Today we’d like to introduce you to Domonique Williams.
Hi Domonique, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story isn’t that interesting to me, it just shows that perseverance and the willingness to try new things can make a huge change in your life. Me and my girlfriend were sleeping our nights in a Ford Focus, working dead-end jobs and switching out with each other. When I got off, I would head to the car before her shift started. It was wintertime and our landlord was shitty in so many words, the water tank in the rental property was old and went out so the house was freezing. We also didn’t have the money to make the commute back and forth as many time as it would take so we made a decision. Shortly after I experienced Michigan being an at-will state and went through job, after job, after job. By this time, maybe a few months later, I was watching a music video while riding in the car. I had a really good ear for music production but since it wasn’t making me any money, it started to feel more like a hobby when I’m not working. My girlfriend asks me “Why don’t you look into Specs Howard”? I had been hearing of this school majority of my life and didn’t plan on going to college or any school after high school, so at first, I thought “eh, whatever,” but I gave it a shot anyway and signed up online to come in for an open house. I went in with the mindset of a music producer/artist and ended up enrolling in the Digital Media Arts Program without ever even holding a camera before in my life. Fast forward a year later and I’m graduating top 3 of my class with the “Technical Proficiency” award voted in by my peers, which states that I learn new equipment, software, and concepts very quickly. Upon finishing the program, I started Count House L.L.C, and here we are today! Moral of the story, your current situation isn’t necessarily your forever. You may be talented in one thing when your rise to success could be on a totally different path, but unless you try new things and push through hardships, you may never find out.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Money, money, and money. The biggest struggle to me was funding my business while still taking care of my household. It is a balance that takes some getting used to because it is a NECESSITY. Your business is like your baby, and when you are finished paying bills, and you take that 30% to drop it into your savings, your business has a handout as well. Another huge hurdle you have to overcome is impatience. A lot of us feel as if you will jump into your chosen market and start flourishing, which happens to some of us, but realistically most businesses starting off don’t see actual profit for a while. For example, in my industry, equipment costs are extremely high. One of my go-to cameras was $2500 off the shelf, so you can only imagine how much a full-scale, professional video production can cost. You have to be willing to fund your start-up and work until you are out of the red.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like to say Count House is a “Production Company” and label myself a “Production Specialist” because I don’t want to limit our capabilities as a whole. At Count House, I produce music, edit audio, write songs, scripts, and screenplays, operate cameras for video/photoshoots, edit videos/photos in post and most recently, I have been learning how to livestream from my camera. I am a creative person at heart and the team I am building is the same. This is what sets us apart from other video production companies because we handle a lot of things “in-house.”
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
A mentor, to me, can be someone you never interact with socially. A lot of the time we hear “mentor” and assume it will be someone we see or talk to on a regular basis, but life isn’t always so straightforward. Me personally I have many mentors, I take bits and pieces from different successful and talented people. I follow them on YouTube, social media, and even on blogs. I watch how they maneuver in their respective industries; study the way they interact with their audiences and try to put myself in their shoes in certain situations. Don’t get me wrong there can be advantages gained from someone schooling you 1-on-1, but I feel that a lot can be gained by observation if you do not have someone like that in front of you. On the networking aspect, just be yourself and get out of the house! In the long run you will want like-minded people in your professional circle. Keep business cards handy, approach people with confidence, and know your worth.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @count_house_media
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/counthousemedia
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxNziiSyfrVfMeYh9pnBBkw
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/trapandhouse
Image Credits
Count House L.L.C
