April 24, 2017

Meet Chelsea Williams of Coco Joe Productions in Culver City

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Williams.

Chelsea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Here are a few things about me: I love photography and filmmaking! I also love kids, animals, mangos and dancing.

I love making people feel good about themselves in photographs. Anyone can take an aesthetically pleasing photograph these days, but if the person in the photo doesn’t like themselves in the picture, then what’s the point? My main focus will be making you feel confident, comfortable and beautiful during our time together.

I founded Coco Joe Productions in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 2003. It all started with a few small photography and film projects starring my amazing little sister, Coco Joelle. You can tell she’s a superstar just by the name. Right? Coco was always such an incredible subject to work with. Being extremely photogenic, a great dancer, and a saucy actress, she was the perfect star for everything I created. Because of this, I named my production company Coco Joe Productions.

Our favorite way to pass the time involved running around the woods or the street doing photoshoots and music videos with my parents wedding photography and videography equipment. We became the perfect team as I learned more and more about photography and filmmaking. We also learned a lot about trespassing. After all, location is everything.

I soon expanded to taking pictures of my friends, family, other little children and anyone else who would let me! I also would assist my parents with photography and videography for their booming wedding business. I realized that I really, truly enjoyed taking pictures of people and making films and continued to take more and more photographs until I had a large portfolio.

It was in 2005 when I decided I wanted to begin taking photographs and filmmaking professionally. Since then, I have continuously and passionately pursued my love of portrait, fashion, business, commercial, wedding, editorial and family photography. I have also created from inception to completion many music videos, dance films, short films, montage projects, and various other creative film endeavors in North Carolina, The Virgin Islands, Boston and California!

I am originally from the Virgin Islands so you can bet snorkeling with a GoPro is on my list of top favorite things to do. I am an Emerson College graduate who majored in Film Production with a minor in Photography and Dance and I now run Coco Joe Productions in the beautiful Santa Monica, California. I have assembled a team of dedicated, talented and passionate photographers and filmmakers who work with me on weddings, music videos, short films and fashion shoots!

I am also extremely experienced in media and social media marketing. I currently web design for several companies and manage their social media. My background in photography, film making and graphic design allow me to make original, creative content that will greatly improve any company’s web presence.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road being a young female entrepreneur but the rewards have always been SO worth it. Many others who have chosen a more streamlined path will doubt you, especially when you’re starting out. It can be really tough to completely ignore other people’s judgements and continue with your dream but you MUST stay focused and confident in your talent and conviction. It takes a lot of motivation and keeping yourself on track because YOU are the only person driving your success. The freedom is inspiringly liberating but it also means you are the only one responsible for your failures. This balance is a constant struggle but I feel so lucky to be able to experience it.

Photography is also an incredibly saturated market and believe it or not, being talented is only a fraction of what it takes to run a successful photography and filmmaking business in one of the biggest cities in the nation. There are thousands of very talented and hard-working photographers and artists working towards the same things which can make it incredibly competitive.

When you are running your own business, it can take several years to see your hard work turn into real results. At times, this waiting game has felt thankless and has made me wonder if I would ever get where I wanted to be. But, I can assure you, if you continue to focus on the “big picture” results and have faith in yourself and your work ethic, you can overcome anything!

I am also incredibly lucky to have two parents who are self-made entrepreneurs to help guide me through the ins & outs of running a successful company. They’ve always offered steadfast advice and have always completely believed in me. I cannot thank them enough for doing this.

Coco Joe Productions – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Coco Joe Productions specializes in photography, filmmaking, editing, design and social media marketing services. So basically, all forms of content creation from start to finish!

I’m most proud of making content for people that makes them feel good about themselves and their business. The main complement I have always received from clients is that I make them feel comfortable and taken care of throughout the entirety of our work together. I’m also very proud of having over 30 5 Star reviews on Yelp! I even got the coveted “People Love Us on Yelp” Sticker in the mail! So fun.

What sets CJP apart from the rest is being a one-stop shop for all of your professional content and media marketing needs. I can help you completely build your brand from the ground up with cutting edge creative media and design that is personalized and original.

Whether you’re a performer, business person, fellow entrepreneur, fitness industry expert, foodie, author, dancer, restauranteur… pretty much whoever you are/whatever you do, I can help bring your business to the next level!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define success as making my clients and the people around me happy and grateful they know me or have hired me. It also is incredibly important to me to always maintain a healthy work/life balance. I find that keeping that balance is vital to my creativity being it’s most vibrant and capable for my business.

I’m also incredibly passionate about dancing, singing and comedy so I always try to continue to express myself in these ways to keep my “idea well” fresh, original and spilling over!

In terms of success “markers,” I don’t think I’ve ever really had those. I think creating an outline for my success would be me limiting my future self and capabilities. I prefer to have over-arching long term goals and dreams that focus more generally on the “big picture.” I then do my best to trust my instincts for the next steps on my path. For example, I want to have a fully-staffed content creation digital marketing agency one day! This is a lofty goal and I am unsure of what the exact timeline will be that I will achieve this. What I DO know is if I continue working, networking, learning, experimenting and creating then I will feel I have achieved “true success” despite the actual outcome.

But if I had to define success it’s every time my dad tells me “good job” on gchat.

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