We all have to start somewhere. I got fortunate enough after college to land a job with a studio as a full-time assistant to two great photographers. One of them became a mentor and a really good friend that I still talk to weekly. I had full access to all the gear I could imagine and this is where I started to build my first real portfolio. That portfolio of work got me my first real commercial job, and it wasn’t built with paid work.

It’s no secret that being in the creative industry and running a company in this industry can be quite a rollercoaster. The highs are addictive, that’s why we keep going, but the lows can be challenging on so many levels, especially when they last a little too long for comfort.

Us photographers and cinematographers, and really anyone in the visual arts, see the world differently, literally.

It’s something any visual artist works hard to develop, and it’s not something that you can just turn off. You walk in a room and start thinking about angles, perspective and lighting.

Hi, Danielle here! You’ve heard a lot from Geoff, so starting today, every second Tuesday of the month I’m going to be taking over BTB and sharing my side of the business.

Let’s take a trip back, I’m fresh out of collage and one of the biggest topics in the photography world was film vs. digital. I know I’m probably dating myself but just hear me out.

Photographers who had built careers behind film cameras were watching the digital take over and a lot of them were not happy about it. Film had been the standard and there was a lot of legitimate criticism on the quality of digital technology.

There’s a feeling I’ve learned to pay attention to.

Not excitement exactly, but not entirely dread. Somewhere in between. A low burn in my gut that shows up right before I’ve said yes to something I’ve never done before. Something outside where I’ve been but have been wanting to go. Those damn butterflies.

I was a young nineteen year old when I first grabbed my camera and thought I was going to be a photographer.

I was not prepared for what that actually meant.

After 10 weeks of stories and reflecting on everything I’ve shared, the access, the authenticity, the process, the team, it all comes down to one thing.

Trust.

Let me be straight with you about something.

We’re not a big production company. We don’t have a sprawling roster, a corner office, or a lobby with an espresso machine serving burnt coffees and a receptionist who won’t quit scrolling TicToc. And we’re not going to pretend otherwise. We do however have a pretty sweet rooftop patio at the studio and a cooler waiting for happy hour, but I digress…

There’s an old military saying that was basically the soundtrack of my childhood growing up in a military family:

“Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.”

The 7 Ps. And while we don’t run a production quite like a military operation, that principle is baked into everything we do before we get on set and a camera ever gets turned on.

Everyone in this industry says they’re story-driven.

It’s right there in the bio. The website. The pitch deck. Story-driven this, story-driven that. And honestly I get it, hell it’s on my website as well. Because the story behind a brand is almost always more powerful than what the brand produces.

Most brands come to us knowing what they need.

A hero image for the website. A product video for Amazon. A campaign visual for the fall launch. The brief is clear, the shot list is locked, and the goal is to check every box before wrap.

And we will. Every single one.

Seriously. When a client sends over a brief that has the style, storyboard, locations, timing, deliverables, budget, yes the actual budget number for the love… It tells me we’re working with a team that has their act together, and I genuinely appreciate every single one of them.

But here’s the thing about even the best brief.

When a production goes well, nobody really throws a party, aside from a few cold ones sitting on the tailgate of a truck.

You might get a nice email, maybe. A thumbs up in Slack if you’re lucky. Most of the time I’m totally fine with all of this, not every job needs a wrap party.

Authentic is one of the most overused word in creative marketing.

Everyone wants it. Nobody agrees on what it is. And a lot of very expensive content gets made in its name that misses it completely.

The most challenging interview I’ve ever done didn’t start with a camera.

It started with me talking too much.

The Access Problem

Most production companies can show up and make something look good.

Getting a brand inside the real version of their customer's world,  that's a different problem entirely.