Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristyn Brown.
Hi Kristyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Well, for starters, my name is Kristyn, and everyone calls me Yogi… yes, like the bear. And as of recently, Sweet Feet seems to be the name on everyone’s tongue. I’ll get into that a bit later.
My journey started when I graduated with my bachelor’s in music from The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2011. After that, I was a very lost individual who had a lot of hobbies/passions but didn’t know what to pursue or do with my life. Honestly, I don’t think I was dreaming big enough… maybe even still to this day… but anyway. I was a recent graduate who was thankful to be done with school but was trying to figure out what my next move would be. You know, out of college, you’re expected to get this dream job because you now have a degree. But my degree was in music performance, and my dreams of being in the Los Angeles Philharmonic were long gone. I didn’t want to teach; I didn’t want to really do much with music other than play and possibly score films. This was so far fetch that I didn’t even try… I then became the youth drummer at my church while working food industry jobs. This had become my life.
I felt like one of those people you see on a film who has all this potential but never realizes it and just goes with whatever life gives. I was also spoiled, so I figured all the ideas and opportunities in my head would just fall in my lap. Get real, Kristyn.
One day in October, LA Film School was having orientation. Wait, back up: in 2005, I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha with my grandmother, and I fell IN LOVE with the cinematography. I was known for always having a camera and taking pictures, but that movie sparked something that I held onto for years. Okay, back to the story.
October 2013, I went up to LA Film School for a tour and fell in love. I remembered that when I finished my bachelor’s I would want to score films. Even though I was completely done with schooling, I had to enroll here. Whatever it took. By the end of the day, I as enrolled into film school.
When I graduated, I automatically thought that I would be on movie sets producing and directing the greatest films ever known to man. I actually thought my thesis film, BLUE, would be my calling card, so to speak. Again, GET REAL KRISTYN. At the time, I was in a mad spiritual battle that caused me to kind of live a life that brought me no joy. And there I was again in the fast-food industry while my cameras collected dust.
I was lost.
Fast forward about ten years later, I’m climbing the ladder at a Chick-fil-A franchise. I mean, KILLING the game. I have great leadership skills, especially when it comes to people, so as I’m climbing the ladder, my goal begins to change. I now want to own a Chick-fil-A. Yea, I know… This was the goal. I mean I was pretty much a great customer service rep who knows how to handle food so why not?! I don’t mind being an average Joe. This was my thought process.
Now, while I was climbing that ladder, I was volunteering at my church, helping the production team. I was no longer playing the drums due to Covid, and I wanted to become a camera operator. I mean, I did have a degree in it. So, I was volunteering my time until I got approached to leave Chick-fil-A and work at the church full-time. I said YES.
Little did I know this would open a door to create beautiful cinematic content for the body of Christ.
You said brief, so I think my time is up… but yeah, man. This is where I am.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth?!? Nah. Rewarding?!? Yes.
Of course, with every dream, there are obstacles, but the main obstacle I have is with myself. I never thought that I would be able to curate content to build the body of Christ. Simply because social media has become a way of comparison to your peers and if you aren’t shooting The Grammy’s or the BET Awards or anything dealing with the hottest artist, you haven’t made it. I had to realize that what I do is just as important! If the content I shoot can lead people to be curious about Jesus??? I’ve won.
So, the struggle is and will always be who and what I do it for and in the same sense knowing that I am capable of doing more than I think.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Absolutely. I am a jack of all trades, haha. My specialty is storytelling. Whether that is through videography (preferred) or photography. I love moving pictures and try my best to make you feel as if you were there or relive a special moment in life from my perspective.
What am I proud of?!? Honestly, that I didn’t give up! I’m not where I want to be, but I think as I stay consistent, more of my dreams will unfold before my eyes. I mean, I got the opportunity to shoot The Reunion Tour at the Crypto.com Arena this past year. Which was CRAZY! Out of however many candidates that submitted their portfolio I WAS SELECTED. That was wild to me. But I think overall, I’m just proud of how consistent I’ve been over the last 2 years of doing this full-time. Praying for more opportunities!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
No! This is actually something I need to work on. I suck at networking because I sometimes feel like I’m bothering people, but that has changed a little. If y’all have any advice for ME, that would be great, lol
Contact Info:
- Website: yogishotit.com
- Instagram: yogishotit
Image Credits
Kendan Ulmer
KC Knight
