Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Petty.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was totally obsessed with capturing moving images the moment I held a camera. I was around 10 when I found an old VHS camera in an attic. That entire summer break I remember running around with neighborhood friends recording our antics. we quickly shifted from filming whatever we were doing that day, to creating skits, short films, fake commercials, etc. My friends became my production crew and talent while I held the camera. A few years later my cousins introduced me to a now ancient version of “imovie” preloaded onto their macantosh. I had been editing everything within the cameras tape deck and my horizons expanded to properly edit down what I had captured. It shifted the way I thought about capturing footage. Years passed and my passion did not fade. when I was 15 I had my first client, a facebook cooking page in need of someone to film and edit their recipes. After a few months of working with them, I had secured my client with a sponsorship from Dole fruits. I felt I was on the right track when I realized a real company recognized my work as valuable. As filmakers and videographers, our value lies not only within the labor of filming and editing, but the weight of the final product. It’s important to not overlook that or you will end up undervaluing yourself.
I was a terrible student, too focused on growing my business. there was one exception that I was laser focused on in school, my video production class with Mr. Burford. He knew I had a background in this and allowed me run production on many school videos and announcements, by my senior year, we felt like a fill blown production company. we made school announcement videos, field trip recaps, and a comedy web series. Outside of school, I filmed friends music videos, car meets, and anything I could get in front of a camera.
After being rejected from Indiana University for somewhat unimpressive grades and test scores, I sent my portfolio to Belmont where I was accepted. That brought me to Nashville in 2016. I knew I didn’t want to study “film” I wanted to study “production” and learn how to properly run a set and creating a film from start to end.
COVID hit as I graduated, I figured I would have to move back to Indiana if I couldn’t secure some long term clients. After scouring the internet I came across a peculiar craigslist ad “In need of a social media specialist for an interior design firm.” I thought it was odd to advertise this on craigslist of all places. After talking on the phone for some time, I was introduced to Branan White, owner of Branan White Designs. He told me from the first interview he had an interest in creating a pilot to pitch to TV networks. This fell on the backburner as we grew his social media presence. One day, one of his real estate agents mentioned being friends with a network producer who could aid in getting our foot in the door. I sent her a sizzle of the best moments working with Branan in the past 3 years, she was hooked, and we were able to secure funding for a pilot.
The dust settled as the deal was passed from network to network, This was during a massive shift within Network TV, mergers, layofffs, budget restructuring. Not exactly ideal conditions to land a network deal. Things still sit on the table to this day, but nothing particular has come from that. I did however, become much closer to our producer who offered bringing me on to higher level sets. I now work closely with her and her production company. Just recently I have joined forces full time with their creative agency Mindgruve.
Today, I get to do all of the things my younger self would have wanted. I specialize in motorsports cinematography, I have filmed races that I watched as a kid on TV. I get to work with brands and travel across the country for shoots of all kinds. I love the variety.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This was not an easy path or smooth road to achieve this. There were countless moments where I felt like there was no solution but to find a “real job.” When I was graduating highschool, the same day I received my acceptance letter, I was offered a full time job as a racecar mechanic (another long story). I had these two options in front of me and made the choice to pursue this fully. Maybe I am just stubborn, but I couldn’t bring myself to give up. Every time I didn’t give in, my resolve grew stronger and new doors always presented themselves.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Motorsports, I love cars of all kinds and really love I can combine both passions. Outside of that I have been doing a lot of guerrilla style narrative film making with Kalin Gordon. With no client to tend to, we are able to have a lot of creative freedom and make things we decide. (another great creative to interview in the future) What sets me apart is flexibility. while I enjoy high octane shoots, I can do anything from fashion brands to racecars.
Another thing that helps me stand out, and I see as a through-line for all succesfull creatives is consistency and dependability. There’s hundreds and thousands of talented people in Nashville, some more talented than me, but you need to be consistent and dependable to the right people to grow. You cannot sit a top a beautiful piece of work you created and expect work to start rolling in, especially if you cannot capture that energy consistently. That is far more impressive than having good content to a person prospecting new talented people in the industry. The content is your key to open the door, your work ethic and strategy is what keeps you in the room.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
You *can not* grow in this industry alone. I am the stereotypical one man army shooter. I’m quite introverted. Could I go into a clients shoot and make it acceptable by myself? of course, I had done that for years. But the key to elevate, organize, and execute higher budget shoots and clients is cooperation. Never assume you know it all because you simply can’t. I have worked with gaffers who can control light in ways I never could visualize, producers who can organize a shoot and strategize from angles I didn’t have the foresight to even take into account. I have worked with Directors who have steered actors tone and performance with words I could not conjure. Someone always knows something you do not. Every person has something to teach you.
Know when you can take on a project alone, but never be afraid to collaborate. Each connection in the industry has brought new exciting opportunities my way that would be entirely unattainable if I attempted all of this alone.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @AP_cine https://www.instagram.com/ap_cine/
