We were lucky to catch up with Betsy Landsteiner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Betsy 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?
That’s a great question! There are so many routes each person can take to achieve a goal, but for me it started mostly by accident. I had always loved the concept of video. As early as 9 years old, at any family gathering or event you’d most certainly find a shoulder mounted VHS camcorder perched atop my diminutive 4’5″ frame. That led to getting my first camera for my 15th birthday, and while that little point and shoot was a far cry from a cinema camera, it DID have video capability and I loved being able to create with that little thing. I continued to take photos and force my siblings to be in little plays that I would direct. I took a few classes in high school on photography fundamentals and a video production class my senior year which opened my perspective and awareness immensely. Those who were close to me at the time have mentioned it was then that something in me switched.
It was something I was immediately passionate about, and I didn’t even realize the full scope of what could lie ahead. At the time, I still had it in my head that I wanted to be a recording artist, and figured this YouTube thing seemed like a good way to get my music out there… But I quickly noticed that any musician who had any kind of following on YouTube was doing some really cool things with video. Creative things. It wasn’t even the quality that I was noticing, it was unique camera angles, and how they were splicing the videos together. I turned into an absolute sponge, watching hours of YouTube videos from other artists, and soon it wasn’t just musicians I was watching. It was other filmmakers. Videos on color grading. Reviews on camera gear. It gripped me. But I still didn’t totally understand that.
After high school, I opted not to go to college, and instead started working a variety of jobs. Whatever it took to pay the bills. I moved quite a lot, but my free time was always spent learning more. I started taking on a few video jobs for friends’ weddings, or a family photo shoot and I funneled all the money I earned from those jobs back into my gear. To begin with… that wasn’t much. But over time, it allowed me to grow my knowledge, my experience, and my equipment exponentially.
One thing I wish I would have really understood earlier is the absolute game-changing-nature of finding a community of creatives to help push me. The technical side of any craft is so important, don’t get me wrong (there really is no cure for garbage lighting), but I do think – especially as creatives, that we NEED people to push us. To challenge us. AND to honestly and genuinely cheer us on. It’s when I surround myself with these people and these minds that I find myself really inspired to keep that momentum even more!
I think the most essential skills in this process have been tenacity and allowing myself to think unconventionally. Letting my love for telling stories always come first, but not to let it all end there. Forcing myself to ask why, and to practice constantly. And finally, surrounding myself with things, people, and art that inspire me, and allowing myself to understand my passion first before I worried about making it the sole source of my monetary needs.
I got hung up for a long time on not having gone to college for this.. and for a while, that started to run the narrative in my mind of what this could amount to. But ultimately it was fear… and as soon as I realized it, I knew it was time to jump! If I could go back 15 years and give myself a pep-talk on this I would make sure to highlight that it’s ok if you just know something. If you just get it and can’t explain why. Just because you didn’t go to school for it, doesn’t mean you have no place at the table. Chris Martin can’t read music. Claude Monet started losing his vision but continued painting for more than 12 years. There are world renowned musicians born without arms that learn to play guitar, french horn, and the like. The only thing holding you back is what you are letting hold you back. Fear is a powerful thing – but when you can recognize it for what it is you can begin to change that mindset.
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 grew up in a big family, in rural Minnesota. Between myself and my seven other siblings, there are six of us who now run our own businesses. We knew from a young age that hard work was just a part of life, and grew up watching our dad take care of pretty much everything you could imagine. I honestly can’t remember more than a few times where we actually called someone to fix, or build anything and the times we did, my dad was out there with them learning how to do it so he could use that knowledge the next time. Our home was a place of constant learning and thinking outside the box which, I believe, is one of the biggest gifts my parents gave me. They gave me a mentality to take each challenge presented to me and recognize it as an opportunity to learn something new.
“There are a lot of things I never did until I did them” – a phrase I heard my youngest brother say recently that sums up, so perfectly, the mindset that was instilled in us right from the get-go. It has made the transition into running my own business a much more seamless process.
I am primarily a filmmaker and video producer but I also work extensively with marketing, photography and design. ‘Sharing your story’ is the tagline for two reasons.. First, because there is power in a story. Sharing stories has been at the base of my love for many artistic mediums throughout my life, including music, painting, writing, and photography. It’s what I’ve always felt called to do.
The second reason stems from the Latin phrase “Homo Viator” or “Man on the way” which was first the inspiration for a short film, but I soon realized it was much more than that. It reminded me of something my dad told me when I was little. I had asked him what the purpose of life was… his response: “Betsy – Life is about relationships”. My middle school brain couldn’t figure out what that actually meant, but I’ve thought so much about that phrase as an adult. And have come to understand and relish that reality. It’s what drives me in my personal and professional life, and is what ultimately brought me to the second reason; that I want to share IN these stories. I don’t just want to film a video for you, I want to walk with you. I want to share in your journey.
With GoldHouse Productions, I want to be focused on those two things. Walking with others, and sharing their story. There are a variety of film types that I specialize in because they tick both of those boxes, including Wedding Films, Brand promotion, Non-Profit fundraising films, and Music Videos.
Art, in any form, offers something so special; but one of the reasons I love film is because you have so many of those forms combined. From camera movement, to editing and post production – complex moving parts make film both exceptionally immersive and expressly real. It has an ability to evoke emotions in a uniquely visceral way. The colors, the sounds, the movements specifically chosen to tell each story, the undertone and embellishment of a musical score… all of these things are harnessed and structured differently for every single Film. Because every story is different. Much like life, there can be no “formula”. Only an understanding of each element, what it brings and how it enriches the whole.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Resilience… a trait I always thought I just didn’t come by naturally. Looking back, though I am reminded of a time – It was definitely a “learned the hard way” kind of thing. I was several years into my journey and had considerable travel, client, and personal footage that I had stored on an external hard drive. It was before I had a good organizational process for my work and most of it was in just that one place. I had been building up a library of footage to use in future projects and even had a few pending projects all stored on that little hard drive. It was a split second, a stupid mistake, but I dropped something as I was walking to my apartment one evening. I bent down to pick it up and my hard drive slipped off the top of an armful of supplies… a mere foot to the ground. I immediately felt sick, but thought I had a fighting chance to recover the footage, since it had been such a short fall. Alas – after months of research, crossed fingers, and prayers I sent it to two of the best data recovery companies in the country… to no avail. It was all gone. I cried, called the clients it affected, and cried some more. I considered giving it all up. It felt like such an insurmountable setback… But there was something in me that just couldn’t.
So I started over. I began again, and it sounds so cheesy… but I am so glad I did. I have grown and learned and been given so many opportunities since then. Not to mention, I now have a VERY organized database of all my footage… Backed up in an excessive number of places.
There will always be setbacks and forks in the road. Very few (if any) of us end up on the exact path we imagine for ourselves, but every time you are able to face an obstacle with an open mind or accept some blow of misfortune with grace and a receptivity to adaptation you are opening yourself up to reap exponentially more, even, than you think you’ve lost.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
There are incredible online resources. If you want to find out how to learn anything there are always options. Some of the resources I’ve used the most are YouTube and SkillShare. As a small business owner you often have to play all the roles yourself. But some of these platforms makes learning quickbooks, or social media marketing, or sales so much easier!
Contact Info:
- Website: goldhousemn.com
- Instagram: @goldhouse.mn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldhousemn
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@goldhousemn
Image Credits
Betsy Landsteiner – GoldHouse Productions