We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Horst a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
I had the idea to start Redhead Creative Media in 2008, but then I moved into a full-time corporate job and put it to the side. The idea stayed with me, though, and I kept thinking about how to run a business where I could do both video and photography, combined with my love of documentary film.
Then, in 2014, I met an educator who wanted me to help her adapt her multi-day, in-person workshops for viewing online. It was a multi-year process, but it was a good one, and I learned so much about balancing client work with the realities of working full-time in my corporate job. I helped location scout, found the crew, and did all of the editing myself. In the end, we ended up recording a handful of multi-day in-person workshops that were then edited down and now live online for students across the globe.
Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I fell in love with photography at a young age, often taking over my mom’s cameras to go on my own storytelling adventures. I learned to shoot, process, and develop black-and-white film in high school, and became enamoured with visual storytelling. I pursued a bachelor’s and master’s in filmmaking, both specializing in documentary storytelling. Then I spent 15 years in corporate video production for a Fortune 500 company, where I learned editorial polish and style. My background sets me apart from others because I’m truly fascinated by the clients I work with and love getting to know them and their stories. I’m always asking questions to get deeper into the why of things, and the connection these questions create can be seen in my work.
I founded Redhead Creative Media in 2014 while I was working full-time in the corporate world. We moved to North Carolina from Texas in 2022, and I left corporate in 2023 to pursue my business full-time. I operated initially as Jennifer Horst Photography, but came home to Redhead Creative Media at the end of 2025 to focus on editorial photography, documentary film, and identity-driven visual storytelling.
One of the drivers behind this return is the work I’m doing with The Postpartum Project, a raw, black-and-white portrait interview with women about their journeys in motherhood. It’s an opportunity for women to document their journey, both for themselves and their loved ones. We talk about the transition from not being a mom to being a mom, and all the ups and downs of motherhood. It’s all the things that society tells women not to talk about, and it’s a conversation I’m working hard to get out into the open. I’m super proud of the work being created in this project and the connection I’m creating with my clients as they share their experiences of motherhood, and my goal is that this work will help take this conversation to a much wider audience.
This portrait interview series inspired me to return to my roots and expand my offerings from strictly photography for brands and individuals, to editorial and documentary-inspired photography and film to help my clients tell their stories at a new level, whether that’s to elevate their brand, document a chapter in their story, or create a legacy their community and loved ones will treasure (and want to share) after they’re gone.
The most consistent piece of feedback I get is that I make my clients feel comfortable being themselves in front of my camera. Authenticity is a keystone to documentary storytelling, so I don’t ask my clients to perform for the camera. I ask them to be present, to be themselves, and allow me to help tell their stories with humanity and compassion. Whether it’s a story of strength, obstacles overcome, or a celebration of achievement, I’m here to help my clients document their truths for generations to come.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Networking and inviting potential clients to the studio. We moved to Chapel Hill in 2022, and while my husband already knew people in the area because he’s originally from Durham, this was a fresh start for me, so I had to start from scratch to meet people. I connected initially with other women in a local mom’s Facebook group, then expanded to more traditional group-led networking in 2023. I average 3 networking activities a week, whether that’s a group event or a one-to-one connection with someone in the community, and make regular offers and invitations for potential clients to work with me in the studio.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think it’s been the transition from Texas to North Carolina. We moved here with me knowing absolutely no one other than my husband, his family, our children, and a few of my husband’s friends. Shortly after we moved, I became pregnant with our second child, and shortly after that, left my corporate job for the entrepreneurial life. Learning to balance two children while building a business was difficult, and led me to develop the idea of The Postpartum Project. Then, at the beginning of 2025, I was diagnosed with cancer. Last year was a year of surgeries, recuperation, reflections, and a push towards the future. Part of me wanted to throw in the towel with everything that was going on, but I made a promise to myself that I would see this business grow, and that’s what I’m going to do. I feel like if I can get through the last few years of ups and downs, I can get through anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://redheadcreativemedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redheadcreativemedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redheadcreativemedia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/redhead-creative-media
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@redheadcreativemedia
- Other: The Postpartum Project: https://redheadcreativemedia.com/postpartum
My personal LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-horst/
Image Credits
Jennifer Horst