We recently connected with Gabriel McDonald and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

On the surface, the name is simple enough: October 30th is a big day on my calendar. It’s unfortunately the day my dad passed in a car accident and it’s also the day I married my wife.

The magic in the name though, is a nod to the choice we made to turn a sad day into a happy one. “TENTHIRTY” is a mantra that reminds me I can always choose happiness in any circumstance, a commitment to my clients that they and their loved ones will be remembered, and a way for me to preserve my dad’s memory.

Gabriel, 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?

I have been wanting to give a shout out to my friend Julie Floetke, who is herself a wonderful photographer, and I can’t tell this story without mentioning her, and her faith in me.

We have known each other since high school, and in 2017, she saw a short film I put online of my newborn daughter’s first few months of life, and saw ‘something special’. She asked me if I’d consider filming her brother’s wedding, and I accepted. Five years later, I’m doing it full time.

I personally produce, film, and edit deeply emotional, one-of-kind wedding films for my clients, all of which is made possible by getting to know them in a way that larger companies simply can’t. My wife recently said “You’re like Alfred is to Batman (for your clients)” and that might have been my favorite thing anyone has ever said about me. Trustworthiness and loyalty are my superpowers.

With that trustworthiness and loyalty come a suite of other benefits to my clients, like an unreasonable commitment to quality at every single step of the process. From inquiry to final delivery, everything is tailored to each client, and there’s nothing I won’t do to deliver for them. My background in corporate America has also given me the skill set to be ruthless with waste and inconsistency too, all of which is applied in a way that never interferes with the artistry.

I’m proud of what we’ve built here. I say ‘we’ because while I am the only employee of my company (for now), I couldn’t have done this without the support of my wife Jessica, and the army of family and friends who encouraged me to follow this dream, even if it’s a bit scary. And now that I’ve done this for a while, I’m realizing so many unforeseen benefits. I’ve seen my clients’ kids light up watching films of their parents’ on their wedding day, and I’ve received several thanks for capturing loved ones who have since passed. That’s what I went into this business to do, and it’s so rewarding to see it come to fruition.

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

Not even two years ago, I was preparing to film my last wedding. I was juggling my full-time career, two small kids, a marriage, a home, a side-hustle, and–as if that weren’t mad enough–I was also a full-time student wrapping up my undergrad. To say I was burnt out would be an understatement.

Then, that November, I filmed a couple, a wedding, a story that made me change my mind before I’d even finished the job. I can remember clearly, standing behind my camera during toasts with happy tears in my eyes. It was that moment I knew I had to do this. And then, as if that weren’t enough reason, the maid of honor asked me to film her wedding in May and thus bound me by contract to continue!

Since November 2021, I’ve been actively filming weddings and promoting this business, and in August of this year, I left my employer of 20yrs to do this full time. I know it’s only been a couple of months, but so far it’s been amazing and I have no regrets.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

A vast majority of my clients come via referral, either by a former client or a fellow vendor (usually a planner or a photographer). This year, the theme was four! I filmed the fourth (and third) wedding for the same family, and worked with the same photographer four times (all via their referrals). That’s something I’m immensely proud of and humbled by; that families repeatedly trust me with such important moments in their history, and that my peers enjoy working with me and are willing to put their name out there for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tenthirtyproductions.com
• Instagram: @tenthirtydetroit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ten30productions/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-mcdonald-019b1972
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tenthirtydetroit
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenthirtyproductions