Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Mathews.
Joey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started in the late 90’s making band documentaries. A friend of mine was getting married and I had a nice camera, so he asked if I could film his wedding. I had no idea what I was doing, but I fell in love with the process. Referrals turned into more referrals and before I knew it I was full time. We now have 8 employees and I love what we do. Getting to document important moments in people’s lives and telling their story in a unique way never gets old.
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?
I think started a business is never easy. You’re trying to figure out how to be an artist, a manager, an accountant, IT guy. You have to do it all, so there’s always growing pains and having to learn things you aren’t comfortable with. Most people don’t realize that the actual product is such a small percentage of what goes into running a business. Finding mentors and surrounding yourself with people who know more than you is really important.
31Films – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I own 31Films and Film Lab. 31Films is a wedding video production company and Film Lab is our commercial brand. We film weddings all over the world and tell brand stories and promotional documentaries for companies of all sizes. I think our people is what set us apart. Everyone here has a unique talent that they bring to the team. We’ve grown from being a jack of all trades and master of none, to more specialized crafts that make our work stand out. We try to find human connection in all of the projects that we film and the stories that we tell. I think this has created a lot of success for our business. People can see thru facades. They know when something is fake or setup. They know when their being sold to. We work hard to tell authentic stories that bring emotion and create a positive impact in the world.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
When Houston was hit with Hurricane Harvey, we struggled with how we could help our community. We realized we had a powerful tool. Story. We started a Houston Strong collective of filmmakers that went out and captured stories of hope and made all of the footage available for free for other filmmakers and non-profit organizations to use to help raise money for those in need. The response was incredible. We had over 100 filmmakers/organizations a day downloading footage to help raise awareness. The footage was sent all over the world and was used in countless ways. It was a proud moment. We learned the power of community and using your gifts to help others in need.
Contact Info:
- Website: 31films.com
- Phone: 281-259-1220
- Email: info@31films.com
- Instagram: @31films
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/31films
Image Credit:
All photos by 31Films
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