We recently connected with Aurielle Bryan and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Aurielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
While I did learn a lot of the technical aspect of filmmaking from my college professors, I wouldn’t say that that is the only place that I learned how to do what I do. My journey in the arts really started when I was young. I heavily involved in the performing arts; singing, dancing, acting, writing plays… I consider myself to be really blessed. since I had teachers of the craft who had professional experience. Those teachers really looked out for me and made sire that I was able to sharpen my abilities; they pushed me to do my best and really tried to put me in front of amazing opportunities. However, none of those opportunities would matter if I didn’t learn how to be diligent in practicing, how to say “no” to things that would distract me, or if I didn’t become more comfortable with the possibility of failure. If I got lazy, or ignored any of those aspects of learning my craft, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Definitely! I’m a filmmaker, writer, and creative artist. I also have a family owned company, Heir Media, that is a media company and a bit of a creative studio. With the company, we help businesses properly brand and package themselves through web design, branding, film production (both animation and live action), publishing, and consulting. We try to approach each project ‘story-first’ and as a whole. What I mean is, how your brand looks and feels is only part of what makes your brand, your brand; and it’s only a small part of how your audience (or the audience you want to reach) views your brand. Essentially, we try to help brands position themselves better in an often chaotic and loud digital space.
Some of our recent work was for a small mom and pop painting company that won a bid to paint a historical mansion in the Wilmington, NC area. We worked with them for a month to provide relevant and interesting video content that not only showcased their work on the mansion, but also showed their personality, their employees, and how much they care about their industry. Another client we helped is an economic development company in NC that wants to attract high level talent and large corporations to the area. We created a video for them highlighting all of the amazing opportunity that awaits them if they move to the area. Some of our other clients include brands without a dedicated branding or marketing department. We take up the slack for them in those cases. For us, the sky is the limit.
Other than my business, I am also a filmmaker (mostly working as a director, producer, or screenwriter, but I also have a few acting and voice acting credits). My directorial debut film, “Saving Savanna” is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
Personally, I really got into the arts as a whole when I was really little— probably around four. I started dancing, mostly ballet and modern, and my teachers happened to be retired professional dancers (one from Alvin Ailey and the other from the America Ballet Theater). They really pushed me, even from a young age, to do my absolute best. From there, I started getting into school musicals, and I didn’t stop participating in them even in high school. Eventually, this led me to join my high school’s all-women acapella choir where we toured and competed at States. So, it felt natural for me to end up in the film department of of university learning how this mode of telling a story could work.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Buy art! Go to shows! Watch non blockbusters! Go to film festivals! Don’t stream the song, buy it! Buy directly from the artist/creative/musician when possible! It’s really important to put some of the control back into the hands of artists. That’s how we get a wide range of art; that’s how art gets better and better, and that’s how artists stay fed. We should be investing more into art— art directly builds community, is culturally enriching, and it can assist in being a voice to the voiceless.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to help people dream (or feel wonder) again. I think that it’s very important for everyone to have a space to dream. All to often, as adults, we let that part of us go. We’re constantly bombarded with numerous ways to be stressed, and it’s definitely not healthy to not have an outlet to decompress. Do you remember the feeling that you had as a child as you watched an adventure movie, or witnessed your favorite artist perform, or how you felt walking into somewhere like Disney World as a kid? That feeling is what I’m aiming for. I want those who watch, listen, or interact with my art at all to not worry about their current situation, and come on an adventure with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.auriellechelayne.com
- Instagram: @auriellechelayne
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auriellebryan/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Chelayne
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AurielleChelayneB
Image Credits
The profile picture is by https://www.chevergreenphotography.com/