Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karl Frentz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Karl, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I have seen so many videographers work (especially with weddings) that don’t excite me. When I was first getting started, weddings were the first projects I would work on so I would watch other people’s work for inspiration. As I watched, I remember feeling bored and not connected to the video in any way. I then made it my goal to create wedding videos that anybody could watch and enjoy without even knowing the couple. After filming and editing a wedding video, I showed my (usually unemotional) sister and she cried. WITHOUT even knowing the couple. That is when I knew I was doing something right.

Now you want to know why that happened? I broke a huge industry standard. Typical wedding videos that are trending right now involve a lot of slo-mo video and stabilized video on a gimbal. I film 99% of weddings strictly handheld. I feel that the shake footage actually adds more dynamic shots and makes the viewer feel ground and as if they were there. It’s these little techniques that I love to find in order to separate my videos from the rest.

Karl, 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 graduated with a marketing degree and always had a dream of owning my own business. Dreaming of becoming a fitness influencer, I watched so many Youtube videos of people working out in clothing companies like Alphalete & Gymshark which made me want to start a clothing brand. I would tell my girlfriend (now wife) how excited I was to make the promo videos for the company, but I never mentioned anything about the clothes. She said “why don’t you just make videography your business then.” A month later I bought my camera and got to work.

Rewind a bit, as a kid I loved making videos. In school, projects were usually to make a powerpoint OR a video. I always elected to make a video (or at the very least, an animated powerpoint.) I made videos as Christmas presents, asked my girlfriend to prom with a video – it has always been a passion.

Now, I offer videos for weddings, products, experiential marketing events and documentaries. I am creating videos for anyone with a story to be told or a message to be sent. I am proud that I am able to offer my services to people and brands while also making it enjoyable to work with. I don’t come in with blinders on. Sure I have a vision of how the project will go, but at the end of the day I want the client to be happy with the results so I am always open for collaboration.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth has been the biggest factor to land new clients, especially for weddings. A game changer for me is to make the day more enjoyable for the bride and groom. When they are stuck doing photos and missing the cocktail hour, I always bring them drinks. Really all the little stuff is what they remember. Those are the things you need to do to be recommended. I also leave a stack of business cards on the DJs table which is an easy way to promote yourself.

At the end of the day, there are many other videographers, many even more talented than me. BUT allowing the bride and groom to enjoy their day and being fun is a deciding factor a lot of the times.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

A lot of times creatives work is undervalued. People think it is as simple as clicking a button on a camera. There is a lot more that goes in to it. Calls before setting up the shoot, prepping all the gear, gear rentals, filming day & editing. For a 10 hour wedding shoot, you are looking at at least 30 hours of work with everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: kapitanadr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kapitan_adr/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kapitan_adr

Image Credits
Karl Frentz