Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cameron Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cameron, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When I was in college, my major was Communications: Broadcast Journalism. In my senior year, I had an internship at KMBC in Kansas City, MO. At one point, I was asked if I would like to run the teleprompter during the early morning telecast. At the time, I was working overnight, finishing my last semester, and doing the internship. I just couldn’t add that extra on top of everything else I was doing. I turned that work down and never heard anything else about it again. Near the end of my internship, I was doing a capstone project to show if internships truly turn into job opportunities. I interviewed another girl who was interning at the same place I was. She told me that one day she was asked if she wanted to run the teleprompter in the early mornings. Turns out that it was an actual job opportunity. You can just imagine my disappointment. Not only did I miss out on a perfect entry level opportunity, but I would never get another chance due to every company was wanting at least 3-5 years of experience, and I was only a college graduate. I told my dad about what I found out. He encouraged me to start my own business. He told me I was good at what I did, and if there are no doors open, create my own. So I started Action-N-Motion Productions soon after I graduated, and I’ve been perfecting my craft ever since for the last 10 years.
Cameron, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I first started journalism when I was in middle school. I started with newspaper, and then got into the yearbook and radio when I was in high school. Once I went to college, I decided I would do television broadcast. For my business, I do some personal jobs, but I mainly focus on business marketing, and all their needs for branding. So whether that’s promos, or product photos, we do it all to showcase your business and promote it, we can help with it. What makes me unique is that my work is not the same job to job. That’s because my work is tailored specifically to that business or customer. Each customer is unique, so my work reflects that customer’s branding personality.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
When I first started, I had literally no equipment to even begin work. To do some of my first jobs, I bought an SD card and reader and borrowed my cousin’s Canon. I was just graduating college, so I didn’t have much money. One day, my dad asked me what all did I need to really get started and not have to ask to use other people’s equipment. I told him the basic things like a camera, a couple lenses, a desktop computer, and the Adobe editing software. Somehow he was able to do all of that for me while being a retiree on a fixed income. Now that he’s passed, that’s something that I’ll never forget.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think what helped me most to build my reputation was really word-of-mouth. A lot of my business came from people who worked with me before and referred someone to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @actionnmotionproductions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actionNmotion
