Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Martens.
Hi Jane, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had a nominal interest in photography growing up – it started the summer I turned 16. I documented a “bucket list” of adventures with all of my friends before I moved from Virginia to Texas, so that I’d always have those memories to look back on. My favorite photos were the portraits of friends where I felt I had captured them in their element, and a particular part of their personality showed through the image. Flash forward to college at SMU, and I was majoring in Marketing. My first internship was in- office downtown and it required me to be a jack of all trades – photo, video, web site design, social media management, etc. I quickly found I loved photo, and particularly video, the most. It got me out of the office, gave me the ability to speak to so many interesting people, and I got to visually capture my favorite city at the time: Dallas. That internship was 9 years ago this Spring, and since then I’ve traveled the world doing my favorite thing ever – documenting people’s personalities in a unique way (usually at weddings.) I started Martens Media full time when I graduated college, and currently produce about 30% corporate/ commercial and 70% luxury wedding content. The most unique thing about my story are all the incredible wedding brands I’ve worked regularly with over the years ( The Brothers Martens, Peyton Frank Films, 718 Creative, BSR Wedding Films, Kennidy Nicole Films, AK Film Co (now Venison Co Films), to name a few.) I lead shoot weddings, but my primary speciality is second shooting for high- end wedding brands ~ and the collaborative community in freelance is what drew me to the business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting my own business out of college was not an easy road. I had the opportunity to work full – time for a company to ease into freelance (ie build a client list on the side), but I wanted to get right into it. My older brothers Henry and Bradford were always a great example of the meaningful life you can build for yourself if you have a trade and a closely held passion that you pursue. I didn’t want to wait to work with people I was inspired by, and to learn a lot. I knew if I worked with a lot of different companies and brands, I’d learn so much more than if I just worked with one brand for a couple years. Covid happened one year into my freelance journey so that was a significant challenge as well. That hasn’t’ been the last challenge that’s come up either, but if you’re committed to the small business and freelance lifestyle, things work out. It’s been a lovely way to learn trust in a process and that when one thing ends, something else comes up. “What if no jobs come” is the uncertainty that a lot of people are afraid of – and why they never go out on their own. But over time, you realize there’s a certainty in the uncertainty and that’s what you become comfortable with.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Martens Media is a production company that offers photography and videographer for small business branding and corporate live events. It’s just me (Jane) and I bring in additional creatives as needed. Related to Martens Media is my work in the luxury wedding industry, which makes up about 70% of my work. I’ve been filming weddings for 9 years now, and I’ve filmed around 300. I started out as the dedicated second shooter for Splendor Films (now Lusso Films.) for 5 years, The Brothers Martens for 2 years, and many other companies I shoot several weddings a year for each. There’s a lot of people in the Dallas wedding industry that have been shooting for 9 years, but I’ve filmed more weddings than most because I only shoot weddings, I don’t edit them. I average 40 weddings a year – lead and second shooting all over Texas, to both coasts, over to Europe and sometimes Greece. Most people that are as experienced as me launch their own wedding companies and aren’t available to second shoot anymore – but I adore being behind the camera and it’s led me to a really special niche market. Over the years I’ve gotten to work with the best of the best wedding companies and it’s fascinating to see how their couples and shooting styles differ. The technical shooting for 718 Films is very different than how I shoot for The Brothers Martens, and then I blend my own creative eye as well. Aside from weddings, I also collaborate with other production companies on a lot of roles. I love the collaborate community of freelance and I’m passionate about the work and being behind the camera as much as possible.
What are your plans for the future?
I just edited my first wedding film. I’ve filmed 300 by now, but this was my very first one to edit! I loved the process, finding the storyline, and I’d definitely like to take on a couple a year to shoot + edit as my very own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://martensmedia.lightfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martensmedia?igsh=Ym45cmxib2Vwa2N4&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-martens/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/martensmedia
