Hidden Gems: Meet Brady Gilliam of Visionaery Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brady Gilliam. 

Hi Brady, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived in Anderson, Indiana for most of my life. I went to Anderson High School. Graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana with a Major in Studio Art and a Minor in Philosophy. 

I originally went to college with the intention to get a degree in Pharmacy, but I realized I didn’t enjoy my science classes as much as I thought I would, and at the same time, I fell in love with all of my studio art classes. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life before attending Wabash. I really discovered myself in college. I had a job with the Media Center at school and I was able to film the football/baseball games. Really enjoyed using the cameras and being a part of a team. 

I had an internship with People for Urban Progress in Indianapolis. This was a digital media internship. I worked in graphics, photography, and video. I found that I really enjoyed working on video the most. The first videos I created weren’t anything very great but they gave me a chance to learn storytelling as well as working with DSLR cameras. 

I had the opportunity to study abroad. I ended up choosing to go to the New York Arts Program through Ohio Wesleyan University. The NYAP gave me the opportunity to work in the arts for school credit. Not only was I a Residential Assistant in the dorm that we lived in but I worked every weekday at the Elizabeth Dee Art Gallery in Chelsea. Working at the gallery taught me a lot about the art world, how to handle art, how art sells, etc. I also had an internship with Eric Schneider, a Cinematographer in NYC. Working with Eric really opened my eyes to the possibilities in video production. I was amazed at the beautiful images he was able to create with his lighting and camera. I worked on a few video shoots with Eric, a music video, a corporate commercial, and some of his personal projects. He gave me an idea of what the video production world could be. I am very grateful to have met Eric, and that he took the time to mentor me. New York was amazing, but I missed my people back in the Midwest. 

Back to my senior year in college. I decided my final studio art project would incorporate building miniature sets as well as filming/ green screening people into those environments. My senior project was called “Pharmakon”. In Greek, pharmakon means: a cure or a poison. The project had everything to do with pharmaceuticals, their effect on society, as well as my personal views on the matter. This project taught me a lot about video editing as well as set design. 

At the same time, I graduated college, my father retired as the Director of Food Protection for the Indiana State Department of Health. He ended up taking a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan with corporate Meijer as the Manager of Food Safety Regulatory & Policy. It was at this time that I decided to move out of Indiana with my family and set up roots in Grand Rapids, MI. 

I found it very difficult to find a job in video production in Grand Rapids when I moved here. Unfortunately, nobody gave me the time of day. I didn’t have any value to provide in the scene because I was too green. I applied and reached out to a number of places, but nothing came up. I became another college graduate struggling to find a job. 

Eventually, I scored a part-time job with the Picture People inside of the Buy Buy Baby on 28th Street in Kentwood. I took photos of families, kids, and infants. I learned how to quickly turn around a photo session and then sell a photo package. This wasn’t my ideal position, but at least I got paid to use a camera. 

After about 6 months of working at Picture People, I was able to score another job at WCET TV in Hudsonville, Michigan. At that time, I put my two weeks in at The Picture People and gave my attention to my new position at the public access television station. 

I spent about 4 years at WCET TV where I filmed a lot of high school sports, city council meetings, and community events. I honed in a lot of my video production skills while working at WCET. One thing I found that I enjoyed creating was business overview videos. I’d go to businesses film the location, and get an interview with the owner. They could use this video on their website and on the tv station for marketing. 

In 2017 I opened Visionaery Productions. I was at the point where I wanted to do more commercial filmmaking and create better pieces of work, but I was limited in doing so at the tv station. For a couple of years, I grew my business while also working at the tv station. 

It was in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit when I decided it was time to go “all in” on my business. It was definitely a struggle. Between friends, family, and professional connections, I have had a lot of help getting to where I stand today. I am very grateful and appreciate everyone who has helped me along the way and I hope to return that favor as I grow personally and professionally. 

It is now 2022, I turn 30 in June and I am having my best year ever financially and creatively with Visionaery Productions. I have worked with some great people and I cannot wait to see where my company takes me in the next decade of my life. Most people only see the final product but never see the hard work leading up to success. I hope my story helps people to see that if they keep working toward a goal and do not give up, they will eventually reach that goal. 

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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There are always highs and lows when it comes to life, especially in entrepreneurship. 

A big struggle for me was learning and understanding business. I am a video producer/content creator first and foremost, so owning and operating a business has been tough. How do you grow a business? How do you price your services? How do you sell your services? How do you continue to get better? You just keep trying, researching, learning, and doing. You will fail, but you have to pick yourself up and try again. Society teaches us that failure is a bad thing, when in fact, it is an important step in continued education. Nobody is good at anything on the first try. As an entrepreneur, you have to welcome failure so you can learn from failure and become better. 

I had a hard time learning how to find clients. Cold calls and cold emails just are not super effective in my field. One of the best things I ever decided to do was start networking. I started going to Business Networking and Beers. Then I joined Grand Rapids Networking at Noon. I attended Grand Rapids Young Professional, Sensi Connects and I even joined the Rockford Chamber. Before I knew it, I was attending 3+ events per week. The list of networking groups, chambers, and events goes on, but the number one thing to take from this is: It is not about what you know, it is about who you know. 

Of course, it is important to know and understand your craft, but if no one knows who you are, then growth will become a challenge. Understanding this idea really helped to grow my business. Creating a network of individuals that understand the kinds of professionalism, products, and services you offer is worth its weight in gold. You have to put yourself out there. I am a pretty introverted person, but I have taught myself how to be more outgoing with meeting new people. 

Another big thing to understand is: Don’t take things personally, it’s just business. 

Early on, I would take things personally if I didn’t win a bid, or if someone didn’t like an edit. 

I would waste a ton of time being frustrated which did not actually solve any problems. 

It would just raise my stress levels and make things worse. What did I learn? I try really hard to not let people get under my skin anymore. I have to separate my personal self from my business self. Remember 10% of life is what happens to you, the other 90% is how you react. This is still a challenge for me to this day, but it is important to be able to recognize it. 

Sales can be tricky. You win some you lose some. As I mentioned before, do not take a loss personally. Learn from it. What can you do differently next time in order to see success? 

You must provide value. Even if you have a service, if it doesn’t provide the correct value to your prospects, they will not buy. Research your clients. Have a questionnaire. Learn their needs and don’t be pushy. 

What about pricing? Well, a good saying is: If you get too many Yeses, you’re too cheap. If you get too many Nos, you’re too expensive. Find a good place where you get a majority of Yes and some Nos. 

I could go on and on about obstacles but I will conclude with this obstacle: 

When I first started in this business, I did not have a great demo reel and my portfolio was slim. How do you fix this? Offer your services to a Non-Profit in order to build up a better body of work. Yea, it sucks to work for free, but never growing and never expanding sucks more. On your next paid gig, maybe put all of the money into the project instead of taking a profit. Yeah, you can’t always do this, but increasing the production quality and having greater success will help you to land bigger jobs in the future. Just remember to invest in yourself, do the best work you can do, be your best self, and you will reap what you sow in the long run. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Visionaery Productions LLC?
Visionaery Productions is a full-service video production company based in Grand Rapids, MI. We specialize in commercial filmmaking, corporate video, lifestyle video, and aerial cinematography. We are here to take your vision to new heights! Check out our showreel and portfolio at www.visionaerypro.com. 

Visionaery Productions uses the latest commercial cinema camera gear and software. We work with our clients by learning their video marketing needs, creating solid production plans, and bringing their visions to life. We offer a free editing revision on every video so we can be sure to please our clients from beginning to end. 

We are known for our excellent communication/customer service, quality visuals, and rich storytelling. We try to make the video production process as simple as possible for our clients. 

I think what sets us apart from others is our qualifying questions and really learning our client’s needs. Sure, we could make a video, but what can we do to make it the best product it can be with the given budget? We really like to have a detailed conversation at the beginning and an ongoing open dialogue throughout the process so we can really meet our client needs. 

I want the reader to know that if they ever have questions about video production, I am an open book. Video production has many different facets and specializations, I hope to be able to help paint a clearer picture of what video production is and can be. We can help you to narrow your video down to a certain audience/demographic/niche. We also work alongside advertising agencies that can help spread your video through various marketing channels. 

I am proud that our videos can help shed new light on a person, place, thing, idea, location, etc… I am proud that Visionaery has provided so much value to our clients. I am also proud that Visionaery continues to better itself with every project. I am proud of the positive feedback Visionaery receives from our clientele. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I watch a lot of Youtube lol. 

Here are some channels I am subbed to: 

-WanderingDP 

-Waqaz Qazi 

-Corridor Crew 

-Gaffer and Gear 

-In-Depth Cine 

-Epic Light Media 

-struthless 

-Griffin Conway 

-Gerald Undone 

-Wolfcrow 

-MediaDivision 

-ponysmasher 

-Andberry 

-RealLifeLore 

-NoFilmSchool 

-LastWeekTonight 

Some books I found of great value: 

-Master Shots Vol 3 by Christopher Kenworthy 

-Color Correction Handbook 2nd Edition Professional Techniques For Video and Cinema by Alexis Van Hurkman 

-In The Blink Of An Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing 2nd Edition by Walter Murch 

-The Digital Filmmaking Handbook: The Definitive Guide To Digital Filmmaking by Mark Brindle 

-Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury 

-48 Laws of Power 

-The Hobbit (it is just a damn fine book and I’ve read it like 5 times) 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.visionaerypro.com/
• Instagram: @brady.gilliam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisionaeryProductions
• Other: https://vimeo.com/688164108/4e6cdbae4a

Image Credits
Zach Rogers
Nathaniel Steven Fischer
Chad Hayes
Brady Gilliam
John Brown