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

Hallie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I started over today in my business, I would accept every opportunity I can to get out of my comfort zone and learn new things. Too often when I first started in this industry I would decline opportunities because I didn’t think they would get me anywhere, or I would sike myself out of doing them out of fear of failure. I would also remind myself to stay consistent in content creation and take advantage of the times that my content did do well, and not fall off the radar. The biggest lesson I have for anyone starting in content creation is: Consistency is key. If you are consistent in what you do, and you are passionate about what you are doing, you’re unbeatable.

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’m a 25-year-old content creator, photographer, and full-time data scientist based in Indianapolis, IN. While content creation is currently my side gig, I aspire to make it my full-time focus alongside the media production business I share with my husband. We are a photographer and videographer duo, and we are incredibly fueled by bring our visions to life!

My journey in photography began in 2016, initially capturing weddings. Since then, I’ve expanded my portfolio to include all kinds of photography, music videos, Instagram and TikTok short-form & YouTube content. I also co-host a podcast called Half Past Chai, where my husband and I dive into various topics surrounding relationships, being a multicultural couple, and real-life topics we face and how we overcome them. I made my first YouTube debut back in 2015 when my husband and I first started dating and I would appear in his videos, whether they’re silly skits, or school projects. Ever since then, I’ve been deeply involved in the media space since being featured in his vlogs on YouTube.

I’m passionate about bringing creative visions to life, whether they are my own or those of my clients. My love for self-expression shines through in my photography, videography, online content creation, and writing. I thrive on collaborating with clients to transform their ideas into reality, drawing from my past experiences to ensure I deliver the best version of myself.

What I’m most proud of is my authenticity. I believe that being true to myself allows my personality to sparkle in every project. I want clients to know that when they work with us, they receive our most genuine selves. We pour our hearts into every creation, bringing 110% to the table, fueled by our shared passion. Working together as a team, we showcase our talent and commitment, making each project a unique experience.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

When I bought my first camera as a college student, I had to save up a significant amount of money over lots of time. Throughout college, I juggled two jobs while managing a full course load of 16-18 credit hours each semester to graduate a year early. I took on numerous gigs, even if they didn’t always pay what I hoped, just to transition from a beginner camera to something more advanced.

In 2018, after months of diligent saving, I finally purchased a Canon 6D Mark II. About a year later, I saved up an additional $2,000 to invest in a 24-70 Sigma lens, upgrading from the 50mm lens I had received for free. Which made so much difference in my final products, allowing me to take on bigger and more advanced gigs.

My advice? Save as much as you can for the gear you truly want—the quality is absolutely worth it. One valuable lesson I’ve learned though, is that if you can’t afford to buy something twice, it’s probably best to hold off on the purchase.

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

So, not yet—but it’s definitely the goal, and I’d love to elaborate!

SPatelProductions began in 2016, initially with my husband, Suketu, as the sole videographer. As he honed his craft, I joined as the dedicated photographer. By 2017, we had transformed into a dynamic photo-video duo, all while navigating our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. We fell in love with the work, and that passion still drives us today. Working together allows us to spend quality time and learn from each other every step of the way.

Over the years, we’ve gained valuable insights into our rates, improved our skills, and learned how to turn our two-person media production company into a full-time venture. If you had asked me in 2017 if this could be a full-time business, I would have likely said no. However, my perspective has shifted dramatically, and I now see the immense potential for growth. We’ve evolved far beyond our initial vision as we now include content creation in this business as well. We love creating content on social media!

We take on a wide range of projects that not only benefit us but also help expand our client base. What many don’t realize is that starting small is essential in any business. You can’t aim for the stars right away; there’s a journey of learning and growth that you need to experience first. This foundation builds the confidence to tackle larger, higher-paying gigs and teaches us how to work with bigger clients.

Key milestones for us included transitioning to collaborations with universities and businesses, which often come with larger budgets. Don’t get me wrong—we absolutely love working with individual clients and will continue to do so! However, to truly establish this as a full-time business, we recognized the need to elevate our client base, and that realization opened our eyes to the potential for something greater.

In terms of content creation, we’ve learned this: that truth and authenticity works. It resonates with audiences, because if you’re relatable, the people will come. We all want to feel like we aren’t alone in this world. This approach has attracted the attention of numerous brands, and we feel fortunate to collaborate with them. Our hope is to continue growing our social media presence and building an even larger community. We cherish the connections we have with our viewers and look forward to seeing those relationships flourish.

With our ambitions for growth, the love we’ve received, the authenticity we’ve shared, and the stability of our viewership, we’ve proven to ourselves that this can indeed be a full-time gig. You just have to want it enough to make it happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spatelproductions.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/halliegpatel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hallie-patel-7b425a286/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@halliepatel
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@halliepatel?lang=en

Image Credits

Suketu Patel – took the photos of me