We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paul Ormsby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Paul, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew before I graduated high school that I wanted to pursue a career in a creative field. My biggest hobbies were music and art, but art always stuck out. I took as many art classes as I could and also competed in art competitions. It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized the side of art I wanted to delve deep into was film.

I was working through a multimedia design program when the department announced that they were restructuring it to break it into specific concentrations, Digital Cinema being one of the options.

I knew in my very first class that this was my home. There were so many ways to creatively film short films, a vast amount of filming and editing techniques, and an endless sea of possibilities for projects. It really was a way to make whatever you wanted to. Ultimate freedom.

While freelance projects are more structured with specific guidelines, they are still very rewarding projects to work on. I’ve filmed and edited projects ranging from product videos and music videos to weddings and promos.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Video went from one of my biggest hobbies to my career after years of hard work in college as well as the skills I keep building throughout my full time job and freelance work. My full-time gig is working as the Creative Producer for Chippewa Valley Music Festivals, who put on huge rock and country festivals each year. In my free time, I try to do as many freelance projects as I can when I’m not at my day job. I love being able to work with different clients, some returning clients, to complete such a variety of work.

I created Orm Studios as an outlet to use my skills to help others get the video content they need. I’ve worked on product videos, weddings, music videos, business promos, short bio pieces, and musician performance videos. I’m not one to shy away from a challenge and am always looking for new projects to work on. I also recently became Part 107 drone certified and looking to expand what I can offer potential clients.

I always go 100% into the projects I work on. The content I help create is a very personal thing for me. If the client isn’t satisfied, then I’m not satisfied. I pay attention to the small details because those really make the whole project come together.

As of right now, Orm Studios is just myself so I have stuck pretty “local”, doing projects within a 3 hour drive of Eau Claire, WI. I am always expanding though, so if it’s outside my radius, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to work something out.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing the smile of a person who is seeing their idea made real. It warms my heart when I hear, “This is perfect!” It really fuels my desire to keep creating content for clients.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a time when I wouldn’t do weddings. I stubbornly did not want to add that style of project to my workload. A short while later, a local business contacted me looking to contract out a videographer to film some upcoming weddings and at the time, that’s kind of all there was available. I decided that was the time to hop in. It was an eye opening experience. There’s a ton that goes into filming a wedding from preproduction to always making sure you have your B and C camera and secondary audio running.

What I would recommend is that you never deny a type of project solely off of an initial dislike. Try it at least once. You never know what you might enjoy working on. It also opens the door for more project opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: ormstudios.com
• Instagram: ormstudios
• Facebook: facebook.com/OrmStudios
• Youtube: Orm Videography