Rising Stars: Meet Caitlin Pitt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Pitt.

Hi Caitlin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a small town in Washington and was always really good at math and science, my whole family always excelled in those areas. But throughout high school, I realized my desire to let my creativity out. I took my first video production class in 9th grade and made the stupidest music videos you could imagine. But I loved it. So for some extra credits, I started taking a cinematography class at our local community college and actually made an ok music video!

Going into college, I was torn between studying film production and Zoology of all things. Total opposites. At first, I had the bright idea of going to a school where I could study both! But soon realized that I should put my all into one thing instead of dividing my efforts between two. So I did what anyone would do if they wanted to pursue film and moved to Hollywood baby!

I went to university at Loyola Marymount University, and surprisingly never even applied to USC (the number one film school in the nation) because my mom went to UCLA so I grew up always hating the school, you know how rivalries are. I loved my time at LMU though, and couldn’t be happier to have studied film there.

Right out of college I got offered a position for a media company in Alaska which was an amazing opportunity. I got to do work for the governor and travel all over the state on different projects. What a beautiful place and I loved the team I was working with. For seven months, I bared the cold of Alaska before deciding that LA was where I was ultimately meant to be. While I loved Alaska and all the wonderful work I got to do there, my friends and the warmth were back in LA! So I started working “part time” in Alaska, and the rest of my time in LA, flying to Alaska about once a month to film, then editing back in Cali.

When I returned to LA, I immediately went full time freelance, just picking up random gigs here and there, trying to at least make enough money to afford the high price of rent in the city. Luckily, I was able to make enough to stay afloat without having to get a secondary job like waitressing or Uber driving. I feel very fortunate for that. The first few years I was pretty much just making enough to live, and did a lot of penny-pinching in those days.

Slowly but surely, my client base and my business grew! Each year I seemed to be consistently making more and more money. When you’re a freelancer, it can be kind of unpredictable from month to month because you don’t know how much business you’re gonna get in any given month. Some months I would only make $2k but other months, I would make $13k, so I tried not to ever be too hard on myself during the tough months. Still to this day, it fluctuates from month to month. But after years of building up my business, I was able to buy a house last year, which was huge for me and definitely my greatest accomplishment so far!

In February of this year, I decided to take things a bit further and start my own business. I realized throughout the years of doing different types of gigs, from commercial to music videos to short films that my passion actually lied in wedding videography. After I filmed my first wedding, I was hooked! I love the energy of weddings and decided this was my next step, creating my own wedding videography business.

Getting the business started was a lot harder than I expected, I had no idea how much goes into it. For a while, it was very overwhelming, and I was unsure if this was the right move. After investing a lot of money into it, I decided I gotta stick with it, put in the work, and see how it plays out. I invested in multiple courses on SEO, wedding filmmaking, advertising, etc., I really wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to make this business as successful as possible. While it’s a bit too early to tell how successful it is, I’m happy to say I’m receiving bookings and have learned so much in the process! I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and only hope to keep growing from here.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The struggles usually lied in the unpredictability of being a freelancer. Some months I was slammed with so much work that I would stay up til 2 or 3 in the morning, sometimes trying to finish all my projects on time. That was stressful. Other months I would go a week or even a few weeks without any work and would start questioning if people didn’t want to hire me anymore. Also stressful. It’s a wave of emotions.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance wedding videographer and editor. I recently started my own wedding videography business actually, called “A Shot Of Love Films”. I specialize in creating films that are unique to each couple and their personality. I got tired of the boring cookie cutter wedding films and wanted to create a brand that celebrates each couple’s authentic love stories. I’m proud of myself for putting in the work required to start a business. I’ve never been a business person, so it took a lot of effort and research to get everything started and get to where I am today.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me has never been about money. Success to me is finding what makes you happy. You can make all the money in the world but if you’re doing a job you hate then what’s the point? You spend most of your life working, so you should at least find something you enjoy. I would much rather make less money but do something I love than make more money and be miserable. For me, my work isn’t “a job”; it’s a passion and there’s not a day I go to film a wedding that feels like work to me. It’s fun for me and I love what I do. That’s success to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashotoflovefilms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashotoflovefilms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashotoflovefilms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-pitt-302701156/

Image Credits
Caitlin Pitt, A Shot Of Love Films