Today we’d like to introduce you to William Lassiter.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is where I was born and raised. I have always been fascinated with pictures and video. The ironic thing is that I was not a photogenic person while growing up, it was something I had to grow into. In high school I was the editor of the school newspaper and began to find the passion for taking pictures and writing. After graduating from high school in 2013, my friend Rod and I started a blog centered around finding local artists and musicians willing to share their story. We called the blog #SOTMC which stood for Shout Out to My City, we gained the attention from artists as far as Missouri and California. It was a lot more complicated than we intended especially since we were about to head off to college. I chose to attend Campbell University which is a small school in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Going into my junior year I changed my major from Journalism to Broadcasting and Electronic media because I found a new passion with video production due to being on the university’s news team. I learned the different aspects of video production and the importance of each role when putting together a product. I feel that it was more beneficial for me to learn each part so that I would know exactly what everyone was responsible for. My friends and I started a small visual podcast on campus which led me to the deeper side of video editing. It was not until after I graduated in 2018 that I truly started to tap into it. We continued to do our visual podcast but while riding in vehicles and still discussing various issues. The one that really heightened my career choice is when we were racially profiled by the Raleigh Police Dept. Luckily, we were recording while it happened and everything was on camera. That day truly showed me that life is precious and can be cut short at any time. Thankfully everything turned out fine and they let us go.
Lassiter Family Productions was born the Summer of 2019 when I did a documentary based on my love life. I found it more fascinating doing a documentary because those are always interesting right? Getting started was the hardest part…it took MONTHS for me to plan out everything and even after I was done planning I was still hesitant to get started. I had decided on whether or not to use names of codes for each phase which is what I went with. Each phase was its own part within the documentary. Not only did it have a nice impact on people but was also a way for me to vent which led to my next project, A Letter to Myself. The Letter to Myself series was not for me, but for others to get their stories out about what they would tell a younger version of themselves. Some of these people were family, friends, and some were strangers. The fact that I had people interested in the idea at all just truly spoke to how I can be a blessing to someone’s life and vise versa. Some of the stories were heavy, meaning emotional, dark, uplifting, and promising. After doing that series I realized that this was my calling. Not only can I do what I love but I can make a difference and impact while doing it. Our slogan or mission statement is “An impact can change someone’s life for the better so make it positive”.
That leads to now, I have been doing small cameos in relation to the culture. By culture I mean Black people…most of if not all of my recent productions have been centered around equality. My favorite is the “I Matter We Matter” video..I had people from different states simply send a video of them saying I Matter, We Matter, or Black Lives Matter and I made a nice collage featuring key speeches from James Baldwin, Tupac Shakur, and Malcolm X. It was one of those projects that I felt connected to. The question I ask myself before starting anything I do is would I rather be remembered for your accomplishments or your impact? That’s what keeps me going because I choose impact every single time.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth ride, there were times where the creative juices slowed down or paused. What really kept me going was my faith in God and trueing that He would provide me with everything I needed.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Lassiter Family Productions – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Lassiter Family Productions is a production company, not only do we do videos but we also do photography and other forms of production as well. We are a business of the arts and for the arts. I am most proud of the impact that we’ve made on people’s lives in just a year. I constantly receive compliments on how my work is and that keeps me humble. It humbles me because I know I can do so much more and that is also what sets us apart from the others. The passion.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The best thing about our city is the food and the connections you can make just walking downtown. What I like least is the traffic..It’s one of the worst cities when it comes to traffic.
Pricing:
- Video Recording – $30 per hour
- Video Editing – $45 per hour
- Photography – $130 flat rate: includes packages
- Consults – $25 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wclass1995.wixsite.com/lassiterfamilyprod
- Phone: (919) 426-2704
- Email: wclass1995@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamlassiter_/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LassiterFamily_
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4l9Ec7uRqlebS17bnSRmJCZCOgmlPgOC
Image Credit:
Monte Harris
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