Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcos Garcia.
Marcos, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began in broadcasting when I was 18 and just picked up shoots when I could for Mavs, Stars, NBC and FC Dallas. I eventually bought my own camera, but not because I wanted to start a photography business but because my girlfriend at the time (who is now my Fiancée) always showed me videos of people getting engaged in cool ways and I wanted to take a video of ours. I used that camera to film the first wedding that my cousin booked. He had started a clothing company called Province Clothing Co. or PRVNC and we decided that this film and photography side would be a sister company and after throwing some names in the air we landed on PRVNC Productions. After our first wedding, we thought of being a strictly wedding video company, but we saw the potential for so much more. I began picking up family portrait and newborn shoots, shooting photos and videos for night clubs and finding so much more work. I noticed that my part-time job as a barista was taking time away from my true passion so I finally took the leap and went full time into my company. From there, I just started getting booked like crazy which is most of my income but I also still freelance as a DP, AC and camera Op sometimes in my free time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a little rough at times. At the beginning, it was scary to go full time. I had to pay rent, pay for school, and somehow find the income to invest in my business and I had to eat too. I went to film school for a little over a month before realizing that the director I was assigned as a mentor was just using me for free work. I also was told by one of my new friends on one of the sets that I was overqualified for what I was doing at the school (which I had no idea because most of my film knowledge came from YouTube) so that’s what made me take the leap to go full time in my own company. Once I upgraded gear I did a few cheap shoots and then clients started to flow in! I still wasn’t making too much money so I had to rely on a part-time job as a barista to keep a roof over mine and my fiancée’s head which took time from my craft. I didn’t get a lot of sleep in my earlier days because my mornings were overtaken by coffee, and the rest of my day was focused on my business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about PRVNC Productions – what should we know?
At PRVNC Productions we specialize in film and photography. We shoot weddings and other live events (both photography and video) as well as commercials, real estate, interviews, documentaries and more! I’m most proud of 2 things. First off we’re debt-free, all of our gear I’ve saved for and bought cash which is a rare thing especially since gear is so expensive. Most other companies starting off have to rent but I’ve been able to find shoots where my gear is more than sufficient enough. Secondly, we shot and produced our first short film recently. We’re still in the process of editing but it’s so exciting to be working on a project like this!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My success is based off of the relationships I have made and continually nurture. I try and be a personable and friendly individual. I’ve been able to build lasting relationships with my clients. In the end, we’re all trying to be as successful as we can be so I’ve found the most success in supporting the businesses of my clients is the best thing to do (sometimes it even means giving discounts) because that eventually leads to them giving you more clients in the long run. Word of mouth marketing is the strongest marketing there is. If you create quality work people will send people your way. So if anything, I owe the majority of my success to my clients that have shared my work and send more work my way! We also have focused our marketing on more than just one thing. We’ve worked hard to learn the ins and outs of cameras and lighting so that way we could tackle all aspects of film and photography. Most other people just focus on one type of job (family portraits, products photography, music photography or music videos) but we’ve made it our goal to master it all!
Pricing:
- We have free consultations to create a fair price that works with your budget and puts food on our table.
Contact Info:
- Website: PRVNCProductions.com
- Phone: 817-647-1647
- Email: MarcosGarcia@prvncproductions.com
Image Credit:
Nina Siegel
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