We were lucky to catch up with Matt Ruggles recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

When the pandemic first started here in the States nobody really knew how long we would be under a lockdown. I recall thinking that it could be a few weeks to a month. As we all know now it would be much longer and we all would have to adjust. It wasn’t just an adjustment for us but also our clients and vendors.

At 7th Wave Pictures we did continue back into production but it was done so by social distancing, wearing masks, temperature checks and the use of hand sanitizer. Our core business involves a lot of sit-down interviews and shooting b-roll so we had to be diligent in our processes to keep everyone as safe as we possible.

Some video production companies got more involved in streaming as less businesses were willing to fly employees around the country. Video conferences all but stopped for quite some time and companies relied more on streaming to hold their meetings and relay information in this way.

We also work with companies that are producing content for their clients and we’ve noticed that for some of the smaller shoots now they aren’t sending a producer. As such we are providing more segment or location producers on our shoots. In the end it can be some cost savings for our clients by not having to pay airfare, hotel, and car transportation for their producers.

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 first ventured into video in high school. Even though technology was so much different then I was intrigued by shooting, editing, and making music videos and time lapse video animations. Majoring in Telecommunications and Film was a natural and organic decision.

7th Wave Pictures is celebrating its 20th year in business this year. While we pride ourselves on being current with innovative technology, we are also proud of the relationships we develop with our clients. Really knowing our clients is crucial. Once we gain a sense of your needs, we create and tailor video portfolios providing engaging promotional videos for social media, client websites, and other marketing materials. Testimonial videos efficiently and effectively compel viewers by following quick case-studies of clients, which appeal to our emotions. Whatever your unique video production needs, collaborating with 7th Wave Pictures is your best bet.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Our funding story is like many other start-ups. My initial goal was to have a video camera, lighting, and audio so that I could shoot and produce with my own equipment.

Right after 9/11, I was laid off from my job as a coordinator at a broadcast video rental house in Atlanta. I slowy began to acquire equipment, but learning the ins, outs, and financial issues of the freelance world took some time. So for a while, I took different jobs such as being a production assistant or grip. This provided me with money to purchase equipment to build an inventory and gave me valuable insight into different aspects of video production work.

While investing in your own equipment takes time, the autonomy of owning was an integral part of the process in forming 7th Wave Pictures.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The relationships 7th Wave Pictures develops with each client give us our good name.. We are personable, dependable, and invested in representing each client’s best self. We look at each client as an opportunity for a long-working relationship and not a “one and done” job. We have been working with over half of our clients for 1o-15 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.7thwavepictures.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/7thwavepictures
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ruggles-8150344/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10094038

Image Credits
Heather Photographers (headshot)