Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandt Sleeper.
Brandt began his career in the late 1980’s when he started Rising Eagle Productions, an audio post, scoring and sound design company in Tucson, AZ. He composed music and did sound design for numerous film and video projects throughout the 1990’s including independent feature films, documentaries and television advertising. In addition, he had an opportunity to perform some of his film scores in a live context for the silent films “Way Down East” (1920 D.W. Griffith, Dir., starring Lillian Gish) and “The Lost World” (1925, Harry Hoyt, Dir.). During this time, Brandt also did a significant amount of location sound work for various syndicated national and international broadcast television programs and films.
In the late 1990’s and into the new millennium he moved into cinematography and videography as his primary focus while continuing his music and sound interests. Most of his work centered around nationally syndicated television programming and music videos with continued involvement in film work. During this period Brandt honed his craft as a Director of Photography with an extensive body of work in the broadcast television and corporate arena. A natural extension of this profession included work as AVID and Adobe CC video editor and video effects compositor.
From the 2000’s into the present day, Brandt works primarily Producer/Director and DP in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. His industry credits to date include: Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, 20/20, The Early Show, EXTRA, Hard Copy, Dateline, A&E, MTV, CMT, VH1, BET, National Geographic, History Channel, Discovery Channel, HGTV, G4, ABC Sports, Fox Sports, NFL Films, MLB, OLN, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Martha Stewart Living, PBS, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon in addition to a host of corporate clientele such as Bell Helicopter, Raytheon, Lockheed, McAfee, Microsoft, Nationwide Insurance, Fireman’s Fund Insurance, Cook Children’s Medical Center, East Jefferson Hospital, Baylor Medical Center, Smithsonian, MDA, Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Sally Beauty. He has also spent recent years returning to the music industry as a Recording Studio Producer and published several music CD’s in various genres.
Brandt holds a BA in Musicology and an MA in Film Theory and Criticism. He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Orleans and an instructor at the Art Institute of Dallas. He has guest lectured at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. He was also a contributor to the book Roy Orbison: The Invention of an Alternative Rock Masculinity (Peter Lehman, 2003) where he did a comprehensive musical analysis of Roy Orbison’s musical works.
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?
The video, film and music business is always a rocky road due to the ever-present changes in the marketplace. Initially getting into the industry required a significant investment which limited access to many enthusiasts. Later as equipment and software advancements made things more accessible the marketplace became flooded.
With a flooded market, it takes only one significant event to level the playing field. Many of my colleagues went bankrupt after 9/11 as demand plummeted due to lowered thresholds on capital expenditures in the corporate arena. Eventually; though, the market will rebound so as long as you are not over-extended it is likely you will survive.
I find that I always have to be re-inventing myself to stay fresh in the marketplace. I suppose this applies to all industries so if you can stay current you are doing yourself a big favor. The industry is quite fickle. One day you are working non-stop for a client and then there might be a leadership change or perhaps a new creative director comes in. All of a sudden you are off the list. You can’t take it personally, it’s just the nature of the biz. I have faith that when one door closes, another opens.
And, I also have to keep in mind that the landscape is constantly shifting. Young audiences really like innovation and new media talent is seeing things in different ways. I embrace this new talent as it keeps people interested in movies and television. I can always use a fresh idea so I try to keep an open mind.
It will be interesting to see where the industry goes from here … perhaps social media will significantly impact what the public is willing to watch. I am confident, though, that even if we end up shooting and producing everything on a smart phone or tablet we will eventually return to the high production value that is delivered with tried and true techniques dating back to the Citizen Kane era. Good production can be achieved on almost any medium.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Creative Storytelling: Visually Stunning. Musically Driven. Meticulously Crafted.
That is the motto at Rising Eagle Productions.
We make video campaigns for you. Small Business, Corporate, Broadcast/Cable TV, and video for the Web. We also produce music. We have a long history of TV advertising, field production for syndicated cable and broadcast TV, trade show video content and corporate video production. Our story is you and years of satisfied customers.
My passion in the film and video industry is producing and directing. I enjoy the creative process; developing an idea from scratch and seeing it through completion. I’ve been blessed over the years to have the freedom to work with very talented people in the industry to help them achieve their vision.
As a director, I am drawn to pulling the best performance out of people. Whether I am working with actors or individuals within an organization, my goal is to present them in the best possible light. They tell the story, I simply capture the moment.
So whether we are delivering a commercial, music video or corporate profile our specialty is telling your story in a creative and compelling way through media.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always pushing the envelope. I always wanted to be good at whatever I was doing. It didn’t always work out but I wasn’t afraid to try. Many people have gifts and talents growing up and my God given gift was tenacity. I simply wouldn’t let go.
My first passion was music and I pursued it most of my life. Though initially trained in the classical discipline, I later engaged in all kinds of music from classic rock and reggae to salsa and country. It taught me the various differences between music genres which aided me in an early career as a composer for video post.
In college, I was introduced to film/video and that became my present career. It was much like music and even today I believe that emotion in film is driven by music so the two go hand-in-hand. There is a rhythm to editing and music gives it a pulse.
A lot of people will try to push you away from the industry. Some are truly better than I am. Some have the potential but do not pursue it. I decided early on that I’d give it my best and my drive for being good at what I did managed to keep me in the business I love.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3812 Plantation Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76116
- Website: risingeagleproductions.com
- Phone: 817-846-5481
- Email: brandt@risingeagleproductions.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandt.sleeper
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rising-eagle-productions-fort-worth
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-sleeper-9a4b7310/
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Video Production Dallas Texas
Image Credit:
Brandt Sleeper
Kyle Spradley
Whitfield Photographics
William Olguin
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
