Local StoriesSeptember 30, 2024

Check Out Trevor Wright’s Story

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Wright

Hi Trevor, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My background to become music video director and wedding video producer has been a long path of following passions and constantly learning. I have a lifelong passion for stories, both listening to them and telling them. I also have been a photography enthusiast sine I was in elementary school, I have always loved that you can capture a moment in time.

When I was in 6th grade I went to a one-week summer camp that taught filmmaking basics, thinking I would learn how to take better photos – but instead found a different (and to me at the time, much more fun) way to tell a story. Instead of just sitting at home writing it, you can get all your middle school friends together and film it on a camcorder. Once I found that, it was off to the races – racking up dozens of views on YouTube videos my friends and I spent our weekends making.
2 years later, I decided to enter some online video contests, and happened to win the first one I entered. After seeing our group continue to enter & win, the company hosting the contests invited us to join their team producing content remotely. For 14 year olds who had never had a job, this was pretty exciting – so for the next couple years I continued to dedicate my free time to writing, pitching, and producing educational content.
By the time I was 16, I had enough of a portfolio that some musicians I knew started hiring me to produce their music videos and social media campaigns. I knew I had found my next creative obsession. Something that combines my love of music with storytelling, and cool abstract visuals. So I attended a music video production course at The New York Film Academy. After that course, I switched from making films to almost strictly making music videos and wedding videos edited in a music video style. This kept me busy for a number of years.
In that time I also did a lot of portrait photography work, graphic design, interned at a broadcast station in Indianapolis doing local interest stories, attended Governors School of the Arts, did Real Estate & Vacation rental photo/video, was given a press pass for 3 days of Vans Warped Tour, had my work featured in AltPress, and produced multi-cam concert videos for a couple different DIY venues.

Now, almost 15 years later – telling stories visually is still my passion. I still obsess over the little details to make the best project possible. And I still have an unrelenting need to make my next project better than the last. I’m never done learning, or trying to take things further than I have before. I love a good challenge.
With social media rapidly changing what type of content is a priority, I’ve started focusing on making short-form content that’s designed to grab and hold attention, especially when it comes to work with musicians. There has to be something to make your content stand out nowadays. The only aspect of my business that hasn’t shifted drastically over the last couple years is the style of my wedding videos.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not at all been a smooth road. There have been a lot of learning experiences along the way. I learned most of my lessons (both the technical, and how to run a business) the hard way, since I started doing freelance work at such a young age.
You end up learning one way or another why people work with contracts, take deposits, arrange their credits in advance, and watermark images they haven’t been paid for.
I also had to pretty quickly learn to balance my excitement for a project, with keeping to a schedule, and still running a business that pays crew/making a profit.
But there’s no better way to learn a skill or lesson than by being burned on the job a few times.

You also learn pretty quickly that running a business based on your passion can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s very fun and rewarding – but on the other, it intrinsically changes the motivation behind something you just did for enjoyment before. You have to learn how to still be creative and leave your mark on projects that aren’t necessarily fun or glamorous. And trying to make a living at your hobby can create a sense of competition and pressure where there was just fun before. Learning to enjoy yourself and take down-time, while constantly being on the lookout for new leads, is a challenge.

Another struggle along the way was accepting that if I wanted to continually grow my business, I had to start spending real money on advertising. In a creative business with inconsistent cashflow month to month, that’s a hard pill to swallow at first. Accepting that you need to regularly spend on advertising is what started really growing my wedding videography business.

I also spent some years struggling with the commonly spread idea that the best way to make money as a creative is to specialize in one thing, and just focus on doing that. As someone who’s passionate about a number of different creative outlets, it was near impossible for me to put one type of work aside to focus solely on another. It felt like giving up on growth/experimenting, and it took the excitement out of work for me. I now realize that this may be the answer for some people, but keeping variety between projects helps me stay passionate about each new project that comes along.

Along the way there were some rather costly equipment failures that really set me/my business back financially. I almost decided to quit doing work professionally during this time. But this ended up being an extended lesson in how to get creative to achieve the results I want on a tight budget.
It took a few years of working a 9-5, and spending my weekends doing freelance work – but I came out the other side of this period with exponentially more confidence in my ability to execute an idea no matter what difficulties come up, and built my videography kit back up to be better than it was in the first place. Even when my house flooded earlier this year, I used the renovation process to turn one room of my house into a rental photo/video studio.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am most known for my largely visual storytelling style in both Music Videos and Wedding Videos. I grew up playing music – so my directing and editing take the pacing of the song, and compliment it with visuals to tell a full story. The smooth visuals following the flow of the music make for an immersive audience experience. My videos capture a feeling & moment, and put the audience there in it.

My most popular package for musicians is a branding package for single releases. Capturing the feeling of their song with a cohesive theme for the Single Cover, Spotify animation, Music Video, and social media campaign. Having a consistent look across all those aspects gives your release a more professional feel.

I am also known for cinematic angles & lighting, while not missing a moment in the action of an event.

And I’m known for designing complex shots & sets for my music videos, to make something that stands out.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’d like people to know that I have a rental photo/video facility available in Murfreesboro. We have an indoor studio with a white brick wall, high ceilings, changeable backdrops, 4×150 watt lights, and various light stands & modifiers. The facility also has an outdoor nature/woods setting with power run to it.

In addition to the Music Videos and Wedding Videography, I also provide Real Estate & Vacation Rental photo/video, and portrait photography.

Pricing:

Wedding Video packages ranging from $2000 – $3,500
Nashville Voyager Special wedding pricing for readers who mention this article: $1800 for a highlight & ceremony video
Musician “Single Branding Package” (single cover + Spotify animation, performance video, and social media campaign all with a cohesive theme) $500
performance video w/ 3 hours studio time ($300)
Real Estate: $50/room (4 room minimum)

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: NashvilleVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.