Exploring Life & Business with Cole Barnhill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Barnhill.

Hi Cole, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks for having me! I’m Cole Barnhill and I am a filmmaker and photographer in Nashville! My career started with a trip to New York City in 2018. While I was in the city, I started taking pictures with my phone just to document the trip, but as the days passed, I started to become more involved in the process behind taking a picture and the art that I could create while I was there. I came home from that trip and my passion for photography continued to develop.

I would go outside and take pictures whenever I could, watch as many informative videos as possible, and always try to learn as much as I could. I spent many hours just trying to understand what goes into the creation of a photo. As I got more involved in photography, I began to use my sister’s old camera to learn my way around all the manual settings and how to compose a photo. A lot of the learning process was coming up with an idea and finding a way to get to the vision I had, I just repeated that process over and over.

I naturally started posting these photos on my Instagram and Facebook account, this is the moment when things took off for the very first time. People started reaching out for photoshoots, I would post the results and then the next opportunity would come up. I did this all of the fall one year and in December of that year, I purchased my first camera. Later, my passion for photography slowly shifted into a passion for video as well because these two fields tend to overlap. This is when I began to learn the video side of the industry, photography greatly helped with this because I already understood the basics, it was a great foundation.

The next year, I started to take on some weddings and realized that I could genuinely make a career out of this art. This is when my focus really shifted to video. I loved the creative freedom I could have when I made a video and all the things, I could create with the footage afterward. Soon after the weddings, I realized I wanted to pivot from weddings and family photos to the advertising side of the industry. I offered to create a free ad for a local business and it went incredibly well, other businesses saw this and my advertising journey began.

I started to get more work and fell in love with this side of the industry. I then got connected by a mutual friend to Max Hsu, another local filmmaker, and photographer. This connection has been huge in shaping the rest of my career. Max was able to get me on video shoots that I would never have had access to just starting out, such as a music video shoot for the Newsboys, a shoot for Phil Joel, and a shoot for Coby James through Dan Martinie, a friend of Max’s. Max was also able to teach me the niche things of the industry that can’t just be learned from textbooks or google.

I then got on a shoot for Any Old Iron by Andrew Clancey at Virgin Hotels Nashville. Soon after this shoot, the hotel was looking for a videographer and my name came up. I said yes and now they are a consistent client of mine. Since then I have done work with many other major brands and worked with Any Old Iron many more times as well. I have worked with the worlds largest plant-based restaurant, Copper Branch, Twice Pediatric Dentistry, Sweet Truth Dental, and many other businesses and brands.

I am incredibly thankful for all of the opportunities I have had so far, but I cannot wait to see what else I am able to do in the future!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although I came across quite a bit of success at such a young age, it has in no way been easy. I am currently just 17, meaning I am juggling school, friends, family, work, and attempting to squeeze in as much of social life as possible.

Although there is consistently a lot on my plate, I find what I do very rewarding. Being able to start living your dream at such a young age is truly amazing and something I would recommend to anyone, just take that first step and start running.

We’ve been impressed with your work, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Absolutely! I am a photographer and filmmaker, meaning to do many different things. What I have been doing the most of lately is directing advertisements for businesses! I work with restaurants, hotels, dental offices and any other business who can benefit from a video advertisement! I thoroughly enjoy this and love seeing the growth I can help spark.

Although, I am also excited to get more involved in the music side of the film and photography industry. I have taken concert photos and been on multiple music video shoots, like the video shoot for the Newsboys’ new song “Magnetic” and the shoot for Coby James’ new song “Brand New.” I will be directing a music video for a local artist very soon as well! I am thrilled to be diving into this side of the industry because it includes two of my passions, film and music!

I believe what sets me apart is that when I am hired by a brand or individual, I do not look at the opportunity as a job. I look at it as a creative partnership with my client. I believe there is a very distinct difference in these two outlooks. I strive to work with my clients to produce and execute their creative vision and to create something truly amazing for their business. It’s all about collaboration and innovation!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?

Growing up, I would have considered myself a very curious and innovative person. As a child, I was outside exploring and finding new ways to do things every chance I got. From a young age, I developed a love for learning and trying new things. I learned to play many instruments, got involved in choir and theatre, received a back belt in Taekwondo, and many other things.

I believe that all of those traits are still present and thriving today. I am always up for a challenge and always up to learn something new. I am consistently trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible and always trying to keep up with everything innovative in the world. Looking back, I was always sure I wanted to be an entrepreneur, even if I wasn’t exactly sure how at the time. It is very rewarding to look back and see what I have accomplished and it makes me very excited to see what else I can do in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://rcolebarnhill.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rcolebarnhill
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/rcolebarnhill

Image Credits
Max Hsu