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

Alright, Fredrick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Well when the pandemic first hit my family and I was all at home attempting to find things to do while separated from everything and everyone we knew. I had countless new film/video equipment lying around our home; so I took something that my wife would always preach to me about not doing…was utilizing the equipment and not just let it collect dust. On top of that my wife’s dream was one day to have her own production company; then it CLICKED. So I took that idea and ran with it. I spoke with her about the idea after I’d already purchased additional equipment that I felt was needed to set an industry standard within this new idea. She was not happy with the idea of me just taking this leap; being that I had no experience within this field other than me occasionally filming from me iPhone. She pulled me back to reality by actually applying to business plan to it with financial goals to recoup the huge investment I took in gathering numerous pieces of filming equipment. We both created STR8 Productions out of the Love we have for the Arts & our Family.

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’m a Prairie View A&M University Alumni with a Degree in Architecture (2010). I’ve always gravitated to technology even as a child. Starting with legos and sequential art pieces throughout grade school further pushed me into a creative space that couldn’t really be defined by walls. I attempted to apply this laissez-faire approach toward Architecture in college but it was a constant pushback from my professors. Which in turn only fueled my artistic flow across all my assigned projects; which stifled some of my growth as an artist. Upon graduating I decided not to pursue a career in Architecture, based on the job market at the time because it was still the “Good Ole Boys Club” everywhere I initially applied. I developed a taste for entrepreneurship then looking forward to be able to do what I was really passionate about. Fast-forward to August 2020 I purchased my 1st cinema camera allowing me to try a new hobby that a friend mentioned to me that I could possibly make some additional money from. My wife had just became the new Theatre Director for Fort Bend ISD and she asked me if I could record a live-performance at her school. So I went for it and I captured the moments that was on full display. I was blown away at how these students could pull off such talents at a young age in comparison to when I was in school. I was completely hooked; saying to myself I needed to create a niche within the business because we didn’t know of anyone within the Houston & surrounding areas was doing anything like this. As time went on I was not only able to sell the theatrical recordings to families of the students preforming; I began get request to record live-performances at other schools within Fort Bend ISD. So currently we as a company are biding for the opportunity to provide our services for the entire Fort Bend ISD based on our reputation for premium work and making it all about the children by being stewards of excellence. I personally run our business currently while my wife continues to teach going into her 20th year in education. We as a power couple with 6 children of our own put all into fulfilling dreams into reality.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My wife and I are building on this opportunity we have created for ourselves and are seeking ways to be philanthropists. Being comfortable in life with our family is all we truly want. This lead us into another discussion about what exactly does that look like? How do we get there at the rate we are going? So we created a new non-profit based around the Fine Arts which includes several of our closest peers; which all have a specific strength they bring to impact our surrounding communities helping children and families by exposing them to all Fine Art disciplines.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The fact that the students in the live-performances we film are able to view themselves on several social media platforms. Priceless

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.str8stageandfilm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/str8stageandfilms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/str8stageandfilms
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/str8stage
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVY5IMTTaX0mkjQpep8DKNw

Image Credits
Poseidon’s Playhouse Troupe #5864, Allgirlsrodeo JM, Akilah Nehanda, PrimeWay Federal Credit Union