We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyle Dorrell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyle below.
Alright, Kyle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The name I chose for my company is Weighed Sailor. I meet plenty of people that ask me if I know how to sail or what branch of the military I’m in. The truth of the matter is it had nothing to do with either. At Weighed Sailor our slogan is make it home safe. One thing rings true is a sailors main goal no matter the reason for the trip is to make it home safe. As artist we all have something we call home. For example when I’m on stage I feel at home, when I’m behind the camera I feel at home, at the studio, buried in my sketch book, in my headphones the list goes on and on. The weighed part comes into play because we all have things that weigh us down. We all have “waves that crash against the boat”. Life can get in the way of us getting back home, things like finances, mental health, relationships, trauma, personal choices, choices of others. At Weighed Sailor we just want every artist to make it home safe. This goes a step further when I talk about Jacksonville. This has been my home my entire life. I’ve watched countless artist fall and rise to the idea that I have to get out of Jax to make it. I want to create spaces that eliminates that way of thinking. Jacksonville has the creative potential to be a hub for the arts it has talent that has been sought out and taken from our community and claimed for elsewhere. I love this city and the people that call it home. I just want to see every artist to be able, to make it home safe.
Kyle, 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?
My name is Kyle Dorrell. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. At a very young age I found myself turning to the blank covers of the coloring book to draw as opposed to coloring the pages they provided. From there my parents got behind me and supported my desire for the arts. I started as a visual artist in sketch books and on canvas. From there I began getting involved in the performing arts with local plays and improve. After spending time on stage and in front of a camera I slowly moved back to the visual medium I first fell in love with but this time instead of a canvas it was behind the camera. I’ve been working in film for over a decade now and have enjoyed helping tell peoples stories over the years along with a few of my own. I’ve spent years filming music videos, short films, social media content, product ads and more events than I can remember. Over the last few years I’ve found myself working on things I truly love in the form of documentary film making. As I’ve explored many different things through my career I’ve had the pleasure of doing work with people I truly enjoy. Now for me telling the stories of the people I’ve met along the way has come to the for front and I’m hoping to meet even more amazing people with beautiful stories all their own.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
It all started 6 drinks deep in the front row of a burlesque show. We locked eyes and 6 years later we got married and had a beautiful baby girl. She has been with me through the ups and downs of this dream of a business. She is my creative director, production assistant, photographer and co founder of Weighed Sailor Productions.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
We did everything brick by brick per-say. I pride myself on being able to do a whole lot with out very much at all. SO we started out shooting on a canon t3i and an iPhone. From there we collected gear in return for favors or paid attention when others were off loading old equipment. Also as we booked bigger jobs we used those budgets to buy the gear we needed for that job so yes we cut our profits and it took a little longer to get everything we needed but the method served us well.
Contact Info:
- Website: weighedsailor.com
- Instagram: @weighedsailor
Image Credits
Marquiette Dorrell