Today we’d like to introduce you to Griffin Dunn.
Hi Griffin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello! First of all, thanks for the opportunity to chat with y’all! It’s always an honor to have your work recognized and featured and to dive in a bit deeper.
I started making videos when I was in middle school, dozens of silly sketch videos with my friends that we thought would absolutely lead us to worldwide fame on YouTube… We would write stories or parodies that were such nonsense, film each other on my digital camera, then run to the computer to edit them together so we could show our friends. I haven’t watched most of those videos in years because it would be incredibly embarrassing, BUT I remember them fondly, and everyone always told us to keep having fun and make more stuff. This eventually led to “Can you film the musical at church?” and “Could you video the high school graduation ceremony?”, and I began to dream more of a full-time career as a filmmaker and editor throughout high school.
I filmed my first wedding at age 17 for a family friend, which was one of the most nerve-wracking days of my life! Over the next few years, I filmed a few more weddings for cousins and other friends, and I began to offer myself as a “real-life” wedding videographer in 2013. When I finished my undergrad degree in 2016, my videography went from part-time to full-time and has grown and flourished every year since!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In my career so far, I’ve been super super lucky and I’ve made a lot of work that I’m incredibly proud of. It can be very isolating to have so much on your plate as a freelancer and business owner, when you’re the CEO and the custodian. As filmmakers, we have to find manageable ways to balance the creative side with the business side- career growth and planning, networking, taxes, insurance, licensing, and all that jazz! Sometimes those aspects of my work can flow so seamlessly, and sometimes it can be a full nightmare.
Luckily, I’ve found my way through most of my hard times by relying on others filmmaker friends and wedding vendors to be kind enough to teach me what they’ve learned through their mistakes and successes. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the kindness of others, and I know it’s really important to value community over competition and spread your knowledge in any ways you can!
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?
Ah! I love the work I get to do. The majority of my work is wedding videography, creating highlight films that cover every aspect of a wedding day. I try to set myself apart from others by focusing on the multifacetedness (is that a word?) of my couples’ personalities and by being a positive, calming presence on wedding day. Like many other aspects of life, it’s a balancing act, and I’m really proud of the growth I’ve made by working so many wedding over the years. At this point, there isn’t much I haven’t seen at a wedding, so my couples are what makes each wedding day unique from the one before. What makes them laugh? What makes their eyes light up? What makes them teary-eyed? What makes them dance? What do I have in common with them, and what makes them different from me? I ask myself those questions throughout a wedding day and let the answers guide me.
When I’m not working on a wedding, I absolutely love to film and create work that centers around arts and music. My favorite project that I’ve ever been a part of is the Bitchfit x FEMNASTY777 “Nashville Drag Excellence” video that came out this year. I got lead the film team and be the editor of the project, which featured 40 drag performers who work or live in Nashville! From the day I was hired by the director to the day the video was released, there was nothing but a display of absolute joy amongst the crew and cast of performers, and I find myself going back to watch the video every few weeks. I had the time of my life on that project and can’t wait to continue to do more work like it.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Some advice that I was given and didn’t take seriously until the last few years was to seek out work that YOU would want to see. I love to film all sorts of things, but the work that brings you the most joy personally should be what you seek out the most.
Another piece of advice is something that is so simple but key- be nice to literally everyone! We are kind to our couples and clients, of course, but we need to show goodwill to our fellow wedding vendors, guests, talent, and other crew members on set… the list goes on. If you can help facilitate happiness in others, it will come back to you.
Contact Info:
- Email: griffinrdunn@gmail.com
- Website: griffinrdunn.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/griffinrdunn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinrdunnvideo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/griffinrdunn
Image Credits
Cody Stallings Photography
Allie Chambers Photography
Karen Will Rogers Photography
Sur La Lune Photography
