We were lucky to catch up with Caileigh Rugar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caileigh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Unbrvnded Media (Pronounced Unbranded) was founded in 2020. Our missions statement is “to heal a hurting community through Art by speaking about the things that hinder people from living.”

To me this means, interviewing people who have a story to tell and a solution to share to anyone who may be currently struggling with a particular issue or may go through it in the future. My platform exists for every Artist or any kind; Barbers, Media Production, Painters, Musicians, etc.

I chose the name Unbrvnded because it represents what happened to you prior to you being branded. I changed the A to a V to represent Vision. I want people to stay true to their vision and trust the process along the way. My hope is allowing people to tell their stories and what happened leading up to their place of artistry will produce courage, excitement, and a way out for many people.

Caileigh, 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?

Unbrvnded Media Was Created To Give An Open Platform For Artists To Speak About The Things That Happened Or Inspired Them Prior To Being Branded. Whether It Be Through Interviews, Podcasts, Photoshoots, Or Videography; We Desire To Hear Their Story And To Continue Following Them As They Grow In Their Craft!

3 Years Ago, Noah Wilburn Asked Me A Question I Had Never Been Asked… He Said “What’s Your Mission Statement?” I Looked At Him Sideways Because I Had Never Heard Of A Mission Statement Before. I Told Him To Give Me Some Time To Think About It

A Day Or So Passed And The Holy Spirit Dropped A Phase On Me “To Speak About The Things That Hinder People From Living.” In Natural Terms, Create A Platform That Shares/Honors Testimonies For The Purpose Of Healing A Hurting Community Through Art.

I Was With It!! Sounded Right Up My Alley But I Didn’t Know What To Name It… Noah Has Just Got Out Of A Meeting And Long Story Short, He Used The Phrase “Unbranded Content” Describing Who Knows What lol. I Thought About The Phase Until I Met Up With Ardell AD Wright For A Business Meeting. I Told Him About It And If You Know AD, He Gave Me That Look “Like Okay, What You Waiting For, Go With That”

Sometime Later, My Mentor John Greenranger Eagle Was Helping Me File As Unbrvnded.Media!
Here We Are 3 WHOLE YEARS LATER…

My Goal As Unbrvnded Media Is To Capture Photos And Videos That Reflect All Of Your Special Memories And Most Importantly, Produce Documentaries And Interviews That Reflect The Things That May Have Hindered Or Inspired You Prior To Artistry (Being Branded) And To Provide Solution For Those Who Will Walk The Path Of A Creative!

I Get There Are Some Things We Like To Keep To Ourselves But Your Story Is Art… Everything About You Is… If You Could Tell Your Former Self What Your Current Self Knows, Do You Believe You Would’ve Been In A Better Position Or Made Better Choices.

I Know I Would Have… I Know They Will Too!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

The Bible talks about seasons and how there is a season for every thing. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in our current season that sometimes it can be hard to transition to the next one. In my situation I had been at the same job for going on three years, and I actually really enjoyed my job for the most part. It was a hole in the wall pizza shop out in Alachua Florida. I spent most, if not all of my hours at my job, I became really good at what I did. I developed very good rapport with all of my customers and a good reputation overall with my work ethic. At some point I was going through a lot of personal transitions in my life that were very difficult and I don’t know what made me do it but in 2020 I got my taxes back and I went to Best Buy and bought a camera. I am still not exactly sure what made me do that, but it was the best decision I ever made.

After I bought the camera, I became more focused on developing my crafts out of excitement and transition that my love for my job started to dissipate. I honestly think I stayed there as long as I did because of my customers more than anything else. Because I worked in such a small place I was the face that mostly everyone saw when they walked in the restaurant. So I took a lot of pride in my job and how I treated people. It did eventually come to a point though where the money, the people, the stability or anything else I guess a job could offer. You became kind of pointless and not worth it. Because, with all of that positive stuff comes a lot of sacrifice of your time and your energy.

So one day, some thing at my job happened, we were pretty understaffed to begin with, but I had been very vocal about the fact that I was probably going to be cutting my hours soon into the point of completely transitioning out at some point. I never intended to leave my job as fast as I did, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I started bringing my camera equipment and my laptop. Everything to work with me and started focusing more on that than the job in front of me. I didn’t . I started bringing my camera equipment and my laptop. Everything to work with me and started focusing more on that then the job in front of me. I didn’t necessarily have the means or the clientele to quit my job and start doing camera work full-time but you know when you get bigger and you grow out of your clothes and they become really tight and uncomfortable and so you have to go to the store and buy their clothes, this situation was much like that. I had basically outgrown the environment I was in, and I could feel that God was tugging me into the next place that he had for me.

I don’t think I would’ve ever left my job if I didn’t do it out of an adrenaline rush. It was definitely a scary decision to make especially because I have a daughter, but if I could go back, I believe I made the best decision for myself at that time. Being an entrepreneur has been very very very hard, even harder than I had to work at my job prior to this, but it has given me the freedom to be able to create my own schedule, and be my own boss, which in return actually gives me more time with my child.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I was young, I used to be involved in a youth group and I remember one time we were out in some neighborhood hanging out with some kids, and one of the leaders told me that I was much like a chameleon. At the time I don’t think I really understood what he meant but as I got older, I never forgot and I very much so I understand now. I have taken that common throughout my life, and what I’ve pulled from it is that I have the ability to continue being myself even know bad things happen, or if I am in someone else’s environment, I tend to have the ability to make them feel comfortable with me, regardless of where I am. I’ve had to be resilient most of my life, but especially in my business. Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of effort in the business aspect but what most people don’t talk about is how you are still going through personal things in real life as well that you often do not get a break from because you work for yourself. There has been many situations where, in my personal life have been very toxic or off putting and to be honest it’s been very hard to be a successful entrepreneur in those time periods. There’s been many times where I wanted to give up, even times where I may have not quit the business, but because I was so emotionally distressed about personal things I was unable to focus on the business.

I’ve had to train myself to separate the two which has been very difficult, considering I obviously work at my house, but I would say I understand resilience now more than I ever did before. It’s the ability to be elastic. It’s being able to weigh a situation and determine what is going to be better in the long run, to quit or to keep going. in many aspects, I’ve had to ask myself these questions throughout the last three years but I love who I’ve become in the process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Unbrvnded.media
• Facebook: Unbrvnded.media
• Youtube: Unbrvnded.media

Image Credits
Unbrvnded Media