Shoot It Yourself, an innovative company who provide video cameras and guidance for guests to film their own wedding day and then edit the footage into a creative, cutting edge professional DVD, have won valuable support from Leicestershire 'Dragon' Hilary Devey...
In need of funds to move their innovative business forward, business partners Andrea and Rebecca decided to apply to the BBC programme, Dragon's Den. With very little time to prepare, but knowing they wanted a pitch that was going to stand out, Andrea explained their thinking: "We were told that we wouldn't be allowed to have lots of branding so I decided to wear my wedding dress and carry our video cameras, which does what it says on the tin!"
Following a confident pitch with personalised DVDs for each of the Dragons, a short video of their work, and a request for £60,000 in return for a 20% share of their business, there was a unanimous decision that the concept was a great idea. Hilary Devey was the first to make an offer – the full amount, £60,000, in return for a 26% share of the business. "It was hard to conceal our excitement, especially when the Dragons usually go in high at 40%." With such a competitive offer, the other Dragons couldn't compete and Andrea and Rebecca accepted Hilary's offer with a high five and a hug.
Hilary and her team have been working closely with the girls and have lots of exciting ideas for launching into the corporate and events market. Hilary explains: "The company has a great concept, and some fantastic people behind it: the girls are friendly, highly-organised, and exactly the sort you would entrust with the task of creating a remarkable record of your most special day! This company is going to be the next big thing!"
Shoot It Yourself will be benefitting from the investment with new cameras, more marketing and operational staff to cope with the overwhelming demand. The company will be moving into bigger offices and expanding on their popular online video tutorials in the coming months. The launch of their new website which facilitates online booking and versatility has been enthusiastically received with over 5000 unique users per second as the programme was broadcast. Well done girls and good luck from everyone at the beacon magazine!
How it works
Until now most wedding videos have been a series of nice shots, edited to music with no talking to the camera - why? Because people don't feel comfortable being filmed by people they don't know. Now there's an alternative!
After 10 years working on cutting edge programmes for BBC3 and MTV, Andrea and Rebecca launched Shoot It Yourself. From experience they know that anyone can use a video camera, but not many people have the skills to edit. So, as a team of young, fun editors with a background in fast paced entertainment, the girls will watch all of your home video footage, pick out the best bits and use their creative genius to turn your wobbly six hours of home video into a wedding video masterpiece!
For more information
t: 0207 274 8220
e: info@shoot-it-yourself.co.uk
