Meet Robbie Atkinson of RPX Media Production in Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robbie Atkinson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Robbie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Getting my life started–that’s a phrase I held with very high regard for a long time. When I was in college, I thought that “life would start” once I’d graduated…and then I eventually passed my Thesis Defence and got my M.A. in 2018 and found myself looking forward to finding a job believing (again) that once I’d taken a surmountable step into something great, then life would get started. I eventually began to look around for endeavors where I could exercise my entrepreneurial streak and I started handing out business cards to small shops in malls–offering promotional videography and photography to no avail. Eventually, I came across a new company named ATLocal Entertainment (pronounced at-local) that planned and coordinated concerts for Kpop artists coming to Atlanta. Discovering the ATLocal team completely shifted my perspective and opened my eyes to a new passion.

Fast-forward to a year later, I’m now Media Director of ATLocal, working with these incredibly talented women and am balancing projects with my production company, RPX Media Production, at the same time. Within the past year, RPX and ATlocal have had a partnership where RPX did promos, interviews and highlight videos for Kpop/Khip-hop artists like BeWhy, Dok2, Reddy, G2 and MONT. For example, last year, I went on a national tour for the first time to five different cities and then MONT even had a South American tour as well—I wasn’t able to attend that event, but I edited whatever was needed and sent material to my team remotely.

I’d say this job is a perfect combination of my passion for music and videography in that it allows me to both be in the moment enjoying the energy of artists and fans together (capturing the scene) while meeting various people within the American and Korean music industry that I otherwise wouldn’t have known—people like Woolenciah, Gu is 9, Apollo Loco, Gemini and Alan Z—working with them gives you an appreciation for the duality of their artistry and them as individuals as well.

Outside of our work with ATLocal, RPX’s projects have spanned across different industries–we’ve filmed electronic press kits, a promotional video for Kung Fu Tea and are even working on collaborations with the Director of Peace Maker (a dance company that performs on stage with the likes of Got7, BTS, and Mamamoo) and My Kpop Life (based in North Carolina). I’d say, everything had manifested step-at-a-time through patience, resilience and a lot of hard work and then suddenly, the Coronavirus pandemic erupted and things all came to a halt. Now, RPX has had to shift gears and change our approach to collaborations and future projects, but we’re still moving forward!

On another note, while I recognize that I have a lot on my plate already, I’ve recently felt moved to initiate another project/organization with the blatant onset of xenophobia during the COVID19 pandemic and the revelation of police brutality stemming from George Floyd’s demise. I noticed that people of color were coming forward and sharing their heart-wrenching stories about previous experiences with some form of racism and, while I strongly believe in the power of film as a catalyst for story-telling that ignites change, I realized that various communities had internalized a lot of trauma and pain from America’s past and present. What’s more, I came to understand that these voices were being ignored and invalidated. Observing America’s state has not only been infuriating but agonizing and ultimately spurred me to create an organization where POC could talk about their feelings in a safe space with professional counselors. So, I’ve also started a nonprofit: FIER [The Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Restoration.] My hope is that this kind of organization can help people in a way that film can’t—taking the desire to inspire change a step further and bridging the gap between communities within America.

In hindsight, I once believed that one moment defined the “start” of your life in relation to your goals and dreams, but have since embraced the fact that no such thing exists. It’s clear that life is here, and life is now– and that every action you take in every season of life is part of the process. In order to find fulfillment in that, you have to deliberately savor each step–the big and the small ones.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been challenges–my biggest one being balance. For months, I found myself running on 2-3 hours of sleep: working 7 hours at my day job, driving to an event to film for ATLocal and/or driving home to edit and work on things for ATLocal/RPX only to wake up at 4AM for my dayjob the next day. Trying to build a team while coordinating as part of another was difficult and I had to become deliberate about how I arranged my personal time in my daily schedule. Many business owners can get so caught up in their business that they forget to maintain themselves–eat a healthy meal, get sufficient sleep, treat yourself every once in a while and leave your phone off occasionally. You have to learn that you’re like a cup that’s constantly pouring out into your endeavors around you, so if your cup is empty, then everything else is at risk of running dry as well.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the RPX Media Production story. Tell us more about the business.
RPX Media Production is a hybrid production company in that it’s not simply dedicated to, say, feature films, or fashion videography–we take pride in tackling a variety of projects with one goal in mind—using visual story-telling as an art that unites people from different walks of life. That story can center on concert/event videography and then change to dance videos, interviews and even music videos. We will eventually step into feature film work, but our current approach deeply contradicts the cliché thought process that a production company should have one niche market that they operate within. Up until now, we were mostly known for our engagement in the Kpop/K-hip hop scene and we had done a lot of videos for festivals and performances around Atlanta (like the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival or Familyhood ATL) but that is not where our journey ends. We’re going to keep growing and challenging ourselves to try new things.

Of all our strengths, I’d say I’m most proud of my team’s dedication, flexibility and willingness to continuously improve their craft. I think of it like you would The Avengers—each team member has their own unique network and talent that they bring to the table. Tina Somphone, for example, is a talented Director of Photography for RPX, a member of several dance groups within Atlanta (including Movement As One and Def Talent Jam), and is also a member of the nonprofit Kollaborate Atlanta. We all balance a lot yet still come together for RPX and I’m very grateful for that dynamic!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I envision that the production companies that have established themselves in film will mostly remain as they are given their financial prowess–with COVID interrupting current productions, drive-in films may become the new norm (perhaps a brief rise and fall) but I definitely foresee a greater shift in diversity in the film industry. I perceive that the Black Lives Matter movement has brought attention to various rhetoric centering on the majority’s perspective, narrative, influence and power. With that shift in awareness comes a push to change that trend; hence the future Hollywood may become more inclusive and may invite more international writers and directors.

Likewise, in relation to the music industry, I believe that there will be an increase in international artists breaking into the scene with new musical and visual styles that had previously been rejected or unknown.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rpxmediaproduction.com
• Phone: 4044550880
• Email: info@rpxmediaproduction.com

Image Credit:
BeWhy photography taken by Socialite Music Group, MONT’s Argentina Concert and Dok2 Atlanta Concert photography taken by ATLocal Entertainment

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