and it looks like I need a to make a good showreel. But looking at peoples editing showreels in what seems to be such an expressive artform have the same upbeat annoying music, and a bunch of stock footage. What I originally thought for my reel would have a voiceover, a more comedic take and human aspect. It might be because I’m going for a more KZbinr target for my clients, not to offend anyone, as everyone buts lots of effort into these things, but I wonder why people don’t try to stand out? Am I missing something? Do you have an opinion on this?

[@ColleenCavolo]

SUCH a great point. I've always found reels a little silly, especially for editors. Like HOW do you stand out in your demo reel as an editor? Well you have a GREAT strategy to use a comedic take on the reel. I say any way to make yourself stand out, definitely try it out!! We're not in the era of playing it safe and editing like everyone else lol its too competitive for that!!

[@parasdhiman2300]

Make a video on how to write cold email to pitch video editing services to a youtube channel.

[@ColleenCavolo]

Thank you so much! What a great idea!!!

[@parasdhiman2300]

@@ColleenCavolo please check your email

[@kojifreelance9526]

Great information, but from what I understood in the beginning you said it's okay to start freelancijg today without no much experience but afterwards you explained that someone should have a demo reel or a niche to work on, how can someone resolve this issue? My guess is that someone can work on personal random projects then work with a couple of clients for free then charge afterwards, what do you think?

[@ColleenCavolo]

RIGHT it’s tough when you’re first starting out!! You need a job to get experience and stuff for your reel and resume, but it’s hard to get a job with zero experience!! Essentially, yes, your experience may need to start with passion projects of your own, projects for school, or getting an internship of some kind to get that foundation going so you have some time experience to build off of.

[@imranasif3587]

Hello collin, what would be your suggestion for someone with a basic Hp laptop? My processor is i3 1115G4, 11 gen, so most probaly da vinci resolve would crash,others top software too. The software that I found compatible are clickchamp or vsdc which aren’t good enough to earn money or get client’s as a video editor as far as I know.

[@rinapup9396]

I worked with a worse laptop. Use sony vegas, it will be enough till you see whats missing and earn enough money for a good pc

[@ShitStainJets]

Hey Colleen, just found you. Thanks for doing what you’re doing! It is greatly appreciated!! I haven’t watched anything besides this one so maybe you’ve done one already. I started video editing a few months ago. I took a course here and there online but I am definitely very raw at this and need guidance. I work a full time job so school isn’t really a thing but I was wondering a couple things 1) if you knew of any place that does hands on training for this. I’m not doing a great job teaching myself and I feel everything is taking forever and 2) After realizing how expensive it is to buy photos, videos, audio, etc I started trying my hand at videography to which I am also very mediocre at. Editing seems to be the stronger avenue. Do you know of an inexpensive if not free approach to creating demo reels? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

[@ColleenCavolo]

I’m actually working on a video about this exactly!!! But first of all, welcome! I’m so happy you found my channel!! Second, I’m in the same boat. My videography is… not great hahaha so I just stuck to editing. Your best bet is to use what you can that’s free and get creative!! Create prompts for yourself in the style you’d like to edit in. Practice telling stories usually what you have. Practice transitions and key frames and fonts and graphics and watch videos on KZbin and try to replicate that editing. Editing is free to access but can take years and years to “perfect” to a level at which you can get paid for. Keep an eye out for my demo reel vid on this :) I’ll try and get it out asap!

[@ShitStainJets]

@@ColleenCavolo I will for sure keep an eye out for your demo reel video. Thanks for responding. It’s reassuring to know that not all of us master stuff in a day, that there actually is a process and it takes time. It sometimes doesn’t feel that way watching some tutorials on KZbin- many make it seem like it’s just so easy when in reality it must take time, right?

[@ColleenCavolo]

@@ShitStainJets it’s taken me YEARS to get good enough to get paid for editing. Then it took years to change my niche and get better in social media editing! So yes. It’s a long process!

[@MattCrawley_Music]

new to all this. great video. So social media is your preferred niche? Do youtubers/tiktokers come to you to edit their videos? How does that work exactly? Sorry if this is in another video, i only just discovered your channel

[@ColleenCavolo]

Welcome to the channel! Social media and KZbin video editing is my main niche. I only edit short form content for all my clients. So I work remotely and have a handful of clients that are either companies or solopreneurs that make up my income! Happy to answer any other questions or let me know if you have any video requests :)

[@MattCrawley_Music]

@ColleenCavolo that's great, I guess I assumed people did all their own social media video editing, unless they were famous or busy celebrities (maybe that's who you work for) so I'm curious how you find clients for that. I guess a lot of it is networking, word of mouth? Do you ever suggest to clients what, or how they should record their material, or do they send all of it straight to you and tell you what they want? Many thanks !

[@ColleenCavolo]

@@MattCrawley_Music it’s mainly Companies! Companies need to hire social media managers and content creators to promote their brand. But YT creators also hire out their social media, mainly because it’s time consuming! I provide advice to my clients when they ask for it or need it, but mainly I just work with what is given to me!

[@MattCrawley_Music]

This is really helpful, thankyou!@@ColleenCavolo

[@huzaifashaikh107]

Love from Pakistan

[@QuintonMcReynolds]

Free lance is so hard

[@ColleenCavolo]

It definitely is! It’s not for everyone!

[@nastaranng1691]

I want to get into film editing and making, do you think school is the best way to getinto it or learning the skill set myself?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Making movies by itself does not require a film school, for sure. Anyone can make movies easily nowadays. Also, willingness to hustle and be ambitious and learn quickly is what gets people hired over and over again, not a degree. However, you’ll have to do your part as well to get involved with your community and meet people to gain experience and learn from different people.

[@music-cl3pt]

👍

[@ColleenCavolo]

Thank you!!

[@thesearch11]

Hey Colleen! I've been considering a career change for the longest time, and I think it's finally time to get started, I'm a writer who's trying to move into video editing and content creation. I've been taking classes on Premiere Pro and this video just provided some more clarity. Is there anything else you think I need to know?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Oh how exciting!! You know, it’s funny, I’m releasing a video next week about “secrets to applying to jobs” and one of them is about improving your writing skills! Looks like you’ll already have that down! Yea I’ll link the part 2 to this vid in case you haven’t seen it, that might help. But really you just gotta dive in and start applying to jobs to see where you can fit into this market!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Become a Freelancer Video Editor in 2023 (Part 2 - Get the CLIENT!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4jIo6Wdlpeth6c

[@thesearch11]

@@ColleenCavolo thank you!

[@jananibaskar6312]

Thanks for this amazing video Sister...Lot of infos...Thank u🙏

[@origamitouch8821]

Hi, just wanted to ask how you learned video editing?

[@ColleenCavolo]

How did you learn video editing? Would love to hear your stories! #freelancevideoeditor

[@noseycommenter9001]

Do you recommend actually going to school? I’m actually trying to Become a digital nomad and travel Abroad and like you said in one of your other videos if you have edits videos of any kind you probably know more that you think you do.

[@ColleenCavolo]

It’s such a tough thing, bc there’s plenty of jobs that require a degree. BUT I learned so much more about video editing through jobs and internships than I ever did in school. So maybe learn video editing on your own and get a cheap degree online? You gotta do whatever’s best for you!

[@marksmania42]

I just started my own gig at Fiverr as a Short Form Video Editor. No clients yet, just one video on my portfolio, and all I have is my phone for editing. Welp... Let's see how this turns out😅 Edit: It turned out pretty well! Accumulated a lot of cash from making 4 packages. Right now I'm making more videos for my portfolio💙

[@Savannah-xx3zk]

Tips for building a resume with no experience or existing projects/work?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Get an internship :) or work on passion projects with local people in the industry!

[@alpatrick9428]

Can I use my smatphone to edit videos?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Absolutely!!! Just takes a little getting used to :)

[@capolot]

Do you think upwork is s good place to start?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Yes I do!! It’s tough to get started but that’s basically where I began my freelance career :)

[@pleasant8407]

I want to be Video Editor !!!

[@ColleenCavolo]

Then you’re in the right place!!!

[@olayoriblessing3293]

@@ColleenCavolo I'm new here pls how do I go about it

[@cybertechnews6204]

how to bulid pc for editing please

[@bubelski]

basically high end graphics card, cpu with a lot of cores and minimum 16gb ram, tho I'd recommend 32

[@lumberjack5035]

"she's purty Spongebob 8D ... "

[@AchinthaG]

I like you.. 🤗

[@ColleenCavolo]

Wow thanks so much!!

[@AchinthaG]

@@ColleenCavolo 💪

[@jamielehman4934]

When it comes to building a portfolio, couldnt a person trying to expand their portfolio ask their friends to pretend to be having a wedding, take pics or footage of that "wedding" and give the footage to the video editor. He/she could then use that faux wedding footage to create a video using that footage, pretend to get paid, then have his friends leave a good review about what an awesome job he did? Basically what Im saying is, if a person has trouble finding clients couldnt they just fake it by asking their friends?

[@ColleenCavolo]

Aaaaaaaaaaabsolutely they can 😊😎 great idea! Everyone take notes 📝

[@royahashemi7137]

iam in Afghanistan can i make money in freelancer

[@PremierePro-zv1xq]

Your beauty > Tutorial

[@extrememobilegamer1450]

Hello,I need more info. How can I reach you on social media

[@ColleenCavolo]

You can message me on my IG @colleencavolo :)