We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacob & Brandi Bondesen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacob & Brandi below.

Alright, Jacob & Brandi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When it comes to wedding or event videography I think most people have this idea of a guy with a camera right up in your face, bright production lights, and a likely behind-the-scenes feud with the photographer (haha). Our take on all that is the exact opposite. Being an introvert will do that to you though, I suppose. Our goal is to be the fly on the wall and film inconspicuously. It’s entirely possible to “get the shot” AND maintain peace with the photographer (i.e. stay out of his way), not blind your subjects, and keep a healthy distance. We hear from so many of our wedding couples that they’re shy or feel awkward on camera, and once the day has come and gone they’ll say they forgot we were even there, or that their guests were so surprised when they saw the video because they never saw anyone filming. We’re grateful to be a part of so many people’s big day, but we want to help them remember their day — not us.

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

My (Jacob’s) dad always had a video camera around when I was growing up, capturing that mundane (yet novel at the time) 80s and 90s footage of seemingly nothing with the crazy close ups of loved ones’ faces and awkward cuts. I loved it. My brothers, cousins, and I turned that into filming ridiculous skits and shenanigans, which ultimately led to me attending film school at the University of North Texas.

I worked at the, dare I say, legendary Blockbuster throughout college, and continued living and breathing film. Once I graduated I knew I could NOT let myself get sucked into a 9-5, had some friends that wanted to hire me to do their wedding video, and the rest is history! Here I am eleven years later, grateful to have my wife working with me for the last five years, and grateful to still be doing what I’ve loved doing since I was a kid.

Having always been the one behind the camera, it might go without saying that I’m a bit of an introvert. Over the years, time and time again, I’d get feedback from my wedding clients that they totally forgot I was there filming, or that they felt so comfortable to let go and be themselves even though they knew they were on camera. What I once thought was just me naturally filming as an introvert, or what I call the “fly on the wall” approach, is now what I realize to be one of my biggest strengths and sets me apart from other wedding videographers out there. I’m proud to offer a bit of relief to those looking for (or needing) one less thing to be anxious about on their wedding day. It can all already be overwhelming, so yeah, let’s give the couple a little bit of distance, let’s leave the production lights at home, and let’s allow everyone to enjoy the celebration without a camera front and center. We can capture everything and achieve all of that — best of both worlds!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Absolutely. “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman immediately comes to mind. After reading it I had this realization — and tremendous relief — that I didn’t have to take the path most people take. I am my own person and have the power to create my own way of life. Society has long said 9-to-5 is where you’re heading after college, but that never felt right for me, so I made my future what I wanted it to be. And that’s where “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne came into play. She essentially argues your thoughts hold power in creating or achieving whatever you desire. A good and very successful friend of mine turned me onto that book, and that message was 100% the driving force behind me getting off my butt and making owning my own business a reality.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have many clients-turned-friends. The nature of our work is generally pretty laid back (or at least that’s the environment we try to promote), so over the course of working with some of our wedding couples we’ll connect via Facebook or Instagram, or meet up for drinks or coffee even after all the work is complete. Some learn we do travel videography and continue as clients as they’ll honeymoon in *insert awesome bucket list destination here,* film it with a GoPro, then hire us to edit their footage into a video they’ll want to revisit. We live to travel and learn about other cultures, food, and languages, so getting to do so vicariously through our friends’ footage AND get to edit it is incredibly rewarding and inspiring. And I think it’s a bit cyclical too; once you film a trip and get to relive that trip through your own footage, you can’t help but want to do it again for the next trip! So basically, many of our wedding clients progress to the travel client category and ultimately continue as friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: somethingcleverweddings.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/somethingcleverweddings
• Facebook: facebook.com/SomethingCleverWeddings
• Youtube: youtube.com/somethingcleverfilm
• Other: Nomadic Gear YouTube (travel videos): youtube.com/nomadicgear Nomadic Gear Instagram: instagram.com/nomadicgear

Image Credits
Adri Mendez