Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikon Haaksman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mikon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m from the Netherlands originally and I moved to the US with my parents at a young age. I was always fascinated with motion pictures and whenever I saw a TV special about the making of a movie, I knew I wanted to be part of that world. I told my Dad at 15 I wanted to be a producer and then set off to pursue my career. I went the University of Oklahoma for my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in film and then finished at the London Film School in Great Britain. I then moved to Los Angeles where I worked in the film industry for just under ten years.
In the early 2000’s a writer’s and actor’s strike slowed the entire industry and I decided to move out at that time and go to Houston, where some of my family lived. I freelanced as an editor on everything from weddings and bar-mitzvahs to small corporate films. I ended up getting hired by one of my clients to become a full time employee.
Working in the corporate video world was actually a fun challenge to me. With my film background, I tried to spice up the videos I was tasked to produce and edit and I became quite successful at it. I continued working there until 2011 when I had an opportunity to move to Dallas.
I started out working with a friend of mine at his marketing agency where I produced commercials and tourism videos. I also realized it was time for me to try to start my own business and Haaksman Media was born. In 2012, I began working on my own and the business has evolved into two main categories – turn-key production company, and freelance cinematography service. In the past six years my company has done work for The Dallas Cowboys, Jack Daniels, HBO, CNN, NBC, Fox, Discovery Channel, BBC, Siemens, and Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams.
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?
None of the business would I say has been smooth. It has been steady, but I can’t say I would have imagined even a few years ago that the business would be where it is now. Most of the early struggles were to get the work out that we are here and we can do some amazing work for our clients. I spent countless hours hitting the pavement and doing free and low paying jobs to get my work seen by as many people as I could.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Haaksman Media – what should we know?
Our business is two sided – we offer full service video production solutions to end clients, and we work as a freelance cinematography and production service. For example, Jack Daniels hired us last year to produce a web marketing video. We scripted the story, hired a crew, and travelled to Lynchburg, Tennessee and back. Then we edited several short videos together and delivered everything to them for distribution. On the other side, I was hired last year by National Geographic to provide aerial video services for a couple of documentaries they were producing. On both fronts we also provide aerial drone services. We are one of the few fully licensed and insured aerial video service providers. One of the things that sets Haaksman Media apart from others is our client base. 90% of our clients actually are from outside of the DFW metroplex and need video production services here. I have many clients I have never met in person, but do repeat business for. Also, because of my film background and the fact that I have worked most jobs in the production industry, I try to keep thinking about how I can make my clients’ lives easier. How can I give them one person to call who can take care of all their needs? How can I help – even if I am unavailable to help them personally? I’d say I’m most proud of the increasing quality of our work over the years and the satisfaction we’ve been able to provide our clients.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I like to think that the most important quality that has contributed to my success is persistence. Running any business takes a lot of hard work and time, but to be truly successful, you have to keep going – even when others are ready to give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.haaksman.media
- Phone: 940-784-3362
- Email: mikon@haaksman.media
Image Credit:
Mikon Haaksman, Frankey Dey, Kerri Navarro, Veronica Maldonado
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