2026 Creative Intake Process
As we head into 2026, your creative team might be looking to fill some creative needs with a freelancer.
What do those initial calls actually look like? And what sort of information should you be ready to share on an intake call?
I can only speak for myself, but for my business and line of work (video producing/editing), here are some things I’ll be asking from you and your team if you need editing help:
What’s a general overview of the type of video you want to create?
Who is your audience?
What are 1–3 main points you want to get across in the video?
Do you have any examples of a style you like that you can share?
What branding assets are we working with?
What length is the video ideally?
Do you have footage, photos, assets, or graphic design already? What are we working with? (This one is important.)
Any music preferences? What’s the tone of the video? This ties back to audience as well.
What are the actual deliverables?
What’s the deliverable timelines?
Having this information on the front end before the intake call can speed up the entire process and lead to a smoother final delivery.
I’m always happy to help strategize with teams that need support shaping video ideas. That said, having these answers ready to go before the intake call helps everything run more efficiently for everyone involved.
Freelancers: What questions do you like to have answered on intake calls that really help smooth the process?
Clients: What makes an intake call feel successful and gives you confidence that a creative understands your needs?