We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Perez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jamie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I was having trouble coming up with a catchy business name that would embody what I do. My mom actually came up with it. Knowing my passion for telling heartfelt stories, she said, “If a picture says a thousand words, your videos will leave people Beyond Words.” And that’s how the business name Beyond Words Productions came to be!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jamie and I’m a videographer and storyteller. I found my passion for heartfelt storytelling when I worked as a TV news reporter for 6 years, living around the country reporting for ABC and CBS affiliates. While I loved my job as a reporter, I wanted to tell compassionate stories all the time. In September of 2021, I left my news job and a couple months later, started my business focusing on heartfelt and emotive video storytelling for businesses and nonprofits full time.

A lot of people ask what the point of storytelling is. Stories have been around for centuries. It’s the oldest form of sharing information and connecting with one another. And it has withstood the test of time. Stories are how we open up our hearts and lives to form authentic connections with others. It’s what sets you apart from others. So when businesses and nonprofits utilize storytelling instead of just traditional promo videos, it helps them stand out. When we can go on camera and share our “why”, it helps draw in others who can see themselves in our stories. It helps you rise above others who may be doing the same thing as you, but just aren’t sharing their stories the way you might be.

I’ve seen the impacts that sharing stories can have through my news career, but especially now with my video business. Video is the most consumed medium and if you aren’t utilizing video nowadays, you’re missing a giant opportunity and will get left behind. More people buy products and services from those who utilize video in some way.

On top of the video production aspect, I also do video and storytelling consulting for those who want to be better on camera, better at sharing their stories, may already have a video team in place but just want to train them on how to market their story better.

In my time in business, I’ve won multiple awards for the impact my stories have had on others, but my proudest achievements come from making others feel so deeply. As a child, I grew up in a very emotionally and verbally abusive home. I took a lot of that pain into adulthood with me. I used to be told that my emotions were a weakness. But now that I’ve built an entire business around my emotions, which are actually my superpower, I see the impact it has and it’s made me realize that emotional intelligence is just as important as artificial intelligence in today’s world. I love making people feel things that I never got to feel growing up. It allows them to understand their story a little better.

I want people to know that there’s a difference between a promo video and a video that tells a story. While there is a time and place for promo videos, those often don’t set you apart or make you memorable. Stories do. Stories go deeper than just advertising. When you understand what a true story is in a business, you’ll understand that that type of video doesn’t have a shelf life and it’s one of the best business investments you’ll ever make.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My entire business was built while living in Madison, WI. For three years, I built a great business out there and was doing incredibly well. But while I was building a business promoting peace, love, positivity… behind closed doors I was experiencing everything but that. I found myself in a years-long abusive relationship that seemed impossible to get out of. In August of last year, I walked away from everything, prioritizing my self-worth, peace and freedom over security and comfort (if you can call it that). I lost my house, my cars, my dogs, and my business.

I moved back to California with no income, no clients…. nothing but myself and my mindset to rebuild, hopefully better than before.

I’ve been back in California for seven months now and am working tirelessly to rebuild my life in a new way. The other element of this is that I returned to my childhood home where the abuse first started for me. So returning to a painful past has also been an extremely difficult part of the process. This transition has been anything but easy but I know I made the right decision. It’s just that sometimes the right decision is not always the easy decision. I’ve kept strong in my values and knowing my worth. Although the last seven months have been extremely challenging and I’m still dealing with certain levels of verbal and emotional abuse, I have a fire inside me to rise even higher than before.

I tell my network that life is sort of like a trampoline. Every time you come down, you rise back up. And the harder you come down, the higher you’ll elevate in return.

I came down pretty hard this last year … but I know that once I come up, I’ll rise up higher than ever. That’s what keeps me going every day. Knowing that I’m going to get there and that this is all just going to be a chapter in my story one day.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I left my news career, I actually had another job working for a company that sent out e-blasts letting all subscribers know of all the positive and fun things happening in the community, new businesses and restaurants to support, etc. This was during the post-COVID era when these businesses could really use the publicity.

Two days into me working for this new job, I got an email from the attorney at my previous news station threatening that if I didn’t quit my job they would sue me. I ignored the email because, unfortunately, this type of thing happens to people who leave the news industry all the time and most times, it’s news stations just trying to flex their muscles. But they emailed me again the following week. So I told the CEO of my new company what was going on and he assured me he would talk to them and let them know that they aren’t trying to steal business away from them.

One month into me working this new job, I got on a zoom call with the CEO who said he spoke with my former managers and said if they didn’t fire me that day, they would come after both of us. I lost my job that day and was completely heartbroken, confused, and angry that anyone would want to do something like that to another human being and for what? To this day, I’m still not sure what they gained from that.

That day was the pivotal moment that turned me into an entrepreneur. I was so afraid to try to get another job somewhere, worried that the news station would just keep doing the same thing to me over and over again unless I moved out of state. So I started my business in secret for a year. It was extremely challenging because anytime I went somewhere or made a video for someone, I would always say, “Please don’t tell anyone that I am doing this.” Which is exactly the opposite of what you want when trying to build a business.

I never planned on being an entrepreneur, but now that I’ve done it for a while, I can’t imagine going back. So even though the actions the news station took on me were atrocious and horrible, I have to thank them for two things: showing me how to never treat another person, and for telling me no so I could say yes to the path I’m supposed to be on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beyondwordsproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondwordsproductionsllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondWordsProductionsLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondwordsproductions/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC887IdSH9ZDVhCcjaxvM42Q

Image Credits

Paul Gero Photography, Arrowstar Photography, SWNUP Films