Video Production | Episode XI Studios

Beth Sowell of Episode XI Studios in Charlotte, N.C. shares a true story about her challenges of leaving a successful and secure, but unfulfilling corporate life in order to pursue her unique-purpose.

As a typical member of Generation X in the 80’s, it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. There was a progression of events that led me to Episode XI Studios, and I think those experiences make me who I am.

My Dad was a big advocate of making sure that we felt as though we could conquer the world. Whenever my brothers or I would say, “I can’t do that,” he would say, “Can’t never could do anything.” We learned to say, “I’m having trouble doing this” instead. But his goal was simple; he wanted us to feel confident about knowing we really could do whatever we set our minds to. It was a hard lesson to learn, and I still battle the “can’t dos” all the time.

My creative side was just beginning to blossom toward the end of my high school career as I discovered that I had quite a bit of drawing talent and decided that I wanted to learn more. However, with my mother’s practicality drilled into my head and overriding my Dad’s optimism, I didn’t think I could earn a living with art, so I focused on a business degree instead.

While I was in college, I worked at a day-care. I loved the job, but it never felt like a “grown up” job to me, so once I was finished with school, I searched for something that would use my newly-earned business skills.

My first office job was with Cox Technologies, a small company that manufactured temperature recorders for refrigeration trucks. Within 4 months, and at only 20 years old, I was promoted from the assembly line to the front office as the International Traffic Manager. I found I was REALLY good with the details.

I did all the company’s Customs paperwork for their many international shipments. I quickly learned that Customs can hold up an entire trailer load of products for months. Unfortunately I learned that lesson the hard way when I forgot to list on the Commercial Invoice that we had included a few promotional items (15 logoed ink pens) as a “thank you” for our customers. A shipment worth $20k sat for a month and a half because of 15 pens.

After Cox Technologies…and happy to get away from shipping and Customs paperwork, I took a position with Solution Masters for a while as an administrative assistant. Solution Masters was a custom software development company with only 11 employees. While I was sitting around waiting for the phone to ring the company’s owner taught me to build basic databases in Microsoft Access.

My detail-oriented brain quickly learned to LOVE database building. I could build happy little forms and databases to store all sorts of data! I could organize the whole world! I soaked up all the database information I could learn and when Solution Masters decided they could no longer afford my salary I took that information to Baker & Taylor.

With Baker & Taylor, a Fortune 100 company, I found myself in another administrative position in 1999. After 8 months and lots of recognition for my “obsessive attention to detail” I was promoted to the Convention Services department. The company sent me to UNCC to take the certification course for Meeting & Event Planning and I tested for the Certified Meeting Professional and received my designation after a few years on the job.

For 7 years I was one of three meeting planners covering the thousands of details involved in over 300 trade shows and meetings nationwide. I spent about one week of every month traveling to events. After spending my entire life in one place, it was exactly the adventure I needed and the opportunity to “see the US.”

There are always life changes, and I was no exception. Marriage, then a baby on the way meant a need to be home more often. Several things changed my outlook on my career. I loved being a meeting planner, but I wanted to experience every single “first” in my son’s life. Not only were the long trips too much, but I was tired of the “cubicle” when I was in the office.

I was completely frustrated with the constraints of corporate life and the philosophy that “this is the way it has always been done and should remain”. I needed to work within parameters that allowed for a more creativity and flexibility. I needed to expand my horizons, but I’ve always been a details person and seeing the big picture was difficult for me.

Fortunately, I have a great friend who could see the big picture even though I could not. Randy Davis had a dream for a video production company that also offered event planning. Without his big picture vision, I never would have put the dream in motion. After a completely terrifying leap from corporate security to business ownership, I realized what I’d been missing all that time.

I was missing the total expression of my creative side…the freedom to do things differently and shake up the world. Most of our work has been with video and I have fallen in love editing. It’s like database building on steroids. I not only get to organize all the data…I get the opportunity to fully develop and expand my creativity.

Being a part of Episode XI Studios has been a big eye-opening experience and I love participating in its growth and seeing the results of our creative work. Unlike large corporate America we stand out because we aren’t afraid to “shake things up,” and I no longer have to accept the status quo.  You can contact Beth at www.episodexistudios.com email her at bsowell@e11studios.com or call (704) 264-6274.

The Don Quixote SocietyTM
9817-5 Emerald Point Drive
Charlotte, NC28278

704-504-2549
800-239-0058

Those in the market for a professionally produced video should be aware of their own liability for use of copyright protected music. Not only is it unethical for the video production company, but also illegal for you as well. Allow me to explain:

If you choose to have a video produced, and I hope you do, ensure that the music that will be used is royalty-free music, and NOT copyright protected. If a song is used in the production of your video that is copyrighted, you may be liable, as well as the video production company. Hundreds of thousands of royalty-free music is available, so get involved in the planning stage and choose music that is royalty-free.

Royalty-Free simply means that a contract exists between the video production company and the makers or distributors of the music. The contract typically allows the video production company to manipulate or alter the music tracks, based on the requirements of the video sequence, with no further expense.

If a copyrighted song is necessary, we have access to several companies that will actually recreate a song to sound as close to the original as possible. This involves musicians recording in a studio, so be prepared to pay for this costly choice. If budget is of concern, royalty-free music is the way to go.

Several weeks ago, I received an email from a High School student-Chris Riley. Chris was reaching out to video production companies in the Charlotte area, asking for assistance with his High School project. Each student must develop a thesis, write an essay, create a presentation, and defend the thesis, before graduating from High School. As the project progresses, a mentor is needed to help facilitate the end result. I volunteered as Chris’ mentor and thoroughly enjoyed myself in the process.

Chris and I shot a video sequence, lasting about three minutes long. We created the film sequence with as much ambiguity as possible, and used nothing but a camera and our creative collaboration. Except for the footage where he is visible, Chris shot the entire project and did a fantastic job.

After the footage was shot, we then added different music-styles over the same video sequence, creating dissimilar emotional ambiance. One of the styles is “dramatic”, the second one, “happy”, the third “high energy”, while the last one is “reflective”. The results are amazing, and I was shocked to see the emotional power of music.

Why tell you this story on a business blog? Why go through the trouble of writing, posting, and monitoring this post for no hope of monetary reward? I do it because it is the duty of every person to help those who ask. I received much more than a dollar-amount; I received the occasion to share a young man’s enthusiasm about his project, and I received the pleasure of meeting his family.

I challenge each reader of this post to help those who ask, and remember “every human being has a claim upon your kind offices”~BAHNSON.

High Energy Video

Reflective Video

Happy Video

Dramatic Video