Want to launch a Web video program? Here’s a roadmap

How McGraw-Hill built an in-house studio for less than $25,000

In October 2007, Patrick Durando was named senior director of global new media at The McGraw-Hill Cos. in New York. By April, he was christening an internal film studio he had built from scratch, spending very little scratch in the process.

He did this knowing “nothing” about video beforehand, he said.

“With a lot of luck, good advice and about $25,000, I built a small studio complete with lights, backgrounds and a good camera and built a small post-production facility,” he said. He also recruited and hired an inexpensive videographer.

The duo is now in high demand at the global publishing firm, filming corporate events, executive messages, author interviews, product promotions and conferences hosted by McGraw-Hill businesses around the world. They shoot a couple of hours a week on average, and their efforts are distributed online—some just to employees, some to the public.

How did Durando know his effort would pay off? It started with the popularity of sites such as YouTube.