Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Grant.
Kristen, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was a scholarship athlete at Texas A&M University (College Station) and was a part of the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship team, which was the first in school history. I completed my bachelors in three years and continued with graduate school while fulfilling my final year of basketball eligibility. Once my eligibility was up, I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with my life but my coach gave me a crazy opportunity to become the Director of Player Development for Women’s Basketball. From there I graduated up to Video Coordinator where I was in charge of filming workouts, games, and breaking down scouting film for our coaches and players to view.
At this point in my life, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but I knew that this wasn’t it. Two years into my role as Video Coordinator our staff hired a Director of Social Media (Terence) who was previously employed by the Houston Rockets. We quickly became close friends and he would talk to me about his projects and I would sit in his office and watch him work. He would bug me daily about helping him cut players out in Photoshop and I had zero interest. A year later our Academic Advisor asked me if I wanted one of her old GoPro’s that she had never opened, and of course, I jumped at the offer. Terence asked me that same night if I wanted to go to our teams 6am workout and shoot on the GoPro and I said sure.
So, that next morning, I shot my first video and it was a true lightbulb moment. As soon as I hit record, I knew this is exactly what I was supposed to be doing; Everything made sense! We immediately went back to the office, edited the video, and posted it on our team account. It was a hit! After that, Terence gave me his Adobe Suite credentials so I could work on my craft at home. He would ask me to shoot small videos here and there to post on our social media accounts and I did because I had great respect for him. You have to keep in mind, this was NOT a part of my job description. I had a full-time job with other duties but I just couldn’t get rid of the itch.
I would work all day and then go home and study my craft all night. As you can imagine, the demand for my videos increased and it led me to a job offer as the Director of Media for SMU Women’s Basketball here in Dallas! Working in the city has awarded me the benefit of freelancing in photography and videography in my spare time. To date, I have shot multiple weddings, engagements, travel, sports, and lifestyle shoots.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road but I was fortunate enough to have someone in my corner who not only pushed me to be better but was my biggest hype man even when I didn’t feel I deserved it. If it weren’t for Terence, I wouldn’t be living the life I am now. He saw potential in me and wouldn’t let me forget it. We would stay up all night and talk about concepts and vision and critiquing each other work; getting upset when we cut corners or were just plain lazy in our design. We pushed each other because we knew we were the only ones who truly had each other’s back.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Krissy G Visuals is a media company that specializes in wedding videography and travel/lifestyle and sport photography. We are known for our unique artistic dichotomy between our western grit and deep, southern roots.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
It might sound cliché but I can’t actually think of one single memory which is a true testament to my amazing parents. Life was always good!
Contact Info:
- Website: krissygvisuals.com
- Phone: 8173076746
- Email: k.nichol10@gmail.com
- Instagram: krissy14
- Twitter: KristenNichol14
Image Credit:
Krissy G Visuals
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