We recently connected with Elizabeth Kurpanek and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I think for as long as I can remember, I knew that I’d want to work in a creative capacity. I was always drawing, writing, taking pictures on disposable cameras, making costumes, and so on and so forth. When I got my first “real” camera at 16, I was sold! Within a year, I was charging for senior photos, I got to shoot my first weddings, and I came to the realization that I never wanted to go to college and I just wanted to keep pursuing creativity.

I never bothered to take the ACT test. My senior year class schedule consisted of Chamber Orchestra, regular Orchestra to accompany on piano, AP Photography, Jazz Band, Theater Ensemble, and in my free periods I went over to the middle school to teach with their orchestra. I only had two “real” classes the entire year to hit graduation requirements.

During this time, some good friends of mine were also inviting me on hikes. I never grew up going camping or hiking on a regular basis. That was not my parent’s scene, so we didn’t go as often as a lot of my friends growing up. They took me up a 14er for one of my first hikes. I wore boots that were too big, denim jeans, and carried way too much in my pack. I was that guy. But after a couple years (and never overpacking again), I started diving deeper into this world. I was camping in my car, going on solo hikes, and loving every minute of it.

I think it’s important to note that these two passions were growing simultaneously.

I made the switch from photography to videography in 2015. I came to realize that I was able to combine everything I loved about writing, music, and the visuals into one incredible medium of storytelling. As the years went on, and I dug deeper into why I am a filmmaker which is what prompted my rebrand into Embr Films with Kristy Black Creative.

Embr captures the wholehearted expression of radical and bold elopement couples and badass brands. No two people are the same, so we never try to use formulas. Instead, we believe in deep connection, authentic storytelling, and thoughtful collaboration. It’s the kind of meaningful connection found around a dying campfire after a day of exploring. With embers glowing, the conversation softens in volume, and expands in richness as you address topics on your heart with vulnerability and compassion. You are seen in your full humanity, and loved all the more for it. We capture the beauty and complexity that is already present, and mirror back the incredible story that is already unfolding.

Embr is the embodiment of that connection we all desire.

I love that I get to connect with people in such an emotional and vulnerable way.

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?

The outdoors have always held a special place in my heart. Even though I didn’t grow up camping like all my friends did, and I found that later in life, it light a fire under my butt to pursue the outdoors, adventure, and combing passions into a meaningful career.

I specialize in elopement videography and story-based branding. I take a very emotional approach to my work (yes, even with brands) in order to get to the core of who they are, what they believe, and create very personalized films for each and every client. I never treat two people the same – because no two people are the same. I want each film to stand alone, to make people cry, and to feel like they were there.

For my brands, I want to dig into a deeper storytelling of WHY. So we take a very intentional approach and what we create is a story that new customers feel like they want to be a part of. Sure, anybody can make brand content, but it takes collaboration and the deep work to improve a business with the film we make.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I do take a very collaborative approach to my filmmaking. I can bring all my knowledge and expertise, but that’s nothing without the story, so I choose to be flexible in my style in order to make films that really represent my couples. Every time I finish a film, I think “now THIS is my favorite” and then we keep topping that with the next film, and the next.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would have invested in business coaching earlier on. I definitely got in my head that I could teach myself anything and do it well, and while that’s true to a degree, I think I would have saved myself a lot of time spinning my wheels if I had someone guiding me and pushing me to succeed. I spent way too many years trying to do this alone. Being self-employed and working from home can be really difficult if you do it alone.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media has always been a sore spot for me. I always struggled with feeling like my account wasn’t growing even though I was putting out really beautiful content. Nobody was finding me. So when I did my rebrand, I was faced with renaming my account that had a decent following, or start over from scratch. I chose to start over.

I was dreading trying to gain a following again. But I felt like starting fresh and really focusing in on my ideal client was the best route. I think the best advice I heard that helped me shift my mindset is that I only need to reach 20-30 people per year for me to meet my booking goals. 20-30. That’s it! So I began focusing all my content toward those 20-30 people. We’re still slowing growing the account, but the most important thing is that I love showing up there now. I don’t dread making posts. I don’t get too upset if a reel doesn’t get thousands of views. It exists as a marketing method that I can pursue creativity and inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.embrfilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrfilmco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embrfilmco
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@embrfilms
• Other: Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/embrfilms

Image Credits
Embr Films www.embrfilms.com