We recently connected with Michael Burke and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

With the democratization of video storytelling and the rise of social media the last couple decades, the perceived value of video production has greatly diminished. Contemporary expectations of video quality mean that you don’t need to be a pro to make something that goes viral or build a following. In a lot of ways, that’s great. The opportunities are tremendous for pretty much anyone with a smartphone, but professionals in more traditional filmmaking and video production have needed to adapt to these changes. Budgets are constantly shrinking, but the demands have only grown. We have more content available to us than ever before, but a lot of production and postproduction goes overseas where talent and labor are much cheaper. It’s a tough situation, and I’m particularly sympathetic to young people just trying break into the industry, because fighting for work from YouTubers that pay next-to-nothing is just a race to the bottom, and offering more to a client while charging less just to make yourself stand out has the effect of slowly devaluing our work across the entire industry. Rather, what I’ve found helpful is to really understand and defend the value you offer and turn down work that does not honor that value. It’s hard to say “no,” especially in lean times, but doing so has allowed us to focus more time on building relationships with clients who do value our work and offer more profitable opportunities.

Michael, 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?

I’m the founder and director of Wild Reply, a video production company based in Dallas, Texas. We work with brands, businesses, and nonprofits to help tell their stories, particularly in documentary-style videos. Sometimes those stories can include complex or sensitive topics, and so for me, the most rewarding work we do is when we get to really dive into the subject matter and help develop a strategy for how best to tell a particular story.

Storytelling is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. We use stories to entertain, inform, persuade, and remember. By sharing important stories, we truly believe we can help make the world a better place, and so we approach each project with curiosity, empathy, and honesty and do our part to inform and inspire others.

Our work has played in festivals, been recognized with numerous awards, and even won an Emmy.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Before formally starting my own company, I began my freelance career after getting married and moving halfway across the country. I had no clients and no professional community in this new place I lived. During these lean times, I learned to say “yes” to every opportunity that came up. No matter how much or how little it paid, regardless of whether it was work that I enjoyed, I justified taking on these opportunities because I viewed them as stepping stones to the inevitable next great thing.

However, after years of feeling stagnant, my income never significant increasing and my portfolio of work never even approaching what I had dreamed it would be, I realized it was my own willingness to take on every project that was standing in the way of that “next great thing” (which was far from inevitable). I wasn’t growing and honing the skills I needed to. I wasn’t challenging myself. I wasn’t even allowing myself the time and space to reflect on these sorts of things. So, I had to make a change.

It’s always still a work in progress, but I’ve begun to be more discerning in what projects I take on, prioritizing work that is creatively fulfilling and makes an impact. In doing so, I’ve found more meaning in the work, the work itself has gotten better, and I would argue that has led to the sort of growth that I have never seen before. It’s a wonder what protecting your time, your sanity, and your happiness can do for your business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Just a couple days after my birthday in January of 2020, we found out my wife was pregnant. It was unexpected but welcomed, and we both immediately felt the pressure to ensure our job security and potential career growth. However, my wife was even more unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer a month later, just as the pandemic hit the United States.

I was just a freelancer at the time, and every single one of my current or upcoming projects was abruptly cancelled with no continuation in site. I still had my health, and by no means am I the one that deserves sympathy in this story. However, during the following months it was incredibly tempting to give up on my filmmaking career and do something, anything else that may provide more stability for my family.

What I learned from this experience was that during such a trial, I need to focus on the things I can control and be available to serve others rather than pity myself. I had no idea if my clients would come back (most eventually did). I had no idea when the world would return to normal (or at least a new normal). But I did know that I needed to be as present as possible for my wife and my yet-to-be-born daughter.

In a strange way, the loss of work somewhat helped me focus on my family and personal life, and I’d like to think that bond we forged in the most difficult times helped propel me out of those trials to work even harder toward the growth and accomplishment I’m beginning to experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wildreply.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildreply
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mburkefilms

Image Credits

Photos by Aissa Tendorf, Scott Payne, and Sue Burke.