We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kendyl Spriggs a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kendyl, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?
Well, there are two stories that immediately come to mind. The first happened while I was shooting a music video for an artist named Odd Mojo in DC. We were right in the middle of filming when a homeless woman hopped in and started performing with the artist. This woman quickly became the star of the scene, so we just rolled with it and made her a part of the music video. The next time I am in DC I plan to find her and show her the video she helped create. The other story happened just a couple of months ago when I was shooting a wedding for a beautiful couple at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The officiant mentioned that the brother of the groom was a very talented player for the Denver Nuggets, but I don’t really follow sports, so it didn’t make any difference to me. The very next day I realized that I had actually filmed Nikola Jokic who as of yesterday has led the Nuggets to the NBA Finals for the first time in history! It still doesn’t matter all that much to me (I treat all of my clients like superstars), but it does make for a funny story.
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.
I got into filmmaking as a result of second shooting for my wife Diana, who is an incredible photographer (shameless plug). It was then that I realized my love for capturing special moments in people’s lives like their wedding day. I also make music and a lot of the friends that I made music with at that time needed videos to promote their work. So, I filled that space and have continued to do so, not just for my friends but for couples, musicians and small businesses all over the world! If I had to pick one thing that separates me from other videographers, it would be the natural way in which I capture moments. I try not to force poses or redo genuine moments. Instead, I choose to capture the beautiful details in all the simple things that occur naturally. Such as the way a couple looks at/touches/talks to each other. Those are the types of things that can be hard to translate onto a photograph and those are the types of things that I pay close attention to. The simple things.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is people pleasing at the expense of my own well-being. As a freelance filmmaker I rely heavily on client relationships. So, it is very easy for me to drop everything when a client calls or stay up all night editing a video at the expense of my personal time/relationships. I have learned over the years to set healthy boundaries with my work. I have done this by designating times, days, and even areas of my house to work and not stepping outside of those boundaries. It is not easy, but it is necessary, so that when I do show up for my clients, I am showing up fully every time.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
From its inception NFT’s always felt like a scam to me, but I am sure that as we catch up to the technology it will find a useful place in society.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.simplekendyl.com
- Instagram: simple.kendyl
- Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/denvercovideoproduction WeddingWire: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/a-simple-kendyl-production/541b17012ec36234.html theKnot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/a-simple-kendyl-production-denver-co-2071911
Image Credits
All photos by FlorDeCampo.Co and Bunmi Abari