Hidden Gems: Meet Phillip Colling of Colling Films

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phillip Colling.

Hi Phillip, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello! Thank you so much for having me! So my name is Phil and my wife Caitlin and I have 4 kids; 3 boys and 1 princess. We moved here 10 years ago from Chicago; just to try something new. I taught high school biology for 6 years and my wife has been a fashion stylist since we came here. A videography business wasn’t even on my radar until I started making videos for the high school I was teaching at. I remember my first paid job I made $300 for a retirement party video. It was the absolute worst video I’ve ever seen, but they loved it. Then I tried my first wedding… also not great. But again, they loved it. So it was then I realized how much I enjoyed making something that made people happy. So I decided to pursue it further and eventually got so busy I was able to quit my teaching job after about one year.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges at the beginning was overcoming the “imposter” syndrome. I didn’t feel like I was trained or talented enough to run a successful business. No one in my family is an entrepreneur, and it had never crossed my mind as something I would be able to do. So coming to grips early on that I actually was good enough and that I didn’t need a film or business degree to be successful was a huge step to overcome.

One thing I learned at the very beginning was that this business was largely relation-based. You can be the best videographer in the world but if you aren’t kind to people and easy to work with, you won’t be as successful. So I really try hard to be a team player and to just love others like Jesus and that tends to help my business a lot.

Looking back now on my earlier experiences, I realized that it is definitely not easy. When you start any business from scratch, you have to really grind sometimes and be committed. You also need a lot of confidence. Sometimes, you have to get out of your own way to really move forward.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Yes of course! So I am a videography company that specializes in weddings, commercial work, and all other content creation. I would say weddings are the thing I am most known for probably, but I love a good variety in my business.

I think also as an enneagram 7, variety is what gives me life. I have shot everything from tv commercials for major companies, to Garth Brooks and Reba interviews, to a wedding in Hawaii, a documentary for an NBA all-star player, to Shark Tank products, to quinceaneras, etc. So it’s a pretty wide range but I love it so much.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
It’s tough to talk about luck sometimes because I think “luck” is often a combination of us having the faith to walk through the doors that God has put in front of us, and other times it is simply creating our own good or bad “luck” with our actions and mindset.

For example, I feel extremely lucky to have grown up with the family I have. My parents instilled in me so many amazing qualities that have translated so well from my life to my business. Also, my wife Caitlin has been so supportive and encouraging as I launched my business. Not everyone has this “luck” so I am very grateful for this support.

Some other things I would consider “lucky” would be me starting my business right when the video started really taking off on social media. I think God brought our family to Nashville, a growing city with unlimited potential, was also “lucky.” I probably would not have been able to scale my business back in my small hometown had I just stayed there.

Overall, and this may sound cliche, I feel very lucky to be able to do something I love and to meet the amazing people I’ve met along the way so far. So I feel lucky every day.

Contact Info:

• Email: phillip@collingfilms.com
• Website: www.collingfilms.com
• Instagram: @collingfilms
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collingfilms
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CollingFilms

Image Credits
Alex Antle of Photography Zach, Sarah Photography, Allie Chambers, Lavender & Oak Photography, and Hunter Lashea Photography.