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

Krystal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I launched my media production company, Kultivate Media (KM) in September 2021. Kultivate Media is an independent video production company that started with producing shorts to encourage people to exhibit kindness in their approach to others. Within five months of launching Kultivate Media I started another company, KM Studios based in Bristow, Virginia. KM Studios is a rental studio for videographers and video production projects, photographers, podcast hosts as well as an event space to host small to mid-sized events.

KM Studios offers our clients studio rentals at affordable pricing so everyone can have access to a media studio and private event space for their needs. We wanted to offer pricing that can appeal to even the college student who is self-funding a project on a tight budget.

I have always had a passion for helping others, so KM serves people; whether they are our customers, patrons, community, friends or family. KM’s vision is to become a pioneer in producing clean and impactful content as well as providing a multifaceted studio that can be used for video production and rental space at affordable rates. We have only scratched the surface of where we want to take the business.

Krystal, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a wife, mom of two, author, entrepreneur and business owner in Film Production and Photography. My story of film began at the age of 14 when I visited a news broadcasting station in my home state of New Jersey and fell in love with media/television production, deciding to make it a career.

I majored in Television Production at Penn State University and because I was often the only freshman in most of my classes, I was intimidated and lacked self-confidence. I became convinced that I didn’t have anything of value to the field of television production, so I abandoned my love for film, left Penn State and temporarily moved back home to enroll in a local community college. I went to work building a career in corporate America for the next 17 years.

Within that time, I got married, started a family and moved up the corporate ladder but I still felt incomplete inside. I felt like I was not in the career I was made for, and finally gained the courage to step out and act on my passion. I had an amazing six figure job but was unsure if my passion was enough of a reason to leave a good job that was steadily bringing in income. I grappled with the idea that I would have to self-fund this business and start from the bottom of a new career. My husband and I discussed our options and he supported me starting the business one hundred percent. Finally, my passion overcame my fear.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I self-funded my business through my savings, investments and personal loans. As a new business owner, capital and resources are limited so you have to explore all your funding options and do what is best for you.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I think that effective communication and encouraging your team are key behaviors of successful business owners and leaders because it boosts employee morale and engagement. Employees are not just represented by an employee number or tasks that need completion; they are people with hopes, dreams, feelings and families. As the leader, you set the tone for the environment that your team functions in. Your communication and encouragement to your team will add value to their performance, skills, experiences and will allow them to grow professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kultivatemediastudios.com | www.beakultivator.com
• Instagram: @kmstudiosva | @kultivatemedia
• Facebook: @kmstudiosva | @kultivatemedia
• Linkedin: @kmstudiosva | @kultivatemedia
• Twitter: @kmstudiosva | @kultivatemedia
• Youtube: @kmstudios9687 | @kultivatemedia2511

Image Credits
Sean Williams