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

Armon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.

One of the most inspirational things that happened to me was turning what I perceived as a failure into one of my greatest successes. In 2020 during the height of the pandemic I set out to create my first feature film. I had done web series, short films, and visual advertisements at that point but never a full length film. I invested so much money into this project for new equipment, props, paying the cast & crew, and catering that I absolutely needed to make a return on my investment. In order to do that I needed to secure a streaming platform for my viewership to watch the film. To my unpleasant surprise my preferred platform of choice at the time, did a complete overhaul and began removing independent content from their streaming service. Which meant I had a finished film that I poured my heart and soul into but no way to show it to the public and get paid for it.

In a mad scramble I elected to put the film on a popular free video platform and the film absolutely flopped. It got maybe 200 views total. I was crushed and in a bad spot financially. I contemplated retiring from film making all together when a cast member (Suless Burton) was very encouraging and urged me to not give up on the film. At that time whenever the film was mentioned to me it was like peeling the scab off a wound- very painful. But one day she came to me with a new distribution company that was willing to partner with independent filmmakers. I was reluctant and a bit defeated but I had nothing else to loose so I inquired into it. Fast forward a few months and when my film debuted on Tubi it was an absolute smash hit. It was top ten on the platform and became my most profitable project to date. It taught me not to give up because your biggest failure could turn into your biggest success.

Armon, 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?

My name is Armahn Robinson and I founded an independent production company called A1 Quality Media in 2015. I started by creating music videos, doing visual ads, and photography for clients with a friend of mine. The company expanded into the creation of short films, web series, and other creative media. In 2019 my work got noticed online and I was given an opportunity to work at the acclaimed Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta, GA. I spent time as a Set Electrician in the Lighting department and worked on several Tyler Perry produced Tv shows like: Sisters, The Oval, Ruthless, The Haves and Have Nots among countless others. I’ve since moved backed to Chicago, IL to continue to further build my independent production company and create more independent projects. My goal is to branch out into teaching the creative arts and publishing books on how other creatives can start creating independent content, along with continuing to create other Feature film projects.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me there are two very rewarding parts of being a creative, particularly a filmmaker. The first one is the collaborative process. I absolutely love the laughs on set, the outtakes, and the serious moments that take place when trying to create a film. As the Director I feel it is my personal responsibility to ensure every one on set feels comfortable and included in the creative process. Often times I work with the same cast members so it feels good seeing them excited about a project and how satisfied they are when they give an epic performance.

The second part is how rewarding it is to turn a simple thought sometimes a dream into a living tangible product. Often times concepts for films come to me out of the blue. It could be a daydream or an actual dream. I enjoy brainstorming, outlining the key plot points, creating scripts, filming, and editing until that thought turns into a full length film. It is a very rewarding and exhilarating feeling. Creating something from nothing is truly a gift and I cherish the fact I have been able to that so many times.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

This is a topic that is dear to my heart because I did not come from money, I didn’t have someone willing to invest into my dreams, and I truly had to make something out of nothing. I’ll share a funny story of how I actually got the money to buy my first camera. So I had a phone that was malfunctioning on me. I had purchased it from Best Buy and had the Geek Squad protection plan. After I submitted the claim they informed me that they no longer had my phone in stock and that they would give me a coupon for $799 instead. All I had to do was return the broken phone to them through the mail or face a $250 fee. I thought long and hard and evaluated my options. I decided to use the coupon to buy my first camera, I ate the $250 fee, and the rest is history.

From there I slowly added pieces that I needed to improve the quality of my work. A lens here, a tripod there, until I had every essential piece of equipment needed to to do a great job. I relied solely on the income from my job and invested nearly every dollar I made back into the business. I’ll close by telling the audience if you sacrifice creature comforts, vacations, and other frivolous purchases you’ll have enough disposable income to use as start up capital for your business. It won’t be easy but it is more than possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.a1qualitymedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a1qualitymedia/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a1qualitymedia/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11474310/

Image Credits
I own the images and the rights.