We recently connected with Courtney Gerwig and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

First off. I never thought I would be a business owner at all! I always thought I would be working for someone. So when the opportunity presented itself I was really shocked at the progression of how the business became its own.

I truly started the business with just me, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to have a team! I came into the business asking myself the question….”How do you make an impact in an already saturated industry?” I knew that I brought more to the table than just a camera/lights/audio equipment. I’ve always been told my personality proceeded me… So coming into weddings I knew I wanted to combined both skill and personality for such an impact on a couples day!

Tucker Evans came into my life about 4 years ago through a social media friendship that developed into him working for Omega. I remember seeing him in the beginning of his photography career and being blown away by his hustle and humble spirit on wanting to grow! I remember thinking when I first met him “If I ever start a company, he would be my first hire” And first hire he was, and has been one of my most faithful employees, and past that has become one of my best friends! Tucker is hands down the most impressive photographer I have ever met, he brings so much punch and charisma to the team and our couples RAVE about him on their wedding days! We are a hoot when we both have a wedding together, most of the time over the top, but thats what makes Omega what it is.

Nick Wagner was my second hire. I knew him from a young adults ministry we were both involved with. I actually didn’t know at fist his skills with a camera, until he posted a wedding video a couple years ago…and he had said it was his first one he had done and I was BLOWN away by his work. I reached out to him to see if he wanted to be a part of the team and he just fit like a glove with the rest of us. Nick is one of the most knowledgeable creatives I have ever met. Where Tucker and I can be completely over the top with our energy, Nick is the silent force of the team but also one of the funniest in his own way. He sees things through a lens that not a lot of other videographers/photographers see.

The thing I have loved about my two guys on the team has been how they are always willing to adapt. We really push to not have pride or ego’s inside the company. We are always hyping each other up on our work.

If I were to start today all over again, I think one of the biggest lessons I have learned in having team members is ambition. I believe you can have all the skill in the world with a camera. And honestly, for most people when owning a business it can seem easier to be a one-man team. When you bring other creatives together for one purpose it can get challenging in a lot of different ways, I mean think about it! Everyone starts by themselves and grows by themselves and develops different styles by themselves. When you bring multiple creatives together for one purpose, and one style it can be challenging. I believe the only thing that gets in our way of growing as creatives is our pride. There is always something we can learn from each other and I really try to push that to the team, and let them know even I have so much that I’m excited to learn from them.

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

I actually went to school for music. I never envisioned myself in the wedding industry, let alone owning a business. I remember when I started the company just stressing so much about getting bookings and Omega’s name out there. The first year of business was rough, I’m not even going to lie. There was so much I had to just wing. From setting up how to even book couples and how to talk to them over the phone, to setting up the style of the company and how it would have a consistent look but also stand out, there was definitely a learning curve that I had to embrace. Setting prices that were realistic for the company and the couples that were interested in booking was another whole challenge. I had a-lot of great friends that were in the industry that I got to ask a-lot of great questions to.

I think what really helped Omega take off was the style of videography that we provide to our couples. Our couples best describe our work as “like a movie trailer” And that was exactly the mark I was looking for with going into the industry. Our style is very punchy and energetic! I feel like a lot of wedding videos can be very slow and drawn out. Not that we don’t love highlighting those moments, because we really do. I always caught myself looking at other friends wedding videos and skipping to the reception where all the dancing and exciting things were happening. I tell my couples when they are considering booking with us that we love highlighting all the moments and making them as fun and exciting and candid as possible. I think thats what we are truly known for with our work. It’s just different. And that’s what I wanted to Omega to be, and it’s not for everyone and I am also okay with that! I have mad respect for my other fellow wedding videographers in the industry.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think just treating people how you would want to be treated. I have had so many jobs and gigs where I have either not been treated well or not met that expectation myself. Being 31 now, I have learned a lot of hard lessons when it comes to employment. This has been one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned – and also one of the most challenging. This biblical principle is also an important aspect of my beliefs and the lens through which I try to see the world.

There are so many lessons to be taught in that. But by breaking it down and really living out this value, I was able to develop so many meaningful friendships with fellow vendors. I have a lot of people reach out that are new in the industry and asking how to get their feet in the wedding industry, and I always tell them to make good connections with other vendors. I will be honest, not all vendors are always the most welcoming or will want to be your friend.
I truly believe what built Omega’s reputation was just how we treated our other vendors that we would work with on a 8-12 hour wedding day. Those turn into really good friendships and they in return end up referring you to other couples as well. I can say with 100% confidence that we wouldn’t be where we are now without those friendships.

Any advice for managing a team?

I have seen a lot of different leadership styles and been under quite a few. Im not there is one effective way to go about building/managing a team and having high morale.

I think what has worked for me is empowering my team. As a business owner, you have more blood, sweat, tears, and skin in the game than anyone else. I think we hold onto that too tightly sometimes and don’t allow anyone else to carry that. Everyone wants to belong, I believe thats how we are made as humans. I have tried really hard in having a team to empower them to have as much skin in the game as they are willing. This is something that also can’t be forced. Thats where vision comes along. I also believe as a leader if you can cast a clear enough vision to a team they can take you to your exact goal. We do a lot of celebrating as a team for each other. “We” is a word we use a lot. We win together, and lose together. As sport-like as that sounds, I believe its implied in this industry as well.

I believe when you can combined all of these practices together, you get a really kick-ass team that is together in every aspect of what you would want as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.omegaweddings.com
• Instagram: @omegaweddings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omegaweddings/
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNVJOhHH4jawnAMvohdTHcg
• Yelp: N/A
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/omegaweddings TikTok: @omega_wed

Image Credits
Omega Weddings LLC