Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendrick Disch.
Kendrick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’d say it all started with a passion for music… I got a guitar in high school and started a band with friends… the first thing we needed was a music video, so I got a friend to record some shows and then, I started learning how to edit video. From there, I just kept playing with cameras and computers more than my guitar so I realized my larger passion (and talent) was in video. Making videos led me to fall in love with still photography so I also become a photographer. One lucky break I had was that I actually got a job at my university’s multimedia computer lab as a freshman and worked there for seven years learning every type of software for creative media… until I relocated to Santa Fe New Mexico to work for a photography educational business. That led working in Mexico then Maine, then Atlanta where I studied Commercial Photography at the renowned Portfolio Center, now a part of the Miami Ad School.
In Atlanta, I met my wife and built a network of creative collaborators and we’ve been jamming together for over a decade. I started Vertical River after realizing that most companies didn’t need a video production company… they needed a content marketing company that can do video and photo and media strategy and media buying and writing and all sorts of additional modern marketing strategies. I think my theory has proven right as we’ve been way busier than expected our first six months in business.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road… if it’s a smooth road, you’re not challenging yourself. I’ve been fired 3 times in my career and laid off twice… I’d say anytime you’re attempting to venture outside the status quo, there are people that get upset. I try not to take it personally because I can only push my own rock up my hill. There was a corporate job I had a few years ago that taught me to lean into my strengths. Don’t worry too much about the weaknesses. There’s always going to be people that think you’re not doing something right… only you know the answer to what is right for you.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vertical River story. Tell us more about it.
Vertical River is an authentic, forward-thinking creative content studio helping brands capture today’s scarcest resource… attention.
Strategic creative is our M.O. and we believe that beautiful images are only as strong as the plan in place to share them with the right audience.
From ideation and production to optimization and amplification, we are your one-stop-shop for brand stories that cut through the clutter and straight to the hearts of the folks who matter.
We create custom content that resonates with your target audience and builds a deeper relationship with your brand. We do this by meeting them while they’re scrolling down the vertical rivers of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Not many creative content companies can manage any ad buy you can imagine including something as simple as a facebook ad, all the way up to a Super Bowl commercial. We have the team in place to create powerful content and then amplify it.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
You think your phone is a big part of your life now… in 10 years it will be the only computer you use… it will control most things in your house (door locks, lighting, thermostats, entertainment, etc.) and the days of needing a laptop for work are over. Voice command will be the way we get things done. I think the next ten years is when we really get the future we’ve been dreaming of since the ’50s.
With that in mind, marketing has to offer value to even find a foothold in somebodies day… it has to be helpful. It has to be custom… the demographics of yesterday are irrelevant. Just because someone is 55 years old and lives in a certain area of town doesn’t mean they want to buy your product. But if you can draw them to you by being so customized to their interests… you won’t have to spend the money to reach them with intrusion… you can actually spend money getting them to come to you.
Pricing:
- Custom video content for small businesses retainer starts at $1300/month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.verticalriver.co
- Phone: 4049393123
- Email: guide@verticalriver.co
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/verticalriver.co
Image Credit:
Images courtesy of Vertical River
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