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Meet Kaelin Williams of Charlies Court Productions in Mid City

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

Kaelin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Not to be cliché but it has been apart of me since I was kid. My first passion was acting and that still is my passion, but I have always been interested in photography, cinematography, and overall production. I think it all came when I was in high school. I went to a performing arts school where we were required to participate in all aspects of theatre production, from acting and costume construction to lights and sound.

I think that sort of environment fostered the “do it all” mentality. I went for acting but I gained a lot of information on all of the technical side of things so that is how, I guess, led me to wanting my own YouTube and production company. It was not until college that I actually decided to start the company/branding myself.

Has it been a smooth road?
Lol. Thats the best response I can give. I mean to ask a black, gay, entrepreneur “has it been a smooth road” is funny. It has been extremely challenging because I am trying to balance between trying to be innovative and expressive, yet palatable and marketable. I am trying not to let profitability legitimize or dictate my creativity in a city that thinks 1300 studio is affordable. There is so much between finances, marketing, consistency, and motivation its just a whirlwind but I would not trade it, or the growth, for the world.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Charlies Court Production is a full-service production company though right now I mainly focus on headshots, portraits, and lifestyle shoots for influencers/ other brands at an affordable price. As the owner of the production company, I work both as a freelancer for others and produce my own content for my personal brand on YouTube and Instagram. So essentially I am a content creator through and though. I am super proud of the fact that I am apart of the few black-owned production companies as well as being able to work with both up and coming artist/ entrepreneurs as well as bigger businesses. It allows me to foster relationships with like-minded people while also creating quality work and tell stories which is honestly the reason I started. I think that what sets me apart is my exceptional customer service, extreme attention to detail, and the overall quality of my work especially for the price. I put a lot of time into my work to make sure my client’s vision comes to life and making the experience great for both of us. I think that for so many small businesses like mine, they forget that the client’s overall experience is what really makes the difference. Sure you created a great product but if you are terrible to work with then you won’t get a lot of work and when you are like me and may not have all the fancy equipment or extensive marketing budgets– word of mouth becomes even more vital to your success.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think that it is a great city BUT you must be diligent. This is a huuuuge market and sometimes people feel like you have to “get big” and then come here, which does work, but it’s not the only way. I would say to someone just starting out “Invest in yourself, create GENUINE relationships and MARKET YOURSELF”. The biggest hurdle here is just making sure people know you exist! Sure you are big where you are and you come here with a certain “expectation”, but if you are not easy to work with or charge astronomical prices, there are A LOT of people you will miss out on even though they “know” about your business. I think you need to come and network, CONSISTENTLY improving and learning your craft, and position yourself to where you are accessible to your clients. I think this city could be more collaborative and not so focused on “clout”. Clout comes and goes but when you actually create genuine relationships with people they remember that, and when they make it you will be there first one they have in mind.

Pricing:

  • Headshots: start at $100
  • Influencer Packs: start at $300
  • Artist Packs: start at $250
  • Self Tapes: start at $30
  • Production Assistance: start at $25
  • Demo Reel Edits: $100

Contact Info:

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