We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Pratt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

David, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am absolutely astatic when it comes to being a busines owner. I’ve been in positions to where I’ve worked my butt off for companies, and when it was time for my own personal growth, I was denied time and time again. What I really love about having my own business is that I don’t have to answer to anyone. I don’t have to ask for time off, I don’t have to ask to leave early to go to my kids games, I don’t have to worry about firing myself, etc. The stress of relying on someone to dictate my future and finances is no more.

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

Ever since I was young, I have always been one to have an imagination on a scale that matches up to Hollywood movies. A problem that I would have is explaining my dreams or day dreams to people and having them not really understand what played out in my head and it ends up being a “you had to be there” moment. So I’ve switched my approach to more of a let me show you my vision so you can see it play out in front of you. I’ve always loved either being behind or in front of the camera no matter what was going on, and to see the stories that could be told through a lens just fascinated me like no other. I eventually noticed through different jobs that I’ve worked that there was a major need for Video and Photography, and with me loving both and the creativity that I naturally had within that field I dove head first into it. Through the years I’ve studied and learned the art of story telling, I’ve been on Hollywood sets learning how to take a vision/story and make it a reality, I’ve invested in the top of line gear used to do so, such as cinema cameras, audio, lighting, etc. and made a stamp in this industry. Our motto is short and sweet….”Where your wildest thoughts become reality”. When it comes to our clients and their businesses, it all boils down to a vision, a thought, or an idea. We then take that and bring it to life. Whether it’s a Corporate Commercial, Wedding, Architecture/Commercial Real Estate, Event, etc. We provide the Cinematography & Photography that tells that story. We also provide a studio for certain productions if needed, and we take the hassle of creating. Meaning, when you run a business you have enough on your plate already. To have to now create marketing content, post it, advertise it, etc you can spread yourself very thin. That’s why we also provide marketing packages to where we don’t just create content for your company, we target your customers through ads, post on your social medias, create the verbiage to draw more attention to your company for an agreed time frame so that all you have to do as a business owner is focus on the core of your business, while we grow your clientele. When I’m not working with different companies, I dive head first into my love which is film. I am a multi-award winning Director, Cinematographer, and Editor with multiple short films in the making, as well as feature films. We also provide education at our studio for aspiring videographers, cinematographers, filmmakers, and photographers that really want a one stop shop when it comes to their craft. We teach them everything they need to know to succeed in their individual fields, and pushing the needle to educate creatives right here in heart of North Carolina.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The moment of my life that pushed me to the edge and I made that jump into entrepreneurship is when I was working for a large package delivery company and I was the go to guy to get the job done. I worked hard, I made the company boat loads of money, and I made pretty good money myself. Throughout the years of working there I shot videos on the side and was slowly growing my production company. As I got better, my clientele grew and I started to have higher paying gigs. I booked a wedding for $2,500, the deposit was paid and I was so excited! I had to take ONE day off from work to be able to shoot this wedding so I let my supervisor know 4 months ahead of time that I needed to take off that day. He said “yes David I got you, we can make it happen” Time passed and now it was 2 weeks out from my shoot. “hey, I’m still good to get off on Friday right?……I’m sorry David, we couldn’t find anybody to replace you, so you have to run your route. My hands are tied” I was devastated. Right then and there I knew that I was just a body and not a person and I didn’t have control of my future. So I took control. I luckily had a friend that was a videographer that could cover the wedding for me, and after that I started to purchase equipment left and right for the next 6mths and set up clients so that I could have income coming in to add to what I have saved and then I gave the company my 2 week notice, and now THEY were devastated. I haven’t looked back since

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me growing my business would be that we do what we say we are going to do, it’s done in a timely matter, and we over deliver. Meaning we go above and beyond what the client is asking for, which they absolutely love. It shows that we care about what they’re trying to achieve and we are here to make sure that, that vision comes to life and then some. With that, word spreads and people love to have that type of treatment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.9studioproductions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/9studioproductions
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/9StudioProductions
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/9studioproductions
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• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/9StudioProductions