We recently connected with Andrew Warren and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Andrew thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
One of my favorite types of clients to work with are non-profit entities. Especially mid-sized and smaller. It seems like this market segment is somewhat overlooked when it comes to quality video production. Oftentimes it is a budgetary issue, or even simply groups not knowing who to reach out to. Since non-profit teams are often lean and mean, with personnel wearing multiple hats and juggling multiple tasks, branding and storytelling is often overlooked as an important factor in their work. Sometimes it is simply how modest the groups are and not wanting to look flashy or too proud about the importance of their work. One story that comes to mind is when I bought my first house in 2019, I had a neighbor who served on the board of directors for the “Big Thompson Watershed Coalition”. We quickly became friends and he really wanted me to create a video for a fundraising event they were going to have, but free of charge. Usually that type of request would be a quick no. But Dan Waggoner (rest his soul) was quite a persuasive guy and knew I had a heart for nature and the water way that passed our homes. The Big Thompson River had a massive flood in 2013 and the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition worked to restore the river and protect it. So I was in. With that I produced a video with a lot of beauty shots, slow motion, drone footage with a story to protect the river for generations to come. That video ended up being one of the marquee presentations at the event, alongside my wife playing cello for the event. When all was said and done we were told the event raised over $24,000 to help with the efforts of the BTWC. Anytime one can see their work make that sort of impact, it always sticks in memory.
Andrew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
After four majors that didn’t feel right in college, I landed on an audio/video degree track in college with plans of creating sound effects for movies (foley design) and producing music. Luckily it was a dual track because once I took one video class it just felt right. Also having a professor that recognized it in me and encouraged me to push myself, I realized video production was where I had a gift. Everything just made sense to me in a way that gelled beyond anything else. From then on I fully applied myself and got straight A’s for the rest of college while pursuing multiple internships. One of the internships was with the local PBS station in Indianapolis, WFYI. That place was truly a talent mill that would give you the opportunities to push your boundaries creatively and hone the craft under the guidance of some amazingly talented people. Aric Hartvig, Kaleb Giddens and Chris Elberfeld really took me under their wings and taught me so much about producing video and operating professional grade cameras, writing and so much more. Jim Simmons gave the chance to dial in my producing chops even more and it really felt like a family there. Everyone was there for more than a paycheck and we worked on countless documentaries and community based efforts in which you could really see the impact ripple through the community. As a team, the station helped the city land a TIGR grant, which brought over million dollars to the city to revitalize downtown walkways, bike paths and streets. Working on a documentary about military suicide, a law was passed to get families their letter of condolence from the president and a long-standing tradition was overturned. There are so many other stories of the impact that team has made, but my 6 years there really showed me the impact video could have on the world around me. After a while I was starting to look for a place to hang my hat as more than a freelancer and was ready to move on from Indianapolis. So I made my was west to Colorado and ended up getting a full time position as the University of Northern Colorado’s first video producer. There were countless campaigns for marketing and outreach that helped grow the university and tell the stories of the impact the alum had on the community and the world at large. After several years there, it was starting to be time to move on again, but this time to launch out on my own and tell stories through my own lens. So I formed Starry Eyed Creative to serve the Colorado community and beyond, while still working at UNC. Starry Eyed was formed about half way through my tenure at UNC of 10 years. From there I had a solid foundation for my business and a few clients and I was ready to expand to a larger world. The state of Colorado is such a beautiful place with some really amazing people and I feel it is such a blessing to be able to help companies and non-profits in this area to grow and see the ripples through the community and people herein.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of the type of work I do is getting to meet so many different types of people and seeing the impact my work can have on the community. Whether you’re playing a large or supporting role in a project that changes a person’s life, a families finances or a whole region or beyond, it is an amazing feeling to know that you had a hand in progressing culture in some way. I call video the “backstage pass on life” because you get to experience so many interesting things and you can really help move the needle forward on some amazing initiatives if you’re in the right place for the right project at the right time.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When starting my career, I graduated at the end of 2007 from college and the economy tanked in 2008 from the housing bubble. Luckily I was able to find a great place to get fairly steady work, at the PBS station in Indy, WFYI. It was entry level pay, as a freelancer. So there were a ton of things I had to learn about like paying taxes and finding new clients. It was truly “feast or famine” and I quickly learned to never say no to a project. So there were a few times when I would work 40 or 50 days straight, strange hours, whatever it took to balance out the times when work would be suddenly dry for a couple of weeks. Granted it could be a struggle sometimes, I look back on those early days with fondness. Working with Good Vibes Media, Jensen Productions, Midwest Uplink, Songbird Entertainment, the Super Bowl Host Committee and so many others helped build my skills and ingrain my passion to create projects that could move people and resonate further than I could have on my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.starryeyedcreative.com
- Instagram: @starryeyedcreative
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/starryeyedcreative
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/company/starry-eyed-creative
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCdNq7zY76JNvAKfq5KZCzA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/starry-eyed-creative-greeley-2
- Other: https://youtu.be/oqhimV_9rX8?si=kOyDbEmVEaTJIhTB (Music video for Pamela Symphony)
https://youtu.be/U2NL12_e4pc?si=SvsADkwkXxAjdSol (Overview Video about Running River Benefits)
https://youtu.be/X_VkOZZRyjM?si=h4xyRDVyC7zjBT3L (Video for Big Thompson Watershed Coalition mentioned in story)
https://youtu.be/eFI41zOrQ_8?si=2_A1Jq9hSwNIkFOP (Demo Reel)
Image Credits
Rob Trubia
Joy Andrews
Jerry Prince
Otto Schmid