We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madi Garcia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madi below.
Madi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
As a wedding videographer, not only do I want to capture the special moments on a wedding day, but I want to convey the emotion felt that day while piecing together a story that truly stands the test of time. In my opinion, randomly putting video clips together is one thing, but taking the time to combine visuals, audio, and emotion into one storyline is what makes a wedding film so special. That’s how I decided on my company’s name: storiesbymadi. I want to create stories for people that they can reminisce about, show their future children, send to relatives who desperately wanted to be there but couldn’t make it for some reason, the list goes on and on. Ultimately, I want to convey the beautiful journey of love.
Madi, 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?
Ever since I was a kid, I would walk around with a video camera, always wanting to film the events happening around me. I love connecting with people, capturing experiences, and creating stories that stand the test of time. This is how I knew videography was exactly for me.
As I started to get more and more into videography, I began creating travel videos whenever I would go on a vacation. These videos allowed me to practice my cinematography skills and my editing skills using Premiere Pro. I had no idea how to navigate Premiere at first, and so I would watch YouTube videos on how to edit for hours on end, slowing teaching myself the craft. Eventually, I discovered wedding highlight films on YouTube and instantly fell in love. I dreamed of being able to capture a wedding one day but had no idea where to even start. I didn’t have any connections to the industry so there was no one I could shadow and I wasn’t sure who would want to take a chance on someone who had never filmed a wedding before.
As I was trying to figure out how to jump into the industry, my second cousin reached out to me to tell me she was getting married. She mentioned that she had seen my travel videos and asked if I would ever be interested in filming a wedding. I immediately said yes and asked her what she was looking for. She explained that her and her fiancé weren’t planning on having a videographer and so this would be a super low stress job. If I was able to get great content, fantastic. But if not, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. This was exactly what I needed to hear to help calm my nerves. I filmed the wedding and was able to capture everything I wanted to. I felt proud and excited for the future after I accomplished my first wedding. Looking back on it, I was so nervous but I now know that you just have to put yourself out there for the first wedding you film. Is it scary? Yes, but at the same time you learn so much about yourself and about the craft.
After I finished editing my very first wedding highlight film, I posted it on Vimeo and began to receive inquires to film more not long after. I was just finishing up my freshman year of college at this point and knew videography was my passion. I ended up switching my major to Film and Production to expand my skill set even more.
When filming weddings, I offer a few video options, but my most popular package is a 10-15 minute highlight film. I cover everything from the bride and groom getting ready, to the ceremony, to the reception and everything else in between. I even offer drone footage to really bring the film to the next level. My favorite thing to do while editing a wedding film is to use the couple’s vows as a voiceover. This adds a narration feel to the film and enriches the storytelling aspect.
The way I use video to convey emotion and tell a story combined with my cinematography and editing style is what sets me apart from others the most. I use great consideration when choosing each and every video clip and audio file included in the film.
Overall, I am most proud of how far I have come. I started off not knowing how to get into the industry and now have a summer booked full of weddings I’m filming. This past year I graduated college as the top student for the Film and Production major. I haven’t done much marketing for storiesbymadi and so right now I’m operating mainly on referrals. I feel extremely blessed to be in the position I am in and doing something I love so much. I am passionate about each and every wedding I do.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing how much my work affects people and creating something for them that they will have forever. I always joke and say the main goal of my job is to make people cry. While this may sound crazy, there’s a lot of truth in it. If I’m able to evoke such strong emotions through the use of video storytelling to bring the happy tears, I know it was a job well done and it is an extremely rewarding feeling.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
The more referrals I got, the stronger my reputation became. As I began to take on more weddings, I was running into the same photographers, DJs, event planners, etc… and was able to establish a relationship with them. I also started to be invited to networking events and I made sure to go to all of them to connect with people in my industry. On the client side, I have always been upfront with deliverables and the time it will take for me to finish editing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.storiesbymadi.com
- Instagram: storiesbymadi