Vlogging – not just for teenagers!

Together with a team of industry professionals, she supports businesses and organisations in need of video to increase their online visibility.

Mi Elfverson grew up in Sweden, but after spending many years in New York and London, her home is now in Brighton. Well, Hove, actually…

“I’ve been here for 12 years and I love the sea, the Downs and the ease to get into London. The diversity of Brighton with its creative and heart-centred community is fabulous”.

Courage and luck landed Mi a first job at Swedish Television in Stockholm. They were at the time producing an Ingmar Bergman production, The Best Intentions.

Mi decided to pursue a practical film education to help get into production and accepted a place at Stockholm Film School. She also got a part time job at Westholm’s Casting Agency, the only casting agency in Scandinavia at the time. Holding auditions for all major production companies in Northern Europe as well as the US, they did the castings for TV and cinema commercials as well as some major blockbusters. When it was time to find the next Bond girl, Westholm’s was the first point of call, and Mi auditioned Izabella Scorupco, who subsequently got the role as Natalya Simonova in GoldenEye.

Further education at New York Film Academy landed her more work with some top ranked companies, filming in Hollywood and managing large production teams for commercials, such as Ericsson, Volvo and Kellogg’s.

“It was exhilarating getting to Los Angeles the first time, checking into a hotel in West Hollywood and visiting the massive special effects studios we were using.”

A few years of hectic work followed with many early mornings and late nights.

“Film production might seem glamourous to a lot of people, but when you’re in Sweden in the middle of winter and need to shoot a night-scene outdoors in the snow, the glam factor is equal to the temperature; sub-zero. You’ve got to be passionate about it.”

Next stop was London, where she landed a permanent job with a documentary company. The first production was a Channel 5 documentary about Giorgio Armani. She also worked as Gillian Anderson’s (Agent Scully of The X-files) personal assistant for a while.

When Mi got married and had a baby boy, she decided to settle permanently in England and moved to Brighton to get more space and air.

Going back into TV production was not an option with a baby, she needed more flexibility. She had always been a passionate amateur photographer and received her first camera from her father when she was 12 years old. So, for the following years, Mi turned her hand to corporate photography and built a loyal client base in Brighton, working closely with local companies such as Moshimo Sushi, Choc Chick, the Little Swim School and La Belle Beauty Salon in Worthing.

“It was amazing to apply my passion in this new way. Suddenly I didn’t have to work around the clock to get paid, I didn’t need a massive crew, but I still had an income and could pick up my son from school every day.”

But one day a marketing expert called Kevin Daum, introduced her to a very small video camera. She started filming and editing promotional videos for local entrepreneurs. But it was tough on a low budget, and the companies often didn’t even have clarity on their own brand.

“It was at a time when YouTube vlogging had begun to grow. Not many “adults” were using the platform, but it was definitely growing, and I saw this amazing opportunity for small businesses to get out there and be seen at a really low cost. If I could teach them to film their own videos on their smartphone, they could manage the rest themselves.

The Vlog Academy was born.”

Suddenly video was hitting all social media platforms and started taking over the internet.

“Video is such a powerful marketing tool, because it’s multi-layered and communicates on so many levels. You can activate almost all senses with video and make people take action quickly. You can also reach a massive audience, without having to buy prime-time advertising time on TV.”

Mi’s clients now range from British Gas to UEFA, as well as institutes such as the London School of Economics and King’s College.

Google features YouTube videos at the top of a search and social media platforms will push video forward, this is why video is a must have for any business that wants to be found online.

The Vlog Academy is going from strength to strength and is now divided into two departments: Training and Video production. There are also several online training courses to choose from, for those who prefer to learn in their own time.

“I love working with “real” people in front of the camera. It’s very rewarding to see people crack through from feeling quite fearful, to being relaxed in front of the camera. They learn how to talk without a script and speak with an authentic voice, aligned with their passion.”

When she’s not on location filming or giving workshops, Mi has a base at Platf9rm in Hove. She also travels internationally to host courses and to give talks. The next international talk will be at the Women’s Economic Forum in Slovenia in February, after which Mi is hosting her own visibility retreat in March in Morocco.

You can pop in to meet Mi at her monthly “Vlog Lounge”
at Platf9rm in Hove to talk about your specific video needs.