We recently connected with Kim Brattain and have shared our conversation below.
Kim, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
We always offer full service production at a discount to a non-profit called The Relatives in Charlotte NC. It’s a crisis center for teens who don’t have a home. They could be runaways or just have lousy parents that they need to get away from. At any rate- I am always blown away by their resilience and optomism. The people that run the agency have the biggest hearts and the agency has become more comprehensive since we’ve been producing their fundraisng films. They have the crisis center, which gives teens a place to sleep where they aren’t preyed upon and are safe. They help with simple things most of us take for granted- like finding a birth certificate or getting a drivers license. Sometimes it’s a warm meal at lunchtime and help getting a GED. There’s also a transitional housing center that offers housing stability while young adults find a job. The love and kindness blows me away. I always have tears during the production- tears of sadness for what they’ve had to endure- and tears of joy when I see what they overcome.
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 am a journalist by education and worked in the television news industry for many years. When I was on the air, we literally could see our ratings in :15 second increments. So I knew what viewers were broadly interested in and how to capture their attention. Also rewriting scripts every day for a few hours helped me communicate concisely.
So that communications practice combined with top talents in the video and editing fields has given us a leg up on competition I believe.
Kim Brattain Media produces commercails, training films, documentaries and are currently planning our 12-series broadcast tv show. We know that there are two powerful tools when someone watches a video- the spoken word (including music and pauses) and the visuals. They go hand in hand. A lot of creatives will start with a good script and then slap some music under it.. and wallpaper video. That’s the mistake. The visuals need to be planned with as much care as the script, and they need to be planned together.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One mistake I’ve made is assuming people have the creative juice to make a great video. And I’ve been told I”m not terribly diplomatic when I point out things that could have been better. I’ve hurt feelings and I really fell lousy about that. On the other hand, we do have a reputation of doing great, impactful work– and letting things slide because you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings is counterproductive.
I”m not sure I answered that question! But I’ve had to learn not to beat myself up about being honest- AND – I’ve had to learn to nurture more and be more diplomatic with my feedback.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
We love telling visual stories. I love looking through a viewfinder. Blending music and impactful scripting with breathtaking video.
it’s the best feeling. Time flies.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.KimBrattain.com
- Instagram: @kimbrattainmedia
- Facebook: @kimbrattainmedia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbrattainmedia/
- Twitter: kimBmedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kimbrattainmedia/
