Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaysin Osterkamp.
Jaysin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been interested in film and movie making (it’s what I got my master’s degree in). There’s more to making a movie than just pointing a camera and hitting record. I studied the theory behind certain shots, specific lighting, different techniques in different situations. After finishing school and working 9-5 jobs, I decided I wanted to do what would make me happy, and in turn, do something to make my clients happy. In 2010, I took the leap and started my own business, NightOwls Media, with the support of my now-wife, Andrea. We’ve grown from a one-man operation taking any job to get my name out there, to a multi-contractor business that specializes in many types of personal and commercial cinematography, consultation, graphic design and video marketing. We now have a team with the experience and talent to provide our clients with meaningful, high-end cinematography.
Great, 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?
We’ve definitely had struggles – anything you feel so passionately about and close to will always come with stress. That’s how I know it’s worth it, though. For instance, starting out – I quit a stable job with a steady paycheck… that’s scary. I was a solo operation which meant I was doing the business meetings, shooting events myself, editing the footage myself, etc. Not only was that hard on me, but I had to turn away clients because I physically was not available to work with them. However, that gave me the opportunity to grow my business – I’ve got vetted editors who I can trust to meet the level of quality I personally would provide, I’ve got talented cinematographers on my team who I personally have trained and believe in. We’ve even started a second sister company at a different price point, so we can meet the needs of any client and never have to say “I can’t” again!
NightOwls Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
NightOwls Media is primarily a cinematography business with graphic design and video and design consultation mixed in. We are based in Elgin, IL but travel all over the country to meet our clients’ needs. We strive to provide high-quality video and graphic design work for clients in various fields and with personal needs.
As I mentioned previously, many people think that in most cases, a camera is pointed and a little button is pushed, and voila, you have a video! NightOwls does not believe this – my personal philosophy is that our films tell a story. There is something special in finding the individual story in each project and telling that through lighting, focus, movement, and editing, and that’s just scratching the surface. No matter what the project is (a wedding day, a local business promo video or a personal fitness video), I want to emotionally connect our clients and audience with the final film they receive. We want you to feel the same when you watch it 10 years from now as you did the very first time.
We aim to make every single person we work with feel like they are our most important client because, in truth, they are. Their commercial idea, their wedding day, their legacy is our sole focus and is treated as such.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This is a tough one! I have so many.
Honestly, every single review I receive for work done is a proud moment, every single thank-you note/gift is kept and makes me proud because it makes me remember the couple that sent it to me and took the time to tell me how happy they are with the film I provided them. One that sticks out – I shot the wedding of two amazing people and when they got pregnant, they hired me again to shoot their gender reveal. It was a very intimate video shoot – just me, them and their parents. Just a few minutes before the big reveal, her phone went dead and she looked straight into the camera and said: “I have nothing to worry about, you’re here!” I think I was almost as happy as the soon-to-be grandparents to find out they were having a healthy baby boy.
I’m also very proud of the fact that I’ve started a second, sister company. White Tie Fox is my newer company for affordable, budget-friendly wedding films. Everyone deserves an amazing memory of their best day. This new endeavor is a reminder to me that we’ve grown as a business, that we’re doing something right and that we can make a difference for even more people.
Pricing:
- NightOwls Media – weddings start at $4295
- White Tie Fox – weddings start at $1600
- NightOwls Media – graphic design – an hourly rate of $100/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: NightOwlsMedia.com
- Email: www.NightOwlsMedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nightowlsmedia/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nightowlsmediafb
- Twitter: @NightOwlsMedia
- Other: www.WhiteTieFox.com
Image Credit:
Angel Eyes Photography, Angel Eyes Photography, Hilda Burke, UnPosed Photography, Cathy and Jeff West
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