Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda DeFrees. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amanda, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I’ve recently have launched a podcast called Fem Forte. Fem Forte is a podcast/video series that is meant to empower the next generation of women in the performing arts by interviewing amazing female music educators and performers alike who are currently in the industry. I am very fortunate to be in a job that allows me to focus ten to fifteen percent of my time on a passion project. I always knew that I wanted to start a podcast. but I wasn’t sure what the topic I was gonna be in. Ever since I started my job as Director of Media with Ultimate Drill Book, I started connecting and talking to a lot of women in the performing arts industry and started realizing the underrepresentation of women and gap in resources for women who want to pursue this career path. I have always been supportive and an advocate for women empowerment, but it wasn’t until I discovered a podcast called Financial Feminist that I really started becoming passionate about uplifting women and doing something for my community. I don’t expect this podcast to change the world, but knowing I am doing a small part community and can impact someone’s life in a small way brings joy and fulfillment to my life. The podcast has only been out since the beginning of June and has already received an overwhelmingly positive response which has been truly amazing! Getting comments on social media or DMs from listeners that they have already applied lessons learned through the podcast to their daily life or seeing previous students of guests thank them and cheer them on is so awesome to see.
I’ve been able to bring on guests that I truly believe in and deserve the spotlight and their voice to be heard. I’ve had so many full circle moments where I’ve been able to bring on a former professor of mine on the show and not only celebrate her and share her story, but also to express my upmost gratitude for how she has impacted my life in a positive way. I’ve always believed in the quote, “With privilege, comes responsibility.” And I’ve been so humble to have the privilege to work for a company that has such a strong voice in the community, and I’ve used that to my advantage to uplift these amazing women on the show and share their experiences. Whether it’s your first year or 20th year in the field, this podcast is for everyone in whatever walk of life they are on.
Amanda, 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?
Hey everyone! My name is Amanda DeFrees. I’m more recently known as the podcast host for Fem Forte but my journey started as the owner of Purple Panda Productions. Purple Panda Productions is a photography/videography where I capture the story behind the lens. I believe everyone has a story tell. Whether it’s a wedding, engagement, graduation, new family, I love being a part of huge milestones in my clients lives and I feel so honored to capture the small intimate moments that represent worlds far beyond the eye can see. I started off as a total nerd in high school and ended up pursuing music performance in college. I played the drums and other percussion instruments. I would always record my performances with go pros and learned how to video edit and put those videos on YouTube as a way to market myself as a freelance musician. After my freshman year, I realized I didn’t want to pursue full-time anymore and realized media has always stayed consistent in my life. My parents gifted me my first DSLR camera to increase the video quality of my drumming videos, and from there I learned how to shoot in manual mode and take photos. After photography slowly started to become a hobby, I started doing photoshoots for my friends and got to the point where I felt confident enough to start a side business from it.
Fast forward a few years, I was very fortunate to get better at my craft from job opportunities in college such as being the athletics photographer/videographer, photographer for the South Texan (school newspaper), and also helped my music department create marketing and development videos. Then came along a job opportunity from Ultimate Drill Book as Creative Media Designer. I am very humbled and grateful to have job that lets me combine my passion for both music and media. There’s a joke I always make that one of the interview questions they asked me was “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I had responded, “I would ideally like to move up in the company as a manager or director of some sort.” Those five years quickly developed into five months. Within five months of working at the company, I later became the Director of Media. And now I fully produce and host a podcast that is making waves in the community. It’s been an exciting and wild journey, and it’s so crazy to know that this is only the beginning.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I was in college, I had gone through a really rough mental health crisis. I had been really struggling with my new life as a music major and I started to lose the fun in playing my instrument. After months of therapy, I had finally made the decision to change majors and the course of my career. I was really scared at the time because music had been my only passion and had consumed my entire life at the time. I had dreamed of being a musician my entire life and didn’t want anything else.
Because I had media stay consistent in my life, I decided to pursue that route instead. Not only did that decision change my life forever, but it was the best possible decision I could have made thus far. Not only am I a much happier person because of it, but it has fulfilled my life with a purpose far beyond me. I was so fortunate to have received so many opportunities to help jumpstart my career and get real world experience while I was still on college. Regardless of changing majors, I managed to still graduate college early in three years and find my dream job shortly after graduation. Now I have been able to combine both my passion for media and music together and produce a podcast that is impacting lives in a positive way.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect about being a creative is the impact my work has had on other people. Whether I am capturing the first kiss in a wedding or sharing the stories of amazing women on my podcast, I am not just creating for myself, my work has significant impact on the people around me and people I have never met before. To know that my work can touch others beyond my reach is truly a heartwarming feeling. I always knew I wanted to make a difference in my community and even though it’s small, it means so much more to me than anyone could possibly know. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.purplepandaproductions.com
- Instagram: @purple.panda_productions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.defrees.77/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadefrees
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FemFortePodcast/
- Other: You can listen to Fem Forte Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platforms.
Image Credits
Photo credit to Purple Panda Productions. Jack Pantaleo, and Alexander Beaumier.