Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Jones.
Desiree, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a traveling videographer, video content editor and business owner. My business, Promo-Jones LLC, is a video content bureau specializing in promoting the vision of visionaries through video content creation. I’m also unapologetically creative.
The idea of Promo-Jones came to mind back when I was a student at Hampton University. I came in as an MBA Major but then switched to Marketing because of my love for videos, creativity, and my relentless ambition of taking my company, Promo-Jones to the next level.
At that time, Instagram didn’t have video yet and the app Vine was booming. Once Instagram first came out with video, I knew eventually, that more people would need video content for Instagram and other social media platforms to promote themselves and their businesses over time. I had just crossed as a member of the Rho Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and I thought it would be a good idea to make a promo video to promote our probate on Instagram. It was a hit. After that, I knew I was on the verge of something big because of the response it had. I knew that the use of video was going to be an essential tool for most if not all industries in the future and something in me was pulling me to start creating more videos for anyone who needed it. This led to me make promo videos for several organizations on campus.
I fell in love with video and realized this wasn’t just my passion, but it was also a part of my purpose and I had to take that seriously. This led me to switching my major from MBA to Marketing because I wanted to learn how I could use my talent of video to help promote small businesses, entrepreneurs, and creatives while also making sure the videos are marketable to whomever they needed to watch them. I also realized that the attention span of watching videos would soon get shorter and shorter, so it was going to make it that much harder for people to want to pay attention. Classes like the Psychology of Advertising and Intro to Marketing really helped shape the way I created promotional videos for my clients.
After receiving my B.S degree in Marketing at Hampton University in 2018, I interned in London that summer, then received an internship in New York from ABC News in January of 2019. Unfortunately, it didn’t even last a month, because I was told by HR and the Marketing director that I wasn’t a good fit, so they let me go. I saved up all of my money to get to New York only to get let go before I even had the chance to prove that I belonged there. I went broke hustling in the city of New York taking photos and recording videos for people that I never heard back from. I just really wanted to stay in NY because I worked so hard to get there. I even tried working a sales commission job based out of Jersey City where we had to ask ”Hey can I ask you a quick question” in the subway for the Humane Society. Mind you, it was the middle of the winter. Definitely an interesting experience.
I ended up biting the bullet and going back home to live with my parents. I felt defeated. I questioned everything I worked for and even my own existence on earth. Depression took over for a while but It was there in what I thought was defeat when I started to dig more into my craft of video editing and videography. Then, a few weeks later, I was asked if I was available to assist a Video Shoot in the Bahamas. Umm yes? I then traveled to Dallas Texas to shoot and edit recap videos for the Dallas Greek Picnic. I was also invited to attend the Entrepreneurs Anonymous dinner by the Pinky Cole Foundation, and by the end of 2019 I was accepted as a ColorComm Fellow by the ColorComm Network. I then returned back to Manhattan, New York as a guest at the ColorComm Next Generation Summit , which is the nation’s leading women’s platform addressing diversity & inclusion across the communications, marketing, advertising, and media industries. After years of trying to find my fit, I realized my purpose was never meant to fit in, I was always meant to create my own lane and stand out. I was called to pursue what I’ve already been doing this entire time, promoting the vision of visionaries through video content creation.
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?
Entrepreneurship has its hills and valley’s. Those valley’s are humbling. I think the most challenging part for me was learning to acknowledge my failures but not hold on to them. Entrepreneurship feels like you’re punching through a drywall, only to find another wall that’s made of bricks. I had to punch my way through depression by channeling my work and my relentless ambition of pursuing my passion to serve others with Promo-Jones, while also trying to find a “real job” as my parents once told me once graduating college. Finding a job was already hard, so constantly getting rejected from jobs I was qualified for, then getting let go from jobs I was overqualified for because I wasn’t a good fit, and going broke taking risks that I wasn’t sure would even work out, becomes very tiring. Comparison is an easy thing to get trapped into too, and I felt like I was constantly trying to prove my worth in environments that never really cared to begin with. It can take a toll on your mental health, physical health, and spiritual health. I’ve always been ambitious and resilient. That being said, resilience is not easy to tap into, but sometimes, your only option is to just figure out how to go through and pray that the other side will be worth it.
Please tell us about Promo-Jones.
The mission of Promo-Jones LLC is to promote the vision of visionaries through video content creation. We do our best to bring the clients’ vision from a dream to a reality with social media content, video content, and promotional strategy. Every mind is different, and the mind is the playground of creativity. Our job is simple, to visit as many playgrounds as possible.
Creativity does not come from an app, it comes from the mind. Not everyone is creative, and now more than ever people need better creative strategies to promote themselves digitally. Promo-Jones is known for thinking outside of the box when it comes to videos and video content. Before I started Promo-Jones, I knew that eventually people will have time to think about their ideas for video, but not enough time to actually put videos together. I take pride in making sure what my client sees in their head exceeds their own expectations on a screen.
Promo-Jones is just a vessel to help serve those who have a greater purpose in making a difference.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I wouldn’t call it luck, I’d call it grace. I’m Christian, and one of my favorite scriptures that has kept me going is Romans 8:28- “And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”
God’s grace saved me, and the purpose He has for me keeps me alive.
Promo-Jones Pricing:
Videos
- Video Editing— $50 an hour
- Videography —$100 an hour
- Promo-Videos — $150 for 30 sec or less & $175 up to 1:30 minute (content already provided)
- Family/Funeral Videos (w/DVD copy)—$475
- Wedding Videos- $895
Social Media Content
(Unlimited Video & Multimedia Content, Strategy & Posting )
- 90 days – $3250
- 6 months- $6750
Contact Info:
- Website: promo-jones.com
- Email: promojones313@gmail.com
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