Hello everybody! My name is Victoria, and we are talking with Ismael Valentin, a professional creative working within and from South Carolina. As we get started, can you tell us a little bit about your current career and where you’re from?
00:16 Ismael Valentin
Sure. So, my heritage is from Puerto Rico. Tyrannal Roots. That’s native to Puerto Rico. Born and raised in Farmingham, Massachusetts. And, went to school in, Chicopee and Springfield, Massachusetts.
What would you like me to get into? How I got into my art?
00:52 Victoria Bartolotto
Before we do that, can you talk a little bit about where in South Carolina that you’re from?
01:00 Ismael Valentin
Sure, we’re at the Wild Wings plantation and golf course in South Carolina.
01:09 Victoria Bartolotto
Okay. Before we go into the nitty-gritty details of your profession, we have the “One Career Sixty Seconds” portion of our interview, where you give an elevator style pitch. If you’re ready to go, I can set a timer, and we can start.
Okay. Alright. Ready? Set. Go.
01:36 Ismael Valentin
Basically, I went to a store, and they asked me to, sign up for a raffle. I must have been eight years old. They turned around, and I said “sure.” So, I signed up for the raffle. They called me a week later, saying I won. They gave me an easel with all art products and whatnot.
I just had it lying in the corner of my room, not knowing what to do with it. My cousin comes over a week later, and he’s like, “Oh, you know how to draw? You’ve been drawing? Oh, I’m a better drawer than you.” I said, “Word? Let’s go.” Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find the best outlet to express myself.
02:29 Victoria Bartolotto
What kind of mediums do you work with?
02:34 Ismael Valentin
Acrylic paintings. I do glass blowing, and I do bronze work. It’s called the Lost Work of Wax. I sculpt in wax, and then I cast the bronze. I also work in stone. I sculpt stone.
I do a little bit of welding. I’m no professional at welding, but I can at least weld my form and then build up on it.
03:11 Victoria Bartolotto
Wow, that’s a lot of different things! Jack of all trades.
03:14 Ismael Valentin
Yeah. Yeah, I have touched on a lot, a lot of things, trying to find the best way to express myself and my vision as an artist.
03:27 Victoria Bartolotto
Yeah, for sure. With being located in South Carolina, is there anything in particular that the state or your particular neighborhood or region brings to your creative work? Does anything about South Carolina have an influence on you?
03:42 Ismael Valentin
Yeah, so there’s something called the American College. They have a course there where they do a lot of stonework. I find that to be very attractive, and what got me out here to begin with.
04:04 Victoria Bartolotto
Was there a defining moment in your creative career that had an impact on your journey? I know from the form that you filled out, you mentioned that you had an artist residency in Italy. Was there anything particularly, maybe in Italy or in the United States, that kind of have an impact on you?
04:24 Ismael Valentin
Oh yeah. So, Italy is the reason why I got into stonework. I went out there and did a residency. I did a marble ram’s head. I just found that to be the best way that I could express myself in art. That’s eventually what caused me to move out here. It was because the college out here that does all the stonework. So, I can continue working on that. Unfortunately, where I live, my neighbors wouldn’t necessarily like me working on stone.
05:12 Victoria Bartolotto
I can imagine it is very loud.
05:14 Ismael Valentin
Yeah, it is. It can get there. So, it actually gives me a perfect workplace. To be able to have space to do my stuff.
05:25 Victoria Bartolotto
Is there a particular kind of stone or material that you prefer working with over others?
05:32 Ismael Valentin
Not that I have found. I like dabbling in all of it. One thing that I have found a caveat to that is marble. Marble is kind of like granite. It’s kind of a little bit harder to work with. It’s a lot harder to work with, actually. The soft stones are more my go-to. Just because I can get the form faster and it’s easier to work with. It’s not as hard.
06:16 Victoria Bartolotto
Yeah. Was there a particular project, maybe the Ram’s head that you mentioned before, is there a particular project that you have done that really showcased your creative abilities in a way that it never had before? Was there anything that really spoke to you and is a proud moment of your career?
06:38 Ismael Valentin
Yeah, so I did a bronze ballerina foot. I feel like that was really my standout moment where I was like, “Oh wow, I could actually seriously get into this.” I could also, how you say, have this as an actual career. I just got so many compliments from it. I got so many praises for it, and it was literally my first piece that I did for sculpting. Since then, I haven’t stopped my toes. I haven’t dropped my toes, I should say.
07:25 Victoria Bartolotto
Yeah. Before entering stonework and working with stone, did you have any fears about having that being your profession? Was there anything that might have held you back from pursuing it?
10:40 Ismael Valentin
Definitely. There’s that stigma where the artist is a starving artist. So, everyone was always pushing on me, saying, “Oh artists, you don’t really make any money off of it.”
I feel like once you find certain people that love your work, they kind of stick with you. They follow you. I actually found that to be a stigma that really shouldn’t be stuck to us artists.
11:19 Victoria Bartolotto
I recently graduated from Coastal. I got my degree in English because I want to be an author, and I’ve heard that so many times. when people say, “Oh, well, writers don’t make any money. Artists don’t make any money. Why don’t you pick something else?” But it’s what you love, and it’s your passion. It’s hard to just tell some people that, “no, I want to follow my passion.”
Do you have any advice for young adults or students who maybe want to get into stonework, about things that they should know, or any skills that they should practice before getting into it?
12:03 Ismael Valentin
If anything, you definitely want to know how to do anatomy. Depending on if you want to do human figures. If you wanted to go abstract, then I guess you don’t really need to. Just dive right in. Keep an open mind and keep an open eye. Sorry, keep an open mind. Yeah.
So, by going to Italy, I learned how the old-timers used to do it. By hand and chisel, and I definitely would not suggest anyone doing it that way. That is grueling at best. This is very tiring.
13:10 Victoria Bartolotto
Yeah, I can imagine.
13:13 Ismael Valentin
If you can definitely get an air hammer. Get some air tools, that definitely would make it easier on you. The chisel, you are eventually going to have to work with the hammer and chisel, especially when you start getting into those fine details. Try to be open to all of it.
“Read, read, read. Novels hold a wealth of knowledge, experiences, and creativity.”
Quick Facts
Education: Undergraduate School
Years of Experience: 37 Years
About
A producer, writer, and director at Silver Hand Productions, Paul Mento has been tinkering with the camera since elementary school. As his passion turned into a career, he primarily works with documentaries, short films, and commercial media. Mento’s documentary, “Howard Pyle, and the Illustrated Story,” was recently accepted by the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts in Los Angeles.
Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, he initially became interested in shooting Super 8 films, borrowing his father’s equipment. “I was part of Explorers in high school, which had a program that centered around advertising and media,” he says, “I was immediately hooked.”
What captivates Mento about filmmaking are its interdisciplinary roles, all working towards one project. In addition, he is inspired by the involvement of multiple skills across the team, from researching to camera operation. He encourages aspiring filmmakers to read and engage critically with literature, for it can serve as a springboard for ideas.
“Be your unique self, and let the world catch up.”
Quick Facts
Level of Education: A.C. Flora High School (Columbia); attended 27 schools across 12 years; some college
Years of Experience: 40+ Years
About
C. Michelle Bryant Griffin is an artist, author, and entrepreneur based in the Low Country of South Carolina who has spent more than four decades creating, building, and supporting others in doing the same. Her work today centers on helping dreamers, doers, and entrepreneurs bring their visions to life, transforming ideas into brands that shine and make their mark on the world.
Her path into photography began during a divorce in her late fifties, born out of vulnerability and a desire to rebuild. As she photographed other women navigating similar turning points, she found herself collecting their remarkable, under-sung stories which deserved a wider audience. That impulse became a magazine with a global readership for over a decade, dedicated to showcasing the overlooked and the underestimated. When the pandemic reduced print circulation, she pivoted to a fully online practice. She launched Fabulous Business Solutions, a practice that blends strategy, design, and hands-on support for writers, artists, and entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.
She expresses her love for her work, saying that “everything I do is done with 100% heart and passion, as if it were my own personal project.”
Michelle describes her abundance of talent as both a blessing and a challenge; the question of how much to use, and in which direction, is one she holds lightly. But the answer she keeps returning to is love. Everything she does, she does because she genuinely loves it. And for her, that has always been enough.
“Never be afraid to explore as many mediums as possible, because experimentation is where your voice begins to take shape.”
Quick Facts
Level of Education: Welding, Artist Residency in Italy
Years of Experience: 35+ Years
About
Ismael Valentin is a sculptor, photographer, and multi-medium artist whose work centers on bronze, wax, and traditional foundry techniques. These methods give each piece its own distinct character and depth, allowing him to create across multiple mediums as a way to express how he sees and interprets the world.
His relationship with art began at age eight, when he was encouraged to enter a raffle and won a set of artist supplies. That unexpected moment sparked a lifelong passion that grew alongside the mediums he explored. His artistic journey eventually led him to Italy, where he lived and worked during an artist residency that deepened both his technical skills and creative perspective.
To emerging artists, Valentin offers this advice: “As you follow your journey, you’ll find many people who try to critique your vision or put you in a box. Stay true to yourself and your vision.” To explore more of Valentin’s work, visit his website www.valentinartisticdesigns.com and follow his social media platforms for updates on his journey.
“Create relentlessly, and don’t be afraid to fail. Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s a necessary part of it.”
Quick Facts
Years of Experience: 10 Years
About
A writer, director, and producer with ten years of experience, Ronald J. Rossmann Jr. Is the Owner and Creative Director of Be Your Own Hero Productions, LLC, a York, SC-based independent film and storytelling company. His passion for science fiction and horror was ignited in his early years by his uncle who cemented Ronald in classic genre films such as “Thing from Another World” and “Forbidden Planet”. Though he spent years crafting stories privately, it wasn’t until Ronald’s late thirties and forties that he began sharing his work with the world.
His filmmaking journey began with a web series shot in a single take for its first two seasons, eventually expanding to over forty episodes. He then moved into feature filmmaking, starting with a fan film before writing and directing his first full-length horror feature, “You’re It”. For Ronald, storytelling is not just a passion; it is essential. He describes it as “a lifeline” he cannot imagine existing without. What sets his creative process apart is a deep investment in developing complex, authentic characters audiences can genuinely connect with. From there, the story reveals itself. “In many cases, the characters begin to guide me,” he says, “revealing their choices, their struggles, and the paths they’re meant to take.”
One of the most meaningful aspects of Ronald’s journey is the origin of Be Your Own Hero Productions. It began as a cosplay collective, a group of performers dedicated to appearing at charity events and community functions, always fully in character and committed to creating immersive, joyful experiences. The mission: to bring heroes, hope, and smiles to people who need it most. Over time, those bonds and that shared creative spirit carried over into filmmaking. The name was born from a period in Ronald’s own life when he had to find a way through darkness. With the mission to bring light to other, he often reflects, “Sometimes you must be the one to stand up, to push forward, and to pull yourself out of the darkness.”
Outside of filmmaking and writing, Ronald serves as COO of a major staffing firm. He draws a clear distinction between the two sides of his life; the first building futures for others and the second producing worlds from the inside out. He encourages emerging creatives to understand their own capacity, receive and apply constructive criticism, develop the skill of self-editing, and above all, avoid comparing themselves to others. “This isn’t a competition,” he says. “It’s a craft.”
“The creatives who grow the most are the ones who stay curious, humble, and willing to get better with every project.”
Quick Facts
Education Level: High School
Years of Experience: 17 Years
About
An independent filmmaker, writer, and producer, Silas Rowland’s imagination has always searched for a creative outlet. What began as brainstorming novel ideas with his younger brother eventually led him to the camera, which became his go-to creative outlet.
Growing up, he experimented with cameras by creating skateboard videos. He realized he could channel his passion for storytelling through the camera in order to visually bring his stories to life. His YouTube channel, sighlus, has over one thousand subscribers, and highlights his 2025 independent horror film, “All That is Evil.”
For Silas, filmmaking is more than just a set of rules and techniques: it is experimental and expressive. He attributes the practice’s unique ability to create various forms of art, rendering it ‘inherently subjective.’ “Two filmmakers can approach the exact same story in completely different ways, and both can be valid and powerful,” he says, “That freedom to explore ideas, take creative risks, and translate imagination into something visual is what makes the job both unusual and incredibly rewarding.”
Silas encourages emerging filmmakers to embrace their inner self-critic as a tool for growth and improvement. It is not meant to “sabotage your confidence, but to constantly evaluate what you’re making, learn from it, and keep pushing yourself to improve.” From pen and paper to the camera, he aims to tell stories that not only connect with people, but prompt different pathways of thinking, feeling, and seeing.
“Especially because right now is a digital world, the world is just an open oyster for creatives so just do it. Otherwise, the dream will just stay in your head.”
Marsh Deane is a filmmaker, photographer, and outdoor educator based in Pawleys Island, SC. Through his business ML & L Media, he captures South Carolina’s hidden stories and landscapes with heart and purpose.
Interview
Transcript
Creative Careers – Marsh Deane
Lexi Raines 00:00
So, first, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Marsh Deane 00:09
So, my name is Marsh Deane. I’m a photographer and filmmaker, and an outdoor educator, and I’m based out of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. I own an independent media company called ML & L Media.
Lexi Raines 00:26
That’s awesome. So how long have you been doing this?
Marsh Deane 00:30
Well, I’ve been into photography since I was in middle school. So, really, probably 20 years as a photographer, but as a career, I only started in 2019 when I graduated from Coastal Carolina, so I’m in my sixth year in this career.
Lexi Raines 00:52
Yeah, that’s amazing. So, you said you work in Pawleys Island. What’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina?
Marsh Deane 01:01
Well, for me, it’s definitely the access to nature, the access to the outdoors. Here along the coastline, we have, of course, amazing beaches that everyone knows about, but we also have amazing river systems. We have Cypress forests; we have remote barrier islands. We have a lot of special places that have been conserved and are kind of off the beaten path.
And a big mission of mine as a creative is I try to document, and I try to showcase our heritage. I try to showcase the parts of South Carolina that visitors don’t see and really, as an outdoors enthusiast, it’s a playground for me. I’m a boater, I’m a kayaker, and that’s kind of what I’ve become known for.
Lexi Raines 01:53
I would completely agree on that. I think that a lot of people, whenever they think of South Carolina, only think of the super touristy parts. And yeah, we do have that, but we also have a lot of other stuff. So, what do you think South Carolina brings to your work, and what is its unique influence on you compared to being anywhere else?
Marsh Deane 02:15
Well, I’m born and raised here, and a kind of unique part of my story is that I grew up in historical locations. My parents were antique dealers, and they purchased old plantation properties, and so I was very, very lucky to grow up on 50-acre properties by the river in 150-year-old former plantation houses.
And when you grow up in a place like that, on one side, I had the natural beauty, I had access to that which really shaped my development and my interests. And then there also is a negative side to our history, and I learned about that at a young age. We had slave cabins on the plantation that I grew up in, and so I learned about that history, and I learned about, you know, the dark truth of the South Carolina story. And that also shaped my interests, and it shaped the stories that I wanted to tell. And so, for me it’s a very personal journey as a proud South Carolinian, I hope to tell our story. I hope to share our heritage.
Also, in this area, we have a lot of tourism and a lot of development, and so I see a unique opportunity that as this region changes, part of my job is that I can capture moments in time, and I can tell these stories while we have them, because I know that down the road, this area is going to change so much, and I feel a little bit of a weight on my shoulders that as a South Carolinian, I’m trying to preserve some of our heritage for the future generations to enjoy.
Lexi Raines 04:05
I think that’s definitely an amazing thing to do, for sure. How would you describe your local professional community?
Marsh Deane 04:13
Very giving. I live in Pawleys Island, and we’re a little tourist town, and when I started out, I was with the Georgetown RISE program at Coastal Carolina. And from there, I was connected with the nonprofit world. We have a lot of nonprofits in this region, and I started marketing for the nonprofits. And I found out that this area is just so giving, from churches to school groups, just to community groups.
I mean, there are, I believe now, in Georgetown County there are 90 different individual nonprofits that you know have community missions. And so, I’m heavily involved with that. Southern hospitality, that is alive and well down here. And that can really impact your career, you know, especially as a creative finding ways to share the positive stories and the positive giving nature of this region.
Lexi Raines 05:12
One thing I’ve noticed is that everyone who moved here from the north, their number one thing they always say is everyone’s just so friendly, so like, I’m glad to hear that it’s the same in the professional community as well. So how would you define professional or personal success in your creative endeavors?
Marsh Deane 05:29
For me, it’s really about having a tangible impact that you can see. In the creative industry, there’s many, many different paths you can take. And nowadays we get sidetracked by social media. We get sidetracked by, you know, followers and views and short form media, right? And that gets a lot of attention, you know? So, you can focus on, “I am really going to try to focus on social media, Instagram, YouTube, and get those high views?” And there’s certainly a great career in that, being an influencer, but there’s also other things.
For me, it was more getting involved in local communities, creating short films that were, you know, supported initiatives that I’m interested in. So yeah, as a creative our work is individualized to us. It is an expression of us and our energies and our efforts and our interests. And so, no matter what it is, whether it’s on social media or whether it’s in the local community, there’s so many ways to feel justified and fulfilled in your time spent in this creative industry. And there’s so many different niches. There are so many different things that you can do nowadays, and it’s very rewarding. Once you find that path that’s working out, and you find that that job or that that gig or that niche that satisfies you, it’s just extremely rewarding, in my opinion, more so than any views or really any dollar amount, is just the satisfaction of being an artist and knowing that I’ve done something that has created a ripple.
Lexi Raines 07:11
Yeah, I completely agree with that. I feel more like long form content has definitely been lost with the rise of social media. So, I feel like it’s awesome that you are still finding beauty in that, because I think there is a lot of value in it. What was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue the arts professionally?
Marsh Deane 07:33
Definitely the biggest fear is, you know, going out on a limb by yourself, not having a boss, not having a company that you’re working for, not having a guaranteed paycheck when you start a business as a creative.
The great thing about it is that you can shape it to what you want to do and have not having a boss is great, right? Setting your own schedule is great. But there’s also immense pressure with that, because you realize you are the one responsible for the income. And so, it definitely is; it’s taking a leap. It’s taking a leap of faith, if you really commit to it, I think anyone that takes that leap is going to find success, especially because right now, it’s a digital world, and so the world is just an open oyster for a creative, you know?
And again, whether you’re going to focus on social media or you’re going to focus on the business side of it, there’s just every company, every industry, every business needs marketing, needs to tell their story. And so, there’s just so much out there you might not even know when you take that leap. You might not have a clue what you’ll be doing next year, but you have got to take the leap to find out.
Lexi Raines 08:47
I think that is definitely one of the most important things. I’ve talked to a lot of creatives, and they have all said that you just got to take that leap. I agree that it’s very important. Can you describe a defining moment in your creative journey? Was there a particular project that made a significant impact on you?
Marsh Deane 09:09
I would say probably my internship with the Village Group started it off for me. I had been doing some real estate photography, and so I knew that I could make money doing real estate photography. I knew that there was some potential there, but it didn’t fulfill a lot of satisfaction. It was a great career to be in.
I started my internship with the Village Group, and I was doing marketing, showcasing what this nonprofit is doing for children in a rural Plantersville community. And through that nonprofit, first I was doing marketing, but then they found out, “Oh, well, you like the outdoors? Hey, would you like to take our students on an outdoor walk? “
And then that outdoor walk began, I brought my cameras along, and I let the students use my cameras. Then that became a Media Club, and we got a grant, and we got 20 cameras for the students. It quickly went from a marketing internship to a teaching opportunity, and it was just this eureka moment, because I loved it. I mean, taking these, these kids, out into the woods on a nature trail, giving them cameras, and kind of teaching them photography, and just seeing how just how interested the kids were, it’s a fun class to teach, and so I get the best out of the students.
And that was the moment where I was like, I definitely want to do this for the rest of my life, if I could just keep doing this, finding an avenue to, you know, combine my camera, the outdoors and people having a good time, and the Village Group having that internship through the Georgetown RISE program. Had I not done that, I have no clue what I would be doing today.
Lexi Raines 10:58
That’s so special, like, I’m sure you made so many special memories for those kids, and you also showed them that you might have given them something they really love too. So that’s actually awesome. So, what’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever received?
Marsh Deane 11:15
I guess the best advice I’ve received in many ways over the years, the Nike slogan, “Just do it”. Just do it!
It’s so easy. Nowadays we’re surrounded by comfort, and it’s so easy to put things off. It’s so easy in the evening to, you know, sit down and turn on the TV. But if you have any goal, you have to just do it. You have to… sometimes you have to give yourself that little kick in the pants to get up and chase that dream, to make that project that you want to make. Otherwise, it’ll just stay in your head. You have to just do it.
You know, action, and especially nowadays, I think a lot of my generation and younger, with all these distractions around us. I think a lot of us do struggle with procrastination. And so, really, the best thing is you have to get up and do it. You know, you got to be moving, momentum.
The worst advice being opinionated online, I tell students, just to be careful with, you know, online right now, there’s so many different things going on in the world, and we’re all very passionate about many things, and online discourse, as we all know, gets very… it’s easy to misunderstand, it’s very easy to misunderstand people, and then it gets Negative pretty quickly, right? And so, I’ve learned just that you put something out there, and you really need to take the time to make sure that your thoughts are understood by the reader in the way you intend.
And let’s say, if they’re not understood the way you intend, don’t take it personally, and don’t get in those comments. And you know, it’s easy to get even a little triggered online. And that goes for all of us, and I admit to that. And you know, sometimes you can turn away viewers. You can turn away the audience you’re supposed to reach, just with online misunderstanding. Not bad advice that I’ve received, but I do just that’s, I know that that’s advice I try to give my students of things not to do is just take a little slower online when dealing with other people and just understand communication. We’re meant to communicate face to face and see each other and hear each other’s tone, I don’t know if that really answers the question.
Lexi Raines 13:49
It does. I think that. I think that is good advice, because I feel like if you don’t listen to that, there is so much that could go wrong in that situation. So, can you walk me through a typical workday? What does your process look like and what is expected of you on a daily basis?
Marsh Deane 14:07
Well, so the cool thing as a creative and owning my own business is that I am my own boss, and so I get to wake up when I like, usually, I’ll wake up between eight or nine, but it depends really, you know what’s on the schedule.
I have set up my business, so that most of the work I like to do after 10am, I like to give myself that extra time in the morning to kind of wake up and have a slower pace. So usually during the day, after 10am it’s meetings, I’m going out into the community to different locations for photo shoots or video shoots, interviews, and then the afternoons and the evenings are usually set aside for editing time and editing as a creative that’s one thing.
Yeah, we work a lot. We work a lot behind the scenes. Often, I’ll be editing until 11 or 12 o’clock at night, and so I’ll tell some people that I work 80 hours a week, but those 80 hours aren’t what you would typically think of as work. You know, because sometimes I’m sitting at the computer, I’m working on a project, but I am also, as the computer is rendering, I’m pulling out my phone and on social media, or I’m multitasking, I’m bouncing around.
My days are very, a little disjointed, you know, I’ll spend an hour working on something, and then I’ll get up and walk around my yard for a little bit, do some yard work. I’ll go inside, you know, make a meal. So, I don’t really have a set schedule. I don’t have a nine to five, and I love that. But also, again, sometimes it is annoying, you know, when you find yourself at midnight still editing and working on that project.
So, for creatives you kind of have the power to be as structured as you want or as unstructured as you want. I’m unstructured by nature. I’m ADHD. But I would definitely say being a creative, you do have that power to structure your life, whatever way you wish. And I think that’s amazing. I tell many people that I get up when I want to, I go to sleep when I want to, and I schedule work when I want to, but of course, you schedule your work around your client and when they’re available, and so really, on a week to week basis, it changes.
I travel a lot for work, which is great, and there’s also a lot of time spent, though people don’t see this as a photographer or any creative, there’s a lot of time spent packing gear, charging batteries, processing data on the computer, and if for painters or other you can translate that into dealing with, you know, the paint or your canvas, there is a lot of unseen It’s not as glorious as you think, being a creative, there’s a lot of time doing busy work in between to get everything lined up so that you can create.
Lexi Raines 17:09
I feel you have already explained this a little bit, but how do you create a work life balance where you’re able to maintain, like your professional creativity, your personal creativity, and what are some habits that you have that you think would be beneficial to others wanting to pursue the arts?
Marsh Deane 17:26
For me, having a work life balance, there really is no, well, it’s unbalanced, but that’s a little bit of a good thing for me, because it is my passion. All my time, every day, I’m working on projects. Some days that’s a project for a paid client, so it’s work. But then there are other days when I’m working on a personal project. And those personal projects, it might be a video going out into the swamp and showing people a really cool tree, right, or YouTube videos.
So, my balance is that I’m balancing the professional work and then personal work. The passion work, right, the work that I want to be known for, the work that I enjoy. I’m not getting paid for it, like the YouTube videos, or the swamp adventure videos. That’s not my career, but I do see it as work, because I see it as my portfolio, I see it as my legacy. And so, for me, it’s having that passion and doing what you love. If I didn’t have the time to do those personal projects that I enjoy, I probably would be miserable.
And so, I think, for any creative just make sure that, yes, you’re doing a lot of work for clients that are going to get you paid but make room for the personal work that you want to do. I feel that most creatives are always working on something, and so just be sure that some of that is giving you enjoyment. It’s for you, it’s for your soul, it’s for your satisfaction as an artist, because you can get burnt out really easily. And I certainly got burnt out about a year or two into my journey, because all I was doing was working for money, working for other people’s vision, and I wasn’t doing things for myself.
Lexi Raines 19:19
I think that’s honestly really, really amazing advice, because, as you’re saying, it is so easy to get burnt out as an artist.
“Know your worth and follow your path, and entrust yourself”
Caletta Harris is the founder and owner of Reel2Real Productions, a video production company that has been transforming stories into powerful visual narratives for nearly 20 years. She is based in South Carolina and works nationally, blending creative passion with purpose-driven storytelling by using media to empower, educate, and amplify voices across South Carolina.
The powerhouse behind Reel2Real Productions is a woman with a camera and a mission. For nearly two decades, she has built a full-service video production company that thrives on diversity of stories, clients, and causes. Based in South Carolina, her work stretches far beyond its borders, but the state’s rich history and collaborative spirit have deeply shaped her creative journey.
Interview
Transcript
Lexi Raines 00:01
So, what do you do for work, and where are you currently working from? Well, I
Caletta Harris 00:05
Currently I have my own business called Reel to Reel change to Reel2Real Productions, and we have been there for 19 years, almost 20 years. Next year will be 20 years, and I’m kind of out of everywhere. I’m remote, but I do work all over. So right now, I’ll say South Carolina, awesome.
Lexi Raines 00:26
And so, what is your official job title, being the creator of realtor. I am the owner. And what is one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina?
Caletta Harris 00:37
Well, I love the rich history in South Carolina, and to have that creative freedom being a creative there’s a lot of stories to be told. A lot of rich history here, and just the people connecting with some great, like minded individuals, is always a plus.
Lexi Raines 00:55
I completely agree. So first, just tell us a little bit about Reel2Real.
Caletta Harris 00:59
So, Reel2Real is my baby. My production company is a full service video production company. So we basically do everything from commercial marketing all the way to documentaries. I am the videographer, the editor, all of the above, the marketer, all of that. So we basically do a lot of branding for companies. So we are going on our 20th year, next year.
Lexi Raines 01:25
Awesome. That’s so cool. So what does South Carolina bring to reel to reel, and what is its unique influences on you compared to anywhere else I can
Caletta Harris 01:33
Say, South Carolina has brought me a lot of diverse clients, like my projects totally different. And when I was starting the business, people always would say, you need to get, like, a portfolio that’s vast. You can’t just do one thing, and then expect people to say, Oh, well, you can do it, but they have to see it. I’m like, This has definitely given me an opportunity to have different type of clients, different type of genres. And I just love it. I love just creating people’s vision that
Lexi Raines 02:03
Awesome. I feel like South Carolina is definitely a very diverse community. And saying that, like, how would you describe your local professional community? Local
Caletta Harris 02:11
Professional community? They are wonderful. They’re very interesting. They’re very talented. And, you know, they bring opportunities with them. So it’s not like, this is just mine. They see where people can fit in. And then once I start talking, you know this, the wheels start spinning, and it’s like, oh, well, maybe we can fit you here. And then my wheels start turning. Say, oh, maybe I can connect you with so is a good connecting hub? I like, yes,
Lexi Raines 02:38
That’s actually something I’ve heard a lot throughout, like almost all of my interviews, is that South Carolina really is such a good community where people want to like be able to lean on each other, which I think it achieves pretty well. How do you define professional or personal success in your creative endeavors? Well,
Caletta Harris 02:57
I would define personal professional success is retention rate. I can say my longest client has been 15 years, and then the next one has been 11. So I can say that I have a great rent retention rate with a lot of my clients. And then from there it’s still, you know, multiple years, and then even the new client is like, we don’t want to just stop here. We want to keep that show’s success. To me, that I must be doing something right, and then just personally, it’s kind of the same thing. Sometimes I’d intertwines, but just building relationships personally, because it’s not always professionalism with my clients. So we build that relationship. Yes,
Lexi Raines 03:38
That’s awesome. And sometimes that’s the base you need to work on. So that’s really great. What was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue the arts professionally? Can
Caletta Harris 03:47
I be self-sustainable? I think that’s a lot of people fear. Can you do this long term? So I was smart with it, because I held on to a job until I said I can do this long term. It kind of worked out. And then when I got my first office space, I just took off from there, because people want to see that to make it real for them, right? So that I just didn’t have to go back doing anything else for anybody else.
Lexi Raines 04:15
And that is awesome. I know a lot of the creatives that I’ve interviewed so far like they are kind of working on their projects, and then they have, like, a day job, and so that seems like difficult to juggle. So it’s awesome that, like, you aren’t having to do that. Okay, so can you describe, for me, like, a defining moment in your creative journey? Like, did you have a particular project that made a significant impact on you
Caletta Harris 04:40
Absolutely! back in 2013 I started a journey while in my office downtown, I read it in the newspaper that city council wanted to do something about their homeless issue, and I was called by what the options were. So I was like, I want to do something about. It. I already have a production company. Let me just start filming and talking to people and seeing what’s going on around me. And it became a full feature documentary. It’s called No Address. It’s a documentary series featuring Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia.
So it talks about, you know, the criminalization of homelessness, what’s going on as well as practical solutions, because we can’t keep talking about the problems without the solutions. And that has had the biggest impact on my life. I the first one came out. Columbia came out in 2020 and Atlanta came out in 2022 so we hit the whole film festival market, and now it’s on Tubi, Amazon. I’m about, I’m thinking, I’m on about 10 streaming platforms now, so it has made a huge impact. I’ve spoken to a lot of colleges, even middle school and high schoolers, and they’re excited about doing something in their own community. So this has been one of my biggest passion projects, and I continue to expand with it, because I want to be a part of the solution now, yes,
Lexi Raines 06:01
That is, like, actually so amazing and so meaningful that is, and being on so many streaming sites like, that’s so cool, that’s actually awesome. So what is the best and worst advice you’ve ever received on your career path? That
Caletta Harris 06:19
Was a struggle, because I can’t really think of the worst advice, because I really block out a lot of that negative energy, right? The best advice, I would say, is when you know someone told me just going through this is to trust yourself, follow your own path, because had a lot of challenges at the beginning, me being a woman owned business, so that was a challenge in itself, and people taking you seriously. So that I that was the best advice was to say, you know you know your worth and follow your path, and you know you know and trust yourself. So but the I could say something generalized, like the worst advice would be something like, it doesn’t matter, everybody’s doing it, so go ahead and do it. And I’m not that type. If you say go right, I’m gonna go left. Open your mind and think creatively, yes, so that I don’t say that. Yeah,
Lexi Raines 07:16
I think that is, like, really good advice to, like, stay true to what you want to do, not what everybody else is doing. So that’s awesome. Can you walk me through like a typical work day for you, what does your process look like and what’s expected of you on a daily basis?
Caletta Harris 07:32
So normally, I wake up, I stretch, I meditate, then I go drink some coffee or tea, and then I either edit or film, depending on the day. So every day is different. I usually work until like seven, unless it’s a long shoot or something, but I kind of cut it off at seven, and then I have me time. I relax and do whatever, and then I try to go to bed by 10 o’clock, because rest is so important to me, because I use my brain so much, and sometimes I’m juggling two or three projects simultaneously. So it’s like shifting gears here and there all the time, somebody else talking about something totally different. So it’s like your mind is always going so I’m like, shut it down at 10 o’clock and then, and then I just start the day, just to rejuvenate and start the day. So that’s kind of my routine. And then I don’t I try not to talk business after seven.
Lexi Raines 08:28
I think that is super smart, like, and a good practice to have, because I think so many times people don’t know where the line, like, the line kind of blurs between, like, work life and personal life. So I think that’s really, really good advice. Actually,
Caletta Harris 08:44
Being entrepreneurs, we people don’t know how to cut it off. It emailed at 2am from people in that one time, and then I said, You know what? This isn’t healthy, because you’re going to burn out at some point. So it’s like, every day is a new day, and I’m ready to conquer it. You know, along
Lexi Raines 09:01
Kind of with that, I know you’ve explained some of them trying to get to bed early. What are some habits that you think would be beneficial for others wanting to do what you do? I
Caletta Harris 09:10
Would say, you know, just find your peace. Whatever it is at times, just take breaks and find your peace. I’m a nature person, so I go out in nature and, you know, just soak it in vitamin D, go out to the farm, you know, things like that, just to digress, and then you can kind of recharge yourself and get back into because you don’t realize, once you do that, how much information can come in and Creativity can come in when always thinking about everything else. So take that time, even if it’s five minutes, whatever it takes, just go out, walk, do something, stretch or just be silent, you know. And a lot of times that really can make a huge difference, subtle, but it can make a big difference.
Lexi Raines 09:57
Yes, I completely agree, just for. My personal experience, I feel like just those few moments that you take to like, ground yourself, super, super important.
“You can score a Hollywood movie out of a bedroom now.”
Brooks Leibee is a media composer for TV, film, and interactive media, currently working out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He describes his role as “virtually building assets that go into another digital process” and is excited by the growing creative community in the region. Originally a filmmaker, he discovered his love for composition during college and now collaborates with local musicians and studios. Leibee defines success as “being happy doing what you’re doing” and believes strongly in the value of creative work in the digital age.
Interview
Transcript
Emma Plutnicki 00:02
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Brooks Leibee 00:07
I’m a Media Composer for TV, film and interactive media, like games. This is my first year venturing into that. I’m currently working out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Emma Plutnicki 00:21
Amazing, so what is one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina, specifically?
Brooks Leibee 00:27
Just from the perspective of via composition, there’s not a lot of us here. It’s a very niche job in industry. It’s one of the- it’s like a big three sort of situation where you find them in, like LA, Nashville, New York, or even overseas. So it’s a rare occasion when I, you know, get to meet other people in my field. So it’s, it’s fun talking to, like, local filmmakers and things like that, because they’re like, “oh, wow, I’ve never met someone who does this sort of thing”. So it’s, it’s, it’s fun to be like, the hidden gem or whatever.
Emma Plutnicki 01:10
Yeah, amazing. So how does having kind of a smaller knit community in South Carolina influence your work as as compared to working in New York or LA if you were to work there?
Brooks Leibee 01:22
It’s far less competitive. Obviously, you make friends. Here it is a small knit community, so there’s that little bit of competition there, but I find it more community based. I mean, there’s only a few studios in the area that can fit ensembles or things like that- that you’d find in soundtracks for things like movies, shows and video games and not a lot of for example, like orchestras that are aware of like forming those relationships with media composers and building a work out of that, cities like Nashville, LA, they they have that just naturally because of the culture there. And also working with people like I said, it’s a lot of fun, because when you’re one of a handful of someone that does a certain thing, the excitement is a fun part of it. I mean, it always feels like, you know, working on something with your friends, because it’s, it’s an exciting thing to have original music for your project. It’s, it’s tailor made. It’s, it’s a bit more emotional, far more than what, like library music or something you pull off of YouTube, for example, can do.
Emma Plutnicki 02:47
Yeah, and how would you describe the local professional working community in Myrtle Beach and in South Carolina overall?
Brooks Leibee 02:58
In South Carolina, most of the people that I work with is it’s a lot more commercial in Myrtle Beach. A lot of people seem to, I know right now they’re working on getting more film projects and narrative projects here, but so far, it’s, it’s heavily commercial in the literal sense. It’s, it’s a lot of commercials, promo, that sort of thing. And the people that are making narrative things in Myrtle Beach, they’re super independent. A lot of the time they’re making everything on their own. So you find a lot of well rounded people in film. Before I started getting into music, when I was at Coastal I was making short films, and a lot of the time I was doing it on doing everything myself, filming, writing, and then getting into music. And that’s how I discovered, wow, this is my favorite part of the process. Let me focus on on this thing and run with it. But most of the people that I work with for narrative appear to be from Midlands, the upstate of South Carolina. A lot of narrative work out of the those cities, and same with like festivals and things like that. So I think, like the film culture more inland out of Myrtle Beach you get the more used to they seem to be and familiar with it, yeah, but I’m excited for the future of film in Myrtle Beach.
Emma Plutnicki 04:29
Yeah that’s exciting. And I mean, within a creative career, it can sometimes be hard to define success. So in your opinion, how do you define either professional success or personal success in your career?
Brooks Leibee 04:48
Yeah, I guess it’s like, professional success, it’s like, it’s a comfortability. And I guess that comes in fine with personal success. If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, people always say, if your- if your job- if you have fun with your job, it won’t feel like a job, and when there’s bills to pay and things like that can be tough. It’s not a rare thing for someone to have a day job, and that’s fine. You just you have to live. So if you’re struggling with your creative you know, job, your career in that field, work for it. Never, don’t give up on it. But if you have to get a part time, or even full time job, I know plenty of people that have full time jobs on top of their full time jobs. So it’s, it’s, it’s- it’s overall, it’s okay. And it’s not a failure. It’s not a failure. It’s not a you know, time waster. You have to live. And whenever you have that creative job, it that’s like, what keeps you going. So I think, yes, the personal success is just being happy doing what you’re doing, and professional success, you know, you’re living comfortably if you’re if you’re struggling, that tends to make the creative job harder, because sometimes the creative jobs are more expensive than living so.
Emma Plutnicki 06:11
Yeah, and so when you decided to go into this career, did you have any fears, or did you have, like- What was your biggest fear going into this career?
Brooks Leibee 06:25
Starting out, yeah, the fear of just industry, like in Myrtle Beach, it’s it’s growing, for sure, the last few years, especially, it’s just been rapid shifting, especially in community, with just meeting people, but starting out, yeah, there, you know, just no one here in this industry, even in just like the more, even more niche parts of it, like recording engineers, orchestrators, things, you know, things that go into it, that more behind the scenes, that a lot of people don’t get to see or or know about but we’re thinking about it all the time, and be the prospect of moving to another city. So LA was always on the mind, uh, Nashville, New York, things where, or even overseas, where these industries are flourishing, and that’s where the people are, and there’s an abundance of of culture and facility resources, especially so I’m sure in the future it’ll be it’ll become more localized, and there are more resources than there were just a few years ago. So yeah, starting out, it was just the fear of location, industry, resources, things like that. But career wise, those go hand in hand. But yeah, there weren’t, there aren’t many fears in terms of like choice or like repercussions of career choice, if that makes sense.
Emma Plutnicki 08:03
Yeah and so when you have those fears, were there any people around you giving you advice? What was the best and worst advice that you have received throughout your career?
Brooks Leibee 08:18
Worst advice is going to be is going to take a minute.
Emma Plutnicki 08:20
Yeah?
Brooks Leibee 08:20
Best advice that I hear all the time, and it’s true. I mean, it’s it’s proven true, just in my experience. But with some jobs, you can do it wherever. With this job, especially like in the digital age and post COVID, we’re like working from home became part of our daily lives with this, I’m, you know, I’m virtually building assets that go into another digital process. You know, in editing, people just drop the music in, it lines up, and that’s it. You know, there’s some mixing that other people have to do, but my job can literally be done anywhere, and especially now post COVID, a lot of the things, like the things I was talking about with recording engineers and recording spaces that can fit large ensembles, there are brand new services overseas or even in the states that can record large Hollywood scale orchestras that are used in Hollywood films and TV shows and video games remotely, and these are in major European countries and cities with AAA musicians, some of the best in the world. And that’s a post COVID thing that wasn’t possible pre-2020, so that just yeah, that adds to it. So you can, really, you can write. Like, I’m working out of my bedroom right now. Yeah, you can write anywhere, prepare, do all of your mechanical technical work. And then, I mean, yeah, you can, you can, you can score a Hollywood movie out of out of a bedroom now. And I think that’s crazy. That’s probably the best advice that I’ve heard everywhere. And it’s proven true that you can work from anywhere in this field. And, yeah, worst advice is hard.
Emma Plutnicki 10:29
That’s good, good that you haven’t had anybody tell you-
Brooks Leibee 10:34
I- if I hear or see things, something where, that’s where something you know, rubs me the wrong way. I tend to deflect it, because there’s just no point, you know, in focusing on- on- on our you know, of course, there’s the doubters and people that that are always going to say creative fields aren’t successful. You know, it’s a rare thing. It’s one, one in a million, which I’m sure, I’m sure there’s some statistic truth to that. But if you know, if you work hard, work hard, and you love what you’re doing, and you’re good at what you what you’re doing, that comes with working hard, and over time, yeah, you fly. So it’s, yeah.
Emma Plutnicki 11:17
Yeah, no, I love that. And so throughout your career, have you had any specific project that has made a big impact on on you, or something that you’ve produced that has really showcased your creativity?
Brooks Leibee 11:35
Last year yeah, I worked- I got to work with another Coastal alum on a short film. Name is Jay Bennett, and they made this Gothic Horror short that, yeah, she produced a short film while she was at Howard, and it was the most creative and I think culturally and emotionally rich project that I’ve gotten to write music for, and when things like that have that amount of support creatively, that makes music writing so much easier. So I really enjoyed scoring that one, and also that was a very fun project to produce because worked with a studio in Calabash, North Carolina called Sunset Beach recording. Ironically, it’s not in Sunset Beach, but yeah, and local musicians, five cellists and the bass player. So there’s this cello choir that we called it, but like a low string ensemble, and recorded there for for a few hours, and just got to jam with some cellists and that was a lot of fun. Some were from Wilmington, some were from Myrtle Beach. And, yeah, just the, like, just the Carolina musicianship showed itself there, and that was a lot of fun. So I definitely think that’s where, like, oh, local resources are here. And it was a lot of fun, especially, and I feel more prepared for future projects when that sort of opportunity comes again. That was the second time I got to record with musicians. So you know, if you learn as you go, and that was definitely the more successful session.
Emma Plutnicki 13:36
Yeah amazing. It must be so cool to see the music come to life like that. Very cool-
Brooks Leibee 13:43
Yeah, it’s unreal every time.
Emma Plutnicki 13:44
Yeah, so nowadays, what- What does a typical work day look like? What’s expected of you on a daily basis? What does your work process look like?
Brooks Leibee 13:54
It’s very different. Every day. I don’t have, like, a set process, but I like to set deadlines, so usually days like today is when I’m having calls, having meetings and setting my calendar for deadlines through the week or in the following weekend. So and I live in my calendar and my it’s just the Apple calendar. I live out of that thing. So a lot of the scheduling happen happens through there. So from say, I have a call today for a project coming up in the next couple of weeks, if it’s a film, generally, after the first call, I like to set up what’s called a spotting session, where either the filmmaker or I can screen share. We watch the project. Usually it’s edited. It’s mostly done by the time I’m but I’m brought on board and we set ins and outs for things called cues, where music starts in. Ends, and that’s for every scene. So we just watch the movie and talk about what music could go there, what it’s supposed to do, what it could sound like. And from there, I start sketching, and that’s usually like a week to two weeks most time I’m working on short films. So there they come together pretty quickly, and from then, it’s just a an approval process. So I’m sending drafts, either they- they have notes, or they sign off. And if I’m given the opportunity to record musicians, that’s probably another two weeks of taking the virtual music from my software and transferring it onto paper as legible music for musicians, and then contracting a space the musicians, setting a date, making sure everyone is ready to go on that- sending the musicians the music, and then recording, and after that’s just mixing, mastering the music and then sending it off to the editor. And it’s very similar for for interactive music, a lot more music than your than a short film whenever it’s a game, but that’s generally it’s generally a similar process, only when you’re writing, you’re focusing on interactivity, loops, stingers and the different possible endings for where a player chooses to go in a game. That’s, that’s a whole other, whole other thing. But yeah, generally that’s, that’s the process, and it’s different with each project. But usually it’s a about a month, month and a half for a project.
Emma Plutnicki 16:57
Okay, yeah, so it sounds like pretty busy schedule. So how were you able to kind of manage the work life balance with keeping personal creativity, but then also getting your professional work done?
Brooks Leibee 17:09
Yeah, also days like today, I feel like Sundays generally are like the “life day”. I hang out with my roommates a lot more because most of the scheduling and calls happen in the morning to afternoon. So after that, yeah, anything’s possible. So but, and then also just throughout, throughout weeks. Some, you know, some days are off, or even in off seasons, sometimes there isn’t a project. So it’s a lot of, excuse me, so it’s a lot of like, housekeeping or, yeah, it’s sparse, but like, Yeah, but it’s there. The work, the work life balance is there. And actually had a kind of conversation with a friend online not long ago about the work life balance and how it’s just life. You know, it’s all it’s all life. So if because I can get caught up in the whole work life balance thing like, Oh, am I spending my putting enough time into A or B? But if you, if you are mindful about it, and you don’t spiral over one thing or another, and just making sure that you’re spending time taking care of yourself, touching grass, you know, getting out of getting out of your space, and I’m working out of my bedroom. So, you know, it’s always a work life, a mix. You know, my beds are behind me. My there’s a closet of clothes right there. You know, it’s, but on the opposite side, I have all, all of my instruments and tools and my desk right here. So it and living with a house of roommates, you know, we’re young, we’re saving money. It’s, it’s the intersection of work, like work life balance and Brooks’s life right there. That makes it really interesting, but it but it’s working, and as long as it works for you, won’t work for everyone, but as long as it works for you, and you’ll find that then.
Emma Plutnicki 19:34
Yeah, that’s a great way of looking at it. And just as we wrap up our Is there anything else that you would like to add, or any questions you wish that I might have asked that I didn’t?
Brooks Leibee 19:49
No, I think you asked really good questions. Anything else to add? I- Yeah, the- this, it’s funny with things like social media and like online presence. Since, since you are where, at least from my perspective, I am working out of my bedroom. I amsometimes going overseas for programs or, you know, traveling the country to meet to meet friends. It’s it, but all of these are connected online. So I think having a strong, a strong social media presence is important, but especially today, where social media is in a very strange spot. Yeah, you have to be careful, I suppose, maintain your professionalism. I think more so because in these creative fields where, and especially living in somewhere like Myrtle Beach, where there isn’t an industry for this specific job. It’s all online. You’re going to be talking to people from around the world, around the country, and you never know who’s going to come across you. I was went to a concert in New York last year, very end of last year, and the composer, I’m a huge fan of or, his music, excuse me, and we had a moment to chat after his concert, and he recognized me just from online. He’s like, “Oh yeah, I see you everywhere”. I was like, “Oh, is that a good thing? “Didn’t clarify, so I don’t know, but, but yet, but we had a great talk, and talked about music and things like that. But that made it very clear that you know your presence online is very important now, and if you’re in a creative field, it’s, it’s a weird moment in time where you kind of have to be very active and putting things out there, which is something that I’m personally struggling with, is just writing music that I can just, you know, throw online. Because sometimes with projects, you have this like respectability thing, where you don’t want to throw all your music out there, because the filmmaker is, you know, still processing, and it’s a creative process, and you don’t want to show all of it. It’s a thing also NDAs with larger projects, but, yeah, social media presence is big, and the work life balance thing is also there with- with, like your personal accounts and professional accounts. That’s the one that comes to mind right now. Yeah, not sure of anything else.
Emma Plutnicki 23:06
No, that’s great. Thanks for sharing all that. And so last thing, if there is any other creative that you think we could benefit from talking to, would love to hear of anybody. I could send you a link to that to nominate people. So I’ll give you time to think on it, if you can think of anybody. But other than that, thanks for talking with me today.
