We were lucky to catch up with Jeremey Dyches recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jeremey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

On October 4th of 2021 we were asked to shoot a wedding for a close friend. This was a massive opportunity for myself and Arienne Annati (Studio Manager/Second Photographer) as we rarely traveled outside of our home state (Boston, MA) for paying gigs, and had never shot a wedding together. We were given amazing access to document the wedding from pre-ceremonial staging to reception. This allowed us to capture intimate moments during the process that the brides will never forget, as in the moment it all may have felt like a rush or blur. The personal connection of realizing we were contributing to such a special moment, all while raising awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community in Tennessee, will live with us just as long as it does for them. This moment is where Professor Punx Productions grew from an idea to a company.

This event was not only supportive of our company mission statement, it also allowed us network and connect with other contributors from the wedding, as we worked closely with the videographer, DJ, and the event hall. The experience and opportunity to stretch our services outside of New England was pivotal at that point in our journey. Being recognized for our efforts yielded additional opportunities once the final images from the wedding were revealed; we have since been approached for numerous wedding opportunities. Arienne and I were able to solidify our experience and officially launched our production company after that.

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?

Professor Punx Productions is comprised of multiple people contributing to the company and its endeavors; but was founded, and is run full time by myself, Jeremey Dyches and Arienne Annati.

I, Jeremey Dyches, have a background in fashion photography, military journalism, and cinematography. I obtained my photography degree in New England, and was working on my Masters in Film/Video Production before I left 2 semesters shy of graduating to pursue opportunities I felt would not come around a second time. Since then I started the production company with a friend and we bring others in on projects here and there. My passion is creation, tapping into social issues while creating a narrative that is both supportive and motivational. My biggest contributions towards the company are as a writer, photographer, producer and creative director. Professor Punx is representation of all of us working together, we teach each other and learn from each other as a community, but we do it with a punk edge.

Arienne Annati is a queer artist, researcher, and activist born and raised in the Boston area. Her degree is in psychology and women & gender studies, and her passions include mindful movement, writing, and mental health advocacy. Her published research focuses on the lesbian population, and she strives to bring more visibility to LGBTQIA+ artists as often as possible. She began modeling for me in 2019, quickly transitioned into the role of personal assistant, and later became the studio manager and secondary photographer for Professor Punx Productions.

Professor Punx Productions is an all-media services company that focuses on conceptualizing wellness through equal contribution and recognition. Our primary media types are scriptwriting, photography and video production, however,
our body of work and style of creation does not fixate on a biased perspective or narrative. We welcome all gender identities and expressions to join us in exploring and finding themselves through creative vulnerability. We encourage creative collaboration, and seek to produce projects are equality-driven for all that participate and view.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building a strong and interactive audience was a very tedious journey; it required extensive research in my field of content. Understanding how and when to post was just the jump-off point. It then became about the metrics of different platforms, and analyzing the time differences with people online to view and interact rather than just to post. Some insider tips are to schedule posts so you don’t forget when you’re busy, make sure your post supports the aesthetic of your page, and try to tie the post back to supporting your company’s narrative. Overall, engagement is critical, and finding time to like, comment, follow, and share others’ posts can eventually result in the same happening to your posts.

After a while, I learned that proper social media etiquette would result in more of their followers/fans to check back on our page. Proper etiquette is appropriately tagging who is involved (brands, clients, models, production crew) and at what capacity, both in the general post section and a tag on the image/video posted. Not only does this generate higher visibility and yield more engagement opportunities, it’s considered standard practice for most collaborations.
Always support the brands you work with, regardless of whether or not the post involves them; this shows consistency with product/brand loyalty. It can even pay off in online support, testing out new products, and cross-promotion in future productions.

– Jeremey Dyches

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Jeremey in 2018 when I was a store leader at one of his retail locations in the greater Boston area. There was a massive leadership turnover that left myself and my store scrambling to open on time every morning. Jeremey came in and quickly whipped the Northeastern region into shape. At first I was very hesitant to establish a connection with him; I judged him at face value and assumed we had nothing in common. For the first 6 months of working together we barely spoke at all, and when we did it was solely about retail logistics. It wasn’t until he opened up about his passions and photography that I realized his creative and emotional depth. He would often explain creative concepts to me and I was quickly inspired to become a part of his movement that centers artist authenticity and vulnerability. I began modeling for him in 2019, and absolutely loved being a part of a project from conception to completion. When we both left the company in late 2019, we continued working together on photography projects before he hired me as his personal assistant. We did a complete 180 from how we first met; he’s a phenomenal mentor and business partner, and our creative strength continues to grow.     

– Arienne Annati

Contact Info:

• Website: www.professorpunx.com (under construction)
• Instagram: @jeremeydyches @arienneannati @professorpunx
• Youtube: @ProfessorPunxProductions

Image Credits
Male Headshot: Jeremey Dyches (Hat and Mustache) Movie Poster: Ben Goldsmith Wedding: Cassidy Dube & Taylor Dube Vintage Shop: Anna Fateiger Skatepark: (Left to Right) Arienne Annati, Jack Amsler, Khalil Benguche, Gabe Campos Piano: Jane Huo Polaroid: Arienne Annati Desert Fashion Shoot: Arienne Annati