Meet Mario Lee of The Cordales

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Lee.

Hi Mario, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been a storyteller. Both of my parents would write often and made it a point to emphasize to read to me every night until I was about four or five years old. That gave an early appreciation for stories and story structure (that second one was totally subconscious until I was in my teens). In addition, I developed a strong love of images through cover artwork. My Dad has a pretty big album collection and my older brother used to collect cassette tapes and later CDs (I felt so old saying that 😂). I would study the covers, not realizing that I was learning composition, structure and tone. By the time I reached my early teens, I would spend a lot of my T.V. viewing time watching music videos. The early 2000s were probably the best time for music videos. There were three channels dedicated to everything music video related. Countdown shows and behind-the-scenes shows were big and for me the “making of” shows were the greatest thing ever. I got to see how shots were set up and learn a little insight on music video preproduction. All of this helped spawn the visual aspects of my storytelling ability.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Uuuummmm, no. Not even a little bit, LOL. My road was difficult but a lot of that was of my own creation. I made some choices that didn’t pan out (primarily choosing the wrong college, it really is a very important decision) and I dealt with a lot of issues (depression, anxiety, lack of confidence, etc) that took me out of my creative space and really messed with my motivation. I was able to start my career in creative as a photo editor for a company that primarily worked in nightlife, which was good and I was grateful for it. I was able to move up and become lead editor there and I learned a lot during that time, good, bad or indifferent. Being there was probably my biggest motivation for stepping into the market as an independent.

We’ve been impressed with The Cordales Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Cordales Inc was formed in 2016 when my wife, then girlfriend, and I merged our companies together and created our own media firm. She was an attorney by trade (still practices and wants to teach law) but always had a passion for photography. We were originally named “Weddings by Cordale”. We started out primarily doing weddings and events, which was great and we still work those when we are available to. I am grateful to have helped tell the stories and frame the memories that I have. But I always wanted to tell brand stories and even help businesses build their marketing campaigns. I can proudly say that we are able to do all of the aforementioned as well as so much more. We have multiple divisions of The Cordales Inc. and are able to provide services in so many media capacities. Event coverage, we do it. Branded content creation, we do it. Need a Photo Booth or a 360 Video Booth, we do it. We’ve been able to expand and grow and I believe that our versatility along with our knowledge and experience set us apart.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Definitely see myself as a risk taker. Calculated risks though, at least for the most part. Starting your own company is a risk, especially in a market like Atlanta where there are so many working in media and content creation. My approach has always been “make sure it makes sense to you”. You have to be able to stand completely behind your decision and speak to it with confidence and passion. You have to be able to engage others be it in a client or employee relationship. Everyone doesn’t have the risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit and that’s okay. I feel like the difference in those that do and the ones that don’t is a comfort level with the unknown. Risk-takers are able to find clarity in the murky and be enthusiastic about what’s on the other side, regardless of the outcome.

Pricing:

• Corporate/Brand video pricing starting at $200
• 360 Booth pricing starting at $400 for two hours
• Photoshoot pricing starting at $90
• Wedding Photo Packages starting at $500
• Photo Booth pricing starting at $125 an hour/with a two hour minimum

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecordalesinc.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecordalesinc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecordalesinc

Image Credits
All Images courtesy of The Cordales Inc.