Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Enoch McKie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Enoch, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

For me, I got tired of saying yes to everyone else and saying no to myself. I started my business as a way to highlight voices that have often gone unheard. After this idea, came further learning my craft (directing, photography, videography) and learning the business side. Being good at what you do is the first step – dive down deep into your craft and always be a student of the game. However, a more vital step is understanding business. The passion for what you do cannot always come before the business or else you will struggle trying to navigate these waters.

Now with that out of the way, it’s story time. I’m in college and I start screenwriting as a therapeutic way to deal with the stress of being an engineer major. Learning the craft, I finished a few scripts that I was proud of. The next dilemma became who would shoot them, who would produce them? After hundreds of no’s, I picked up a camera and learned cinematography and editing. This led me to start my own production company where I can now tell stories and pour into others. Now when, I have a script I want shot, I produce it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I wear many hats. I am a filmmaker, director, photographer, videographer. I have a production company, MountainTop Studios where we do photoshoots, films, podcasts, events, weddings, etc.

I got into my craft because I wanted to tell authentic stories of the culture. I want to showcase the culture in a positive, triumphant way. Media is one of the most powerful ways to do that, so I picked up a camera to tell those stories.

Our motto is if you can think it, we can make your vision a reality. We can take care of writing the story, casting, location scouting, production (lighting, audio, visuals), and editing. Our team prides itself on bringing your ideas to life.

What sets us a part is that we’re a team of dope creatives. Our different minds together, help us tell the best version of the story for our clients. The team is always what I’m most proud of because we’re truly a family at MountainTop Studios. We laugh a lot and also help each other through tough times.

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

Whew! This was a journey. I graduated with a degree in engineering and worked in corporate America for years. I would take my money and funnel that into buying new gear. When I decided I wanted to do my passion full time, I kept my corporate America job, started a new fulltime job that helped enhance my camera skills, while also working on my passion projects. The corporate America job provided the initial investment in my company. The second fulltime job allowed me to sharpen my skills to became a better photographer/videographer. And the passion projects kept me motivated through the tough days of being exhausted.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission is to tell marginalized stories in an authentic light. So often I have found the stories of Black people to be showcased in a way that I felt was shallow. My goal is to show a different perspective, tell untold stories. The beauty of this culture deserves to be displayed in all of its brilliance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.byenoch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkwithenoch/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/by-enoch-160512123
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK7bvV0Gb0ypA_CcLbJFXgg

Image Credits
Photographer: By Enoch Image 1:Enoch, Kaitlin Faye, Isiah Merchand, Nyah Collins, Tatiana Le’Joy, Stanley J. Williams Image 2: Mayor Andre Dickens Image 3: China Red, Stanley J. Williams Image 4: Rodnika Image 5: Allisha Gray Image 6: Shermara McKie Image 7: Bonnie Banks Image 8: Tamara Stackhouse, O.J. Hemmingway, Tatiana Le’Joy, Stanley J. Williams