We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie Bradford . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie below.

Annie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

The idea of Bonfire has been percolating in my brain for several years. I’ve always wanted to have my own business– I grew up around two hard-working, entrepreneurial parents, so there was never a question of “if”, but “when”. Over the past ten years I’ve worked hard at becoming skilled at what I do. From becoming an award-winning writer to filmmaker to production designer, and leveling up my skills as a photographer and stop motion animator. I am pretty much all self-taught, and I think it’s one of the main things that has helped me become an entrepreneur. I don’t wait for someone to show me the way, I find it myself. My whole life I’ve been a doer. I can’t stand to sit around and not do anything. My brain is always moving, an idea is always trying to make its way out.

Last year was when it hit me smack on the head that it was time to start my own business. I’d grown disillusioned with my work as an art director and production designer, and found myself yearning for more. More challenges. More creative control. More creative freedom. It was like a switch went off and there was no flipping it back. It was around this time that I started taking more notice of CPG brands and their need for creative and marketing. They all have these incredible stories to tell– the founders, the brand, the product itself. And that piqued my interest, because I’ve wanted to get back to storytelling. So I started leveling up my photography skills, teaching myself lighting, creating a massive portfolio. And I also taught myself stop motion animation– another skillset that is pretty niche and I don’t see much of, especially in the Austin market.

This was all last year — 6 months of polishing up my photography skills, becoming proficient at Photoshop, and 12 months of learning advanced stop motion techniques. Let me tell you, it was not for the faint of heart. These are skillsets where you are constantly learning– it never stops. And that is the beauty in it and why I kept pushing, even on the days when I really thought I had gone insane. I started to think about the services I wanted to offer after speaking with CPG brands and put myself in their shoes….what would they need to grow their brand now? What type of business did I want to create? And slowly, but surely, that’s where the idea of Bonfire came from.

I wanted to choose a name that encompassed my love of storytelling and what was at the core of what I was offering to brands. A place to tell their story. A community. A place where ideas could be freely exchanged. Where collaboration is front and center. Most importantly, I wanted it to be a business that championed the people behind the brands and helped their brands bring value to their audience.

After I had that figured out, I worked with my friend Dani Parsons on creating a compelling, fun brand identity to showcase visually how I saw Bonfire. We talked a lot about it not being on the nose. I didn’t want a literal Bonfire anywhere in the branding and that opened the door for a lot of creativity.

It wasn’t until the end of last year that I finished my portfolio and felt confident in launching, and once I did, I took the plunge, and I couldn’t be happier!

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?

Creating Bonfire has come out of over 15 years of experience in the arts– through writing, film, music, photography, marketing, and stop motion animation. I’ve always struggled to use all of my skills in one place, because they are so diverse, which ironically has led me to starting my own business. There wasn’t a position for me, so I created it.

Here at Bonfire, we are a team of 4 and specialize in visual storytelling & marketing. We do this through photography, stop motion animation, 2-D animation, motion content, and video. Marketing kicks in with the creative through strategic ad campaigns in the form of paid social, email marketing, and SMS marketing. Every client has different wants and needs, and we tailor our services to help them achieve their goals.

I’m most proud of the talent and drive of our team members, and the quality of work we are able to offer. It’s a real pleasure to help others and provide services that help their brands to continue growing. We are continuously evolving as the digital landscape changes and as our client’s needs shift. That’s where our amazing team comes in–because they are able to handle anything thrown at them. We all have a background in film, and are used to creating smooth passes from crazy curveballs.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In my life, I have been told “no” more times than I can count. I’ve lost out on opportunities, and passed over for jobs I was qualified for. And yet, it hasn’t stopped me from moving forward–because there is no other way to go. I’m grateful for the no’s, because they pushed me to be better, and to realize that what people think of me doesn’t hold a candle to what I think of myself and what I am capable of. As a creative and entrepreneur, you’re often marching to the beat of your own drum, and many people will tell you you’re off beat and have lost the song– but as long as you know what you’re playing nothing else matters.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to empower brands to tell their stories and broadcast them near and far. I want them to shoot for the moon! There is nothing that gives me greater joy than helping others and seeing them succeed. The other rewarding part of the journey is getting to be creative on a daily basis, problem solve, and come up with creative solutions to showcase a product or market it to a new demographic. Every day I feel so lucky to be an American and live in a place where I have the freedom to start a business based on a crazy idea I had and believed in.

Contact Info:

• Website: wearebonfire.co
• Instagram: @bonfire.creative
• Linkedin: Bonfire Creative

Image Credits
portrait – Dani Parsons all other photos – Annie Bradford