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

Alright, Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I am where I am today because my 7th-grade teacher introduced me to the work of photography. Immediately after I began studying and researching what a photographer is, how to be a great photographer, and what I needed to start. Many nights on youtube learning from other creators and what they instilled in me then I still use today! Eventually, I got into the craft and begin learning hands-on, fixing mistakes and perfecting my craft. To help speed up my learning process would’ve been to do more hands-on working either behind the camera or in post-editing. These two skills are the most essential to producing a great piece of art (picture), many things must align but the main two the photographer behind the camera must know how to frame, light, and instruct the subject; second, the editor must understand the intended mood for the scene in the captured photo, along with how to adjust and fix error in production. On this journey, I faced many obstacles, however, I just didn’t let those obstacles stop me from doing what I am eager to do. Some of those obstacles would be finances, major life changes, being a full-time student with limited time, and more. But again I am still here striving and perfecting my craft daily, so if I can do it I know another young man in school can begin his dream and do it too!

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 am Anthony Edwards, the sole owner of Antho-Media Productions a Media Company. We offer photography & cinematography services. We also manage TAZÖL apparel offering custom-made-to-order clothing and more. I was born and raised in Houston TX and reside in Orlando Florida currently attending Full Sail University to achieve my Bachelor of Science Degree in Digital Cinematography. Along with offering media services, we help our clients begin their journey of starting a business from a digital footprint, website design, marketing supplies, and more. Here at Antho-Media we do not limit ourselves to a catalog, if you need it we’ll make it happen!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe that once society understands that small business owners are Small-Business owners it would support creatives and help them thrive in this ecosystem. What this means is when leads look into purchasing/supporting a small business owner they are already interested in the work that the owner can produce. But the issue comes when the client sees the price for the product, the turnaround time to produce the product, or certain policies instilled by the business owner. This becomes an issue because society is used to these large mass companies (amazon, Walmart, etc) and expects the same service when there is a major difference between the two. One that I see a lot is the amount of time it takes the business to produce the product, majority, of society doesn’t understand that amazon overnight prime, involves thousands of employees to ensure that you can get your product in less than 12hrs, versus a small business owner having maybe 1-5 employees. Once this is accepted and understood small businesses can thrive better than ever because we’ll have more support for the simple things.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

When I began my journey I wish I knew more about gaining a grant and how to properly receive a grant! The resources have always been there but no one teaches how to use these resources. When you are introduced to grants and learn where and how to achieve one it is helpful in many ways. Grants for small businesses can be used for many things like equipment, marketing, and knowledge to learn more, just to name a few. But this is just the surface, I encourage every creative artist just starting and struggling to learn and understand how to gain a grant.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anthomedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthomedia_productions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthomedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3HxaoEJMn0efeEoC5XWXg

Image Credits
All photos provided were taken by Antho-Media Productions