We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Holly Kell Nelson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Holly below.

Hi Holly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Honestly, the biggest risk I’ve taken was starting Holly Kell Creative. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln I worked two corporate jobs and two startup jobs. I either quit or was laid off from all of them. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I had just moved from Nebraska to Michigan and something just didn’t feel right. I quit my job almost immediately after moving. Before quitting I spent a good month just thinking about what life could be like if I actually went for my dream job of being a wedding videographer.

I wanted to give couples a wedding video that didn’t feel like just a highlight reel but felt like their relationship. I wanted to capture raw and real moments from the best day of their lives. But as we all know, being a business owner is not all rainbows and butterflies. I was so worried about our brand new mortgage, car payments, am I even good enough, will people hire me, etc. My husband really encouraged me to take the risk and asked what’s the worst thing that could come from just trying.

Then I saw a comment on Tik Tok that said, “This is going to take 3 years,” and someone else said, “The time will pass anyway.” And I kept thinking to myself… wow. 3 years from now could be amazing, if I start right now.

2 years later, I can say this risk has already paid off in amazing ways.

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.

Hey!!!! I’m Holly (she/her), a travel wedding videographer based in Grand Rapids, MI. Weddings are my absolute favorite because I get to capture unique love stories and you get to relive the best day of your life.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a lover of stories and adventure. I graduated with a degree in Journalism and Broadcasting with minors in Communication and Digital Humanities from UNL in 2019. I worked in sports, beef, e-commerce, and startup before forming my LLC in April 2024 (2 years on April 11!!!) I feel like especially working for the Nebraska volleyball team in college gave me the eye for capturing moments that you can only get once – you cannot miss the shot! I’ve also had my Part 107 drone license since 2019 which allows me to get some beautiful shots!

Being a wedding videographer is truly a fly on the wall experience and I love that I get to let you remember your wedding day through video. You’ll see yourself walking toward the love of your life at the end of the aisle, your first kiss as you’re pronounced married for the first time, and hear your vows to each other. Love is what I’m all about and being able to give you videos where you can see how in love you are is literally my favorite thing.

Fun fact: the first wedding I ever shot was my dad and stepmom’s in 2011 when I was 14 years old!

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

Being able to capture so many unique and beautiful love stories. You really can’t get bored with this job because every single couple and wedding has something that shows who that couple is and how creative they are! Some of my favorite examples are: a Glam Star Wars wedding theme, a surprise choreographed first dance, a dedication to an honorary bridesmaid who passed, a dance floor that combines the couples’ cultures, a mother/daughter dance, and so much more.

It’s rewarding to see others celebrate their love in a way that shares their love.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a constant, crazy, algorithm-changing beast. When I first started my business, I didn’t have a lot of content but knew I needed to post to get my name out there. So I asked the few people I knew in Michigan to help me out and did some photoshoots (I initially was a photo/video business but pivoted to video only in 2025). I made myself post 2-3x a week and started connecting with other Michigan photographers, videographers, and business owners.

I got incredibly lucky in August of 2024 when one of my wedding videos went viral – 5 million views! At first I was very overwhelmed but I knew I had to take advantage of people visiting my profile. So I shared some weddings I had done back in Nebraska, more from the wedding that went viral, and some of my photography. I tried to share more reels since that’s what got my profile out!

The biggest piece of advice I have is don’t be afraid to reach out to other local business owners that you admire. We are all going through owning a business with all the excitement and all the worries. Connections are your best friend. And post, post, post!!!!! Don’t overthink it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hollykell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollykellcreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Holly-Kell-Creative-61558566450970/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-kell/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcD85O1WTVFHDACEiYEdzFw

Image Credits

Professional headshots: Hailie Tebo Photography