Inspiring Conversations with Marcel Williams of MSW Creative Services LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcel Williams.

Hi Marcel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for business and entrepreneurship started as a child cutting grass and washing cars in the neighborhood saving up for video games and Pokemon cards. At the same time though, I was creative, and a social oddball so I spent most of my time in the back of the class drawing, playing Yu-Gi-Oh and trying to figure out how to how to make more money. And It wasn’t until I made it to college that i realized that I could make money and be creative at the same time. Ever since, I been in love with the camera, and on a deeper level, storytelling, and on an even deeper deeper level, helping people solve their problems with my camera. At first I wanted to make it big in the film industry, but I eventually realized that the film industry didn’t want me in it, at least not in the capacity that which I wanted to be. At some point early in my career, I realized that the hardest working person on set wasn’t always the most respected, or most paid and that politics played a much larger role in the industry than I had originally realized. So I switched gears and combined my love of cameras with my natural interest in business and entrepreneurship and started my own video production company.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been easy, as I mentioned before, for a large chunk of the time in my career, I chased a career in the film industry. I love working in the film/entertainment industry, you get paid good, you eat well, and you get to travel all of my favorite things lol. However, the film industry can be tough to break into and get a really good footing in, especially since most of the work in this industry is freelance. You never really know where our next paycheck is coming from and it can be a while before you get a rhythm going. I would work long hours on set, for a week straight and then go a whole month or longer before getting m next “gig.” Especially in the beginning when your trying to climb the ladder of this industry and going from a low level PA to getting better higher paying roles. Eventually I found my way in working for myself, in video production. I had better control of what my life looked like day to day. Running a video production business has been exciting, and scary all at the same time, sometimes literally, at the same time. You book a big client great! But now I have to learn how to do this new thing, or I have to hire someone to do something I don’t even know how to do!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
As of late, I’ve become more than just a “videographer.” I specialize in helping businesses and brands build trust and authority; the tool I use to do this is a camera,

My background is diverse, mainly because I was so eager to do any and everything that it lead me down so many different paths. I’ve shot weddings, sporting events, live events, real estate videos, highlight videos, corporate videos, videos I’m not proud of, you name it, I’ve probably shot it before. However, if you look at my professional portfolio of work, I’ve spent most of time working with beauty brands, although the principles of what attracts customers and builds trust are the same across most businesses. I believe that I stand out in this industry because like i said before, I’m more than a videographer. While most of my peers are focused on making pretty shots and setting the lights just right and shooting in 6k or 8k resolution, my specialty in making videos that actually work, before I press record, I like to understand who the video is for, what’s the target audience’s demographics, psychographics, etc. Pretty pictures work in the film industry, no so much in business.

My most recent big job took me to Africa, Ethiopia specifically, where I lead a team shooting a pilot for television show for back here in the states.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
If I could pick one person that helped me personally, it was Dwan White, former president of marketing for a company I wont name, a multi million dollar company, here in Atlanta. For about a year or two I was going to the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and networking with business owners and working on my elevator pitch. Dwan White was one of the few people there that actually gave me a chance and it opened my eyes to so much. Before her, I had never made five figures in a day before. She showed me so much business wise, including patience lol. Without her I probably would have given up; she’s shown me that it is actually possible to be successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mswcreativeservices.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcelswilliams/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-williams
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheContentBebop