Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Cone.
Patrick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I did not decide to pursue film until 2003, my junior year of college, so I was definitely behind the curve. I got an internship at a production company in Los Angeles the summer before my senior year and fell in love. I came home, enrolled at Full Sail University for a film degree and spent an incredible year there. When I graduated, my wife and I moved to LA, where I bounced around from job to job, as is the custom while you’re paying your dues.
All the while, I began to develop this drive to tell the stories of nonprofit organizations. In college, the travel bug bit me hard and I began to have a real fascination for the work NGO’s were doing around the world. This was around 2006 and low cost, quality video cameras were really starting to explode on the market. All of the sudden, you could make decent looking media on a shoestring budget and share it quickly, via another booming platform – social media.
I have loved the ocean since I was small, I’m not sure why – possibly because I grew up in landlocked Arkansas but nonetheless, I loved and still love surf documentaries. My plan was to take what I had seen in these documentaries, of all things, and use that cinematic style to paint a picture of the rich stories of nonprofits.
Long story short, I made a couple such films, one led to another and here I am 11 years later, producing mostly promo films for non-profit organizations. I have been very blessed.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This line of work is anything but smooth. There are many people who are fascinated with working in the film business, which creates an endless supply of happy hordes who are willing to work for free – which makes it like many other creative industries – very hard to earn money.
Once you outlast the ones who tire of working months of 16 hour days for free, you are awarded with a one way ticket to the land of feast or famine. There will be times where you look up and whole months or even seasons have passed during your shoots and edits, then time will all of the sudden stand still for a month or two and you begin to reacquaint yourself with ramen and reading by candlelight.
Obviously any job is going to have its highs and lows and this industry is no different. Filmmaking is HARD but it’s also an incredible industry filled with insanely talented people. I love the line from “A league of their own” where Tom Hanks’ character talks about the rigors of pro baseball. He says; “The hard is what makes it great.”
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the C1 Entertainment story. Tell us more about the business.
In 2007, C1 Entertainment was founded to give voice to clients who might not otherwise be heard. We believed in kindness, laughter, collaboration, attention to detail and relentless work ethic. We wanted to grind hard every day.
Over a decade and 300+ stories later, it’s still in this spirit we approach every story we tell. From profiles on child trafficking in Africa to American Red Cross heroes, from documentaries on Grammy Award – winning musicians to the Middle East refugee crisis, our award winning team will give everything we’ve got to respect your story and make it shine.
The proudest moments I’ve had are when clients tell me the reason they are repeat customers is that “C1 just GETS US and our story.” We work extremely hard to understand our clients and their audience and I think that is what sets us apart.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
While I didn’t decide to pursue filmmaking until undergrad, I had always been a creative person and I had the good fortune of having parents who supported me in that creativity, even as a kid.
I think I was very fortunate to come into filmmaking at a time when the gear was becoming more accessible and the distribution easier.
Contact Info:
- Website: C1Entertainment.com
- Phone: 323-206-8350
- Email: patrick@c1entertainment.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/c1_entertainment
- Facebook: facebook.com/C1ENT
- Twitter: @c1entertainment
Image Credit:
Rachael Wise, Gina Sinotte
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