Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Bell.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My dad was always big on home videos whether it was recording our family cooking cane syrup or a basketball game, he was just always filming. The home videos were filmed mostly on that big shoulder VHS camera then one day he got a Sony mini DV camera and started recording events for little to nothing. In 2005, he eventually started filming weddings and it got to the point where we were filming weddings every other weekend. At the time, I didn’t realize that was one of my many masterclasses with my dad because he was teaching me a skill to make money when I just thought he was dragging us along. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if I got the right paying jobs I could make more doing this rather than working a traditional 9 – 5 job which is why I started Rocky Hills Media. I had two other media companies previously but this one means more because I felt like it was a family business again starting with my wife and me.
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?
This road has never been easy and even today it still gets bumpy. The first big hit I had to deal with on this journey was when my dad who already had another business was doing media for fun but it was something I became extremely passionate about, let me know that he wasn’t going to be filming anymore because he wanted to focus on his main business. At that point, we had so many jobs that we were making really good money. I took it as well since you’re stopping I guess I have to stop too because all of the business came through him and I just did the leg work like setting up cameras and tripods, pulling cables, and editing. I had no idea how to market myself to get clients. Eventually, his repeat clients would call for a new job and he would tell them he wasn’t doing video anymore so they could call me instead. The first person he referred to me was one of his former classmates who wanted her fashion show filmed and I was terrified! Luckily, he went with me to help that day because that was the first lesson I learned to always check and make sure you have all of your gear because I definitely forgot a tripod that day. Something I’m still working on is pricing for my services. I would always think going months without clients meant that my prices were too high when they were really too low. One of my clients was kind enough to call me back into her office to tell me that I basically didn’t charge her enough and that I needed to stop looking at this as a side hustle if I wanted this to be my main business. I can’t count how many times I beat myself on a price charging gas money for a thousand dollar job. Of course, people took advantage of me since I was young telling me how they would get me more business if I cut them a deal. July 2019 is when I really started charging my worth because with two babies I can’t pay my mortgage and daycare by giving everyone the hook up anymore.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company specializes in videography, photography, and graphic designs. We don’t look at jobs as just another opportunity to make money but we want to create something you can look back at later and remember why you started that business, the day your company achieved that next goal or even helping you document a part of your life that seemed small at the time but having pictures or videos of that moment will help you remember how important it really was. Nothing makes me feel better than when people talk about our work and how it helped convey a message that couldn’t be described by just words alone. Seeing and reliving a time works a million times better as I learned from seeing all of my life on film from when I was born all the way up to my high school graduation. I could always relive time with all of the home videos we had laying around our house. Thanks, dad. Growing up with that helped me to grow my company to be set apart by taking someone’s image and making them look even better and giving them something to look back on to help make them feel good as well.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was mostly quiet and eventually, I grew into a ball of energy. I loved dancing, basketball, and food. I played basketball and tennis growing up and I was apart of the dance ministry at my church. My passion for video definitely grew once I became a member of the media ministry at my church in 2006 and while taking video production classes in high school. In my mind, I was supposed to be in the NBA but I was too short and lazy to work for that. I always loved spending time with my family so when I look back to filming weddings on the weekend with my parents and my brother, I truly had it made.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.rockyhillsmedia.com/
- Phone: 678-615-8408
- Email: rockyhillsmedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockyhillsmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockyhillsmedia
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/rockyhillsmedia
Image Credit:
Melissa J. Photographé
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
