Meet Annelyse DeMuch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annelyse DeMuch.

Annelyse, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to Southern California the day after I turned 18. I came for the arts, and honestly, to get far away from Ohio! I needed a change. I had never visited California before the big move. All I knew was what I had seen on TV (which is entirely inaccurate!!). I ended up going to school for theatre but changed majors/minors about five times from communications, business, Spanish, international business, and more.

My junior year of college, I studied abroad with Semester at Sea. I lived on a ship for four months and traveled to 14 different countries! I think this is when I first started falling in love with videography. After my trip, I finished my degree as quickly as possible and graduated in 2018. Sitting in lecture halls was always difficult for me — I am a very hands-on and creative person. I was very eager to start working outside of the classroom! When I graduated, I began editing videos in my spare time while I was trying to figure out how to make a living, but I soon realized I wanted my hobby to be my career. I started video editing for myself and friends, then slowly I started finding clients. I was eager to do more than just editing, so I bought my first “fancy camera.” Nervously, I invested in a Canon EOS R and it became the best decision I could have made. I started filming for my clients, creating travel vlogs, BTS, artist promo videos, lyric videos and more.

Freelancing was fun, but it had its challenges. Finding consistent work was difficult. I ended up settling for a 9-5 just to get more constant work, but only lasted about a month. I was doing digital media marketing, but not the media that was exciting for me. I had limits and restrictions, and my creativity was stifled. Once leaving that job, I realized I needed to hustle because I no longer had a safety net. I started doing work for anyone who wanted it (free and paid) and slowly I gained more and more clients. Long story short, now, I fly back and forth from Nashville to LA for shoots and other gigs, and I am able to edit anywhere I want. I love the career path I’ve chosen. It is difficult to maintain your own business, but it gets better every day and I am lucky to live with the freedom.

Has it been a smooth road?
No! Like I mentioned before, I ended up taking a marketing job because freelance was a huge challenge. You are 100% responsible for the clients you attract and you’re basically working 24/7. However, when your work is something you’re passionate about (as cliche as it is) it doesn’t feel like work. You’re also entirely responsible for every aspect of your business. You are the boss, the marketing manager, HR, literally everything. I took a few business courses in college, but like I said, I didn’t work well with lectures. I am learning everything by being thrown into it.

Luckily my best friend has had a digital media business for longer than I have and I can go to her when things get tough. She saves me sometimes! But that’s just the challenge of starting your own business. You can never be fully prepared for how things will go along your journey — it’s about how you handle it, and I think I’ve been doing well so far!

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I run a digital media business. I specialize in photography and videography, but also provide video editing and graphic design services. I am really proud of the ideas my clients and I come up with! I like to provide an environment where clients feel comfortable to try anything in. I work with a lot of artists, so we’re always thinking outside of the box. It’s so fun! What sets me apart, is that I started on Youtube, so I am extremely familiar with that, but I’ve really grown in artist promotion on other social media such as Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, etc. Also, I am an artist myself! I have my own online brand aside from my business. I feel like I can relate to my clients better because of my experience with branding myself.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Social media is the best way to market any business nowadays. I can see myself growing with new media trends in the next few years. Already, just in the past few months, I have made a profit off of creating Tiktok videos for clients! You never know what new app is around the corner, but I am constantly searching for new trends. I can see myself getting into the wedding industry as well. I am filming my first wedding this spring and I couldn’t be more excited about it! I would love to do more destination shoots in the near future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annelysemedia.com/
• Phone: 7405496511
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annelysemedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annelysemedia/

Image Credit:
1) Taken by Spencer Hendricks, edited by Annelyse Media

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