10 Years and Counting!
“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.”
10 years ago, we filed the paperwork to become an LLC. Not because I had any serious plans of making this my full-time job but simply to separate my personal life from my work life and from my professional life (after all, I was a TV reporter).
But what happened next only opened my eyes to the possibility. It started with working on a video for Volunteer Odyssey (for free) and then I got my first paid client (Catholic Charities of West Tennessee). Before I knew it, I was not only enjoying the projects but I was building an accidental company. Or was it an accident?
All my life I had dreamed of being a Today Show correspondent. This meant I’d work in TV news in several markets, earn my chops and get hired by the network to report news all over the country and world. This DID NOT involve me running my own company.
At the same time, I also believe that when life calls you towards something enough, you can’t say no! I began to feel a calling; a purpose beyond bringing the news into your home each evening. I wanted to continue to be a part of telling stories that make change but I wanted to do it in a different way.
I’m a big fan of full circle moments and I feel like there have been many in the last 10 years.
I used to stand outside Regional One Health and report on the people inside and now I get to go inside and share stories about the lifesaving work that happens there to the outside world.
I used to respond to breaking news and crime stories in Binghampton (near the Carpenter Art Garden). Today, my office is less than a mile from the street and I spend time in this community everyday.
I used to tell you about “in the moment” breaking news but never had time to break down a solution and now I get to tell more in-depth stories that are calling people to change.
I came to Memphis to make my mark in local TV news and now Memphis has made its mark on me, outside of news.
There are many more moments I could recall from the last decade but if I did that we’d be here for hours.
Instead, I write this post with gratitude and hope. What I set out to do 10 years ago isn’t at all what happened; it’s more.
For the last decade we’ve:
Gone from working in our downtown condo to having an office space and studio in Binghampton
Gone from making our first hire (which felt like the scariest thing in the world) to growing our team to 7 (soon-to-be 8) full time staff and several trusted contractors
We’ve weathered the storm of a pandemic by serving the needs of our communities through live services
We’ve helped staff members discover and pursue their career and life dreams (even if that meant leaving video production and/or us)
We’ve helped nonprofits raise more than $15 million dollars in video-drive fundraising (that’s only what I was able to confidently count…it’s got to be more)
We’ve produced Emmy Award winning work (5 times!)
Our documentaries have helped change laws and policies (watch “What We’ll Never Know”)
We’ve grown our family (literally and figuratively)
We’ve inspired collective impact and purpose
We’ve called people to action (including ourselves)
And I mean it when I say “we” because it’s a true team effort. Yes, the vision started with me in our small office inside our condo. I’ve experienced lots of success and even more failure, that came with wonderful life lessons. Those lessons will carry me into the next decade. And I can only hope that we continue to inspire impact.
You see, stories have the power to change people, communities and organizations. And it’s by telling them that we see and understand each other.
The last decade has been an absolute honor and I am really excited for all that’s ahead.
Thank you to all of you! The team, the clients (who’ve become friends), the family who’ve supported the crazy idea and the communities that have welcomed and trusted us to tell their stories.
It’s been quite a ride and we’re only just beginning!