Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Williams.
Hi Lance, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My journey started after graduating high school in 2017. I had just found my passion for screenwriting and creating films but I was afraid to pursue it in college because of how tough the film industry is to get into. All I thought about was the possibility of failing. So, I decided to be a computer science major at my college (Morehouse College) as a safety net for just in case the film stuff didn’t work out. I had no passion for computer science, I just did it because it seemed like I’d have a better chance of succeeding with it. However, I quickly learned in my first semester that I truly disliked computer science and it definitely wasn’t something I was supposed to do. The entire semester had me full of stress, anxiety, and panic attacks (my first time ever really experiencing them on a high level). I was doing something that didn’t make me happy and it was really hurting me because my heart was somewhere else. I just wanted to create films and write.
Eventually, thanks to my mom, I learned the importance of believing in myself and how important it plays in EVERYTHING you do. Once I fully internalized this message, I eventually changed my major and chose to go after what I loved. However, that didn’t go as planned either because I wasn’t able to become a film major due to my low GPA at the time. Eventually, I had realized that I didn’t have to be a film major to still do what I loved. You have control of that, not the college you go to or the major you declare. I learned that marketing plays a BIG role in the film industry and that it’s something important to learn so I decided to become a Business Marketing major and that was definitely the best decision. I learned marketing and business in classes and outside of classes, I had time to work on my filmmaking! It was great because I grew my skills and with that, I had met people who were interested in filmmaking too. We made a good amount of projects together and I loved all the meetings, the late nights of planning, shooting, editing. It was great!
I eventually started an Entrepreneurship class and that was when the idea of We Will Studios popped into my head for the first time. I never thought I would want to start a production company until my professor told me how important it was for us to create businesses in the fields, we loved so we can create opportunities for black community to grow as well as make a positive change in the world. A BIG spark of inspiration hit me and I knew that this was something I wanted to do. After I graduated, I started We Will Studios, a production company made to entertain people with amazing, original work, as well as helping creatives, visionaries, and businesses bring ideas to life. We hope that as we grow, we inspire people with a dream or passion to believe in themselves and go after it! This company is truly something special and I can’t wait for more and more people to learn about it and connect with it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, the road has definitely been a rough one. Some of the struggles I’ve dealt with was definitely making the first move of starting the company in the first place. I was very nervous of what my family would think since I decided to go down a different path instead of just graduating and going straight into a 9-5. I’m glad that they support me now that things have grown a little, but in the beginning, they were a little worried for me.
Another struggle was definitely finding people to work with me. In the beginning, I didn’t have a lot of work to show that would convince people to work with me. Plus, since I was new to this whole “running a business” thing, I was scared to approach people about working with me. It was definitely a worrying period but thankfully, family members and friends that needed my help had given me opportunities to grow my showreel! And I am VERY thankful for them because the work I did with them eventually led me to other people who liked my work.
The biggest struggle I’m currently going through right now, is doing everything. I’m the social media person, the accounting person, the bookkeeping person, the editor, the director, cinematographer, etc. It’s not a struggle in the sense that it’s holding me back, but it is A LOT of work. However, since it’s all contributing to the growth of my company, I really don’t mind working 10-hour days, 6 days a week. But eventually I plan on getting a team together to help take some of the workload off so one-day things will ease up, but until then, I’m working happily!
Throughout all the struggle though, I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve grown in so many ways and I’m thankful for the challenges that come my way because they only help me become a better creative and business owner. I truly am thankful for the growth the struggles has brought.
As you know, we’re big fans of We Will Studios. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We Will Studios is a production company based in Dallas, Texas that creates original work, but also creates work to help businesses, creatives, and visionaries grow. Creating high-quality videos in order to grow brands and organizations is what we specialize in. A majority of businesses, creatives, and organizations have goals of making impacts in the world and we truly take pride in making sure that goal is felt in all the work we do for them. It gives them a chance to connect with more people and it also gives us a chance to inspire more people. I think that’s what sets us apart, we not only wanna help businesses grow, we also want to help individuals grow as well and they don’t have to work with us to do that. I think the thing that makes me most proud brand-wise is that we are slowly becoming that beacon of inspiration that we aspire to become. On social media, people have told me that the content we’ve made has inspired them to do things and motivates them to work hard on the things they want. And truly that is what we are going for. Over time we want to connect and inspire more and more people.
In our brand, we truly take pride in making sure that the video we are creating for you shows who you are and what you represent in the best way possible! From planning all the way to the final product, we will be with you every step of the way so the video comes to your liking and you know that you’re in good hands. Definitely visit our website to learn more about how we can help you!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The thing I love the most is just that it has so many talented people, the food, and of course the skyline. Every time I see the skyline, I always be like, “this city is so beautiful” not only cause it’s literally beautiful, but because it has so much potential to grow into a big place full of opportunities. Plus, the food is SO good, truly love it. The thing I like least about the city is that there aren’t a lot of film opportunities for people to learn and grow. I truly wish there were more workshops or events in the city that could help people grow in their creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wewillstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wewillstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wewillstudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4fbRDGnkjQ1ytBmfTgqIhg
Image Credits
Asiah Spencer
