The idea behind stock footage or photos is that there is a creator needing a picture or clip for a project. Rather than hiring a crew for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to obtain what they need they can purchase the content through stock businesses like Videoblocks, Shutterstock, or Pond5 for a significantly lower price than the cost of producing it themselves.

Five years ago I heard about these websites and decided to give them a try as a side project. I began with photography but quickly realized that there was no real money to be made with stock photography. The market is too oversaturated and you make between 25 to 33 cents per sale! I then switched to stock footage and found it a much more viable option.

I want to make one thing very clear. This is not an easy money gig or a get rich quick business plan. If you plan to make any significant amount of money plan on spending a ton of time, money (for equipment) and effort before you begin to see any real results. I read people complaining in the forums all the time about how they have a hundred clips up but no sales. With millions of clips online, you can't expect yours to be found with any regularity until you have thousands rather than hundreds. By the fifth year of of pursuing being a stock footage producer I am now doing it full time with over 14,000 clips in my portfolio (as of Jan 2016). Any films, commercials or photos I do are now my side projects.

There is much to learn and figure out if you plan to make a living at it but it is doable. In my limited spare time I hope to create some courses on making a living with stock footage. I'll post them here when I get around to it.