Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Bowers.
Hi Justin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been an Entrepreneur since I was 17. Back then, I started a skateboard company called Directionboards.” I designed boards, shirts, hats, all of it, and traveled literally all the way around the company selling our gear.
I transitioned over time into photography and videography. I got my first camera in 2011. Back then, I started creating YouTube videos for fun. My cousin Sam and I made a video back in the day called “GoPro Longboarding Tricks” — that was my first ever viral video. After that, I was hooked.
My boss at the time ended up asking me if I could make videos for his company Yaga’s, in Galveston. They threw all kinds of extravagant and exciting events, and he wanted me to make videos of those events. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I agreed anyway. I’d figure it out.
Eventually, I convinced my cousins to join me in launching a video production company. None of us were entirely sure what that would entail, but I had a handful of people asking me for videos by that point — for their wedding, for their business, and so on — so I knew there was a market for it.
So we started making videos together. Back then it was just my cousins and I — Sam, Max, and Justin. Hence, SMJ Productions. We were taking any project we could. Weddings in Houston and Galveston. Promos for local businesses. We even filmed an event for Jim Beam called “The Great Whiskey Debate.”
Over time, SMJ evolved into Captiv Creative. We worked hard, for a long time, saying “Yes!” to every opportunity that came our way, regardless of the money. Small projects led to medium projects led to big projects. We hired one person. Then another. Then another. Soon we were a real team, tackling real projects for real clients.
Eventually, clients started asking for OUR opinion on THEIR videos. That’s when our imaginations started running wild, envisioning more ambitious concepts and larger-scale productions. But some of our ideas were hampered by circumstance — without the right equipment, they simply weren’t possible.
Around 2018, as the gears were turning in my head about how to make some of our crazier ideas a reality, I started looking into robotics. This one concept in particular, with a spinning work boot being splashed by a variety of different substances, sent me down a rabbit hole. That rabbit hole led me to motion control — that is, the ability to get incredibly precise and infinitely repeatable shots with relative ease. The only way to do that was with a robot.
So after a great deal of research, experimentation, and time spent preparing, I finally got my hands on the ultimate in motion control technology. Since then, the possibilities have been endless and the things we have filmed have gotten more and more impressive.
These days, we’re about to move into an incredible new 18,000-square-foot studio, our seven-person team is top-tier, and we’re working with some of the biggest companies in the world. I’m extremely proud of my team and our capacity to do great things.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, by no means has it been a straightforward road getting here.
First of all, I’m dyslexic, so I’ve always known I wouldn’t be able to follow traditional paths of employment. The reason I became an entrepreneur is to find alternative ways of creating my livelihood. All I knew was that I wanted to follow my passions. Originally it was skateboarding. Then it became production.
Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was doing at first. For any of it. But I knew that persistence was key. With Captiv Creative, for example, when we started out, I knew we just needed to keep finding leads, keep shooting videos, and keep delivering great results.
Over time we created systems and processes to streamline our video creation. And whenever we hit a snag, we’d update or rework those processes. Over and over again we did this. Similarly, having the right equipment or enough staff was always a challenge. We wanted to produce great videos, and we had great ideas, but we didn’t have the money nor manpower to get them done. It took time and effort and mistakes and countless baby steps to move forward, inch by inch.
Finally, when it came to motion control and robotics, I was a complete amateur initially. I don’t have an engineering degree, I wasn’t a computer programmer, so I had to start at the very beginning. And by that I mean, Googling and YouTubing information. A LOT of Googling and YouTubing.
After that, even when I DID know what I was talking about, what was out there, what I needed, there was another major obstacle: money. Motion control filmmaking does not come cheap. The six-axis robot that I had my eye on was very, very expensive. And I simply did not have that kind of money. Furthermore, no bank would even consider giving me a loan that large. At least, not without some kind of proof of concept that I would even know what to do with the thing if I got it.
It took consistent effort, taking risks, and sheer dumb luck to overcome all the obstacles I’ve faced. And it’ll take all of those things and more to overcome the ones in the future.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My team and I are known for making damn good videos using robotics and new technologies. We are building a reputation for getting truly unique and one-of-a-kind shots, not only thanks to that cutting-edge equipment, but also the skill and technique necessary to use them. Every shoot takes something different, and we’re the ones with the talent and tenacity to get it done.
I’m extremely proud of that team and the innovative culture we’ve created together at Captiv creative. I’m also pretty stoked to have held the title of the world’s youngest robotic camera operator for several years running.
Although I can no longer claim that one, I am still honored and delighted to be Texas’ foremost motion control guy. Because of that, I’m being called upon for all kinds of incredible projects these days. All I can say is: bring it on!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I’ve got two words for you: Passion and Perseverance.
I’ll never forget what my dad told me, way back in the day: “You practice, practice, practice… and then at some point, you get to the point where you feel like you’ve mastered it. But you have to keep practicing. Because one day you’ll reach another point where you’ll hit a new switch and level up.”
I think about that a lot. No matter where you are, no matter how good you get at what you do, you have to keep practicing, keep pushing, keep expanding. There’s always more to learn and more to try. If you think of yourself as the EXPERT, as MAXED OUT, you stop growing.
So you have to persist and persevere. And to to that, you have to follow your passion.
Passion is contagious. When you’re passionate about something, you can get others passionate about it, too. Being at the “right place at the right time” has much less to do with coincidence and much more to do with the energy you’re putting out there.
For example, in order to get the motion control robot I wanted, I needed to prove that I could operate it — or, at least, LEARN to operate it. But how do you prove that if you don’t have one? So I looked into local robotics.
I found Houston Mechatronics — they design and fabricate robots for use by NASA and the like. No big deal. I thought it couldn’t hurt to talk to them about what they do, find out if there was anything I could do for them in exchange for experience, at the very least.
So I walked in the front door and introduced myself. I met Sean, the marketing director, and explained to him what I was trying to do. By this point, I had been researching robotics for a hot minute, so I knew the tech, the lingo, etc. Sean was so impressed by my passion that he introduced me to their COO, Jeff, to tell him what I wanted to do.
“Basically, I want to move robots really fu&%ing fast. And I want to do it over and over and over again,” I told him.
A few minutes later I was being given a tour of the facility. Sean excused himself and returned with a forklift. He retrieved a large box from a big metal shelf and opened it. Inside was a medium-sized robot arm — a scaled-down size of the exact thing I was after.
“Will this do?” he asked me.
“Y-yes. Yes it will,” I stammered.
They proceeded to help load the thing into the back of my car. I drove away, shaking with excitement and unable to believe my good fortune.
To this day all I can think is: none of that would have happened without passion. They were so empowered by my enthusiasm, that they were willing to lend me the means to make my dream a reality. My perseverance fueled the research, the excitement, the willingness to walk through their door in the first place. But my passion sealed the deal.
Contact Info:
- Website: Captivcreative.com
- Instagram: Justin_bowers360
- Facebook: facebook.com/justinrbowers
- Twitter: https://youtube.com/@captivcreative1216
