Inspiring Conversations with Justin Caine of Good Fruit Video

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Caine.  

Hi Justin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born healthy, and for the first ten years of my life, I lived a relatively standard and happy childhood. That all changed on the first day of fourth grade when while being driven to school by my dad, I bent down to tie my shoe, which triggered a hemorrhage of a cancerous brain tumor that had been growing on my brain stem for likely my whole life and no one knew it. Thanks to the swift moves of my dad, school officials, and emergency personnel, I was rushed to Sparrow Hospital, where I went under emergency surgery to attempt to save my life. The odds weren’t in my favor, but I made it through and then spent several weeks in a medically induced coma. 

Once I came out of it, I had lost my ability to walk, speak or swallow. My right eye was turned all the way in, causing major double vision. I started my journey to get back what I could, and within several months I was able to speak, swallow, walk, and see at the most basic level, but it was enough to be named a Children’s Miracle Network Child and have the opportunity to return home. 

The challenges were just as hard once I returned home. I had to continue to improve enough so I could return to school, and I did so with about a month left of my fourth-grade year. But returning to school presented its own challenges, as the way I was frightened and confused children and caused them to act in ways that were primarily hurtful or harmful. 

I won’t go into detail of my journey through high school graduation, but thanks to the support of my family and school support, I graduated on time. From there, I attended Lansing Community College, pursuing a degree in Media Technology with an emphasis in video. It took quite a while, but eventually, I graduated and then hit the next major roadblock of my life. 

Once graduating, I quickly learned that my disability status far outweighed my diploma. Finding an opportunity in my field that would fit my skillsets turned out to be a pretty impossible task, so eventually, I took an entry-level job to pay the bills. 

I really enjoyed the hustle and adrenaline rush of my manual labor job and was consistently far outperforming my fellow able-bodied teammates. Still, despite that, I watched as they continually were promoted to higher positions over me, no matter what I did. 

Thanks to some relationships I had outside of work, I was encouraged to take a bet on myself and become an entrepreneur. 

Today, I’ve been an entrepreneur and small business owner for 15 years. My main business is Good Fruit Video, an award-winning video production company that produces videos for organizations that help them reach their goals or resolve their pains. 

The past 15 years have had a lot of highs and lows, but we continue to grow. 

It’s been quite a journey. One that I have not had to face on my own, as I have an awesome business partner, Kraig, as well as a supportive family, including my wonderful wife, Meaghan, my sweet daughters, Felicity and Silas, and a handful of smart and helpful friends. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey from 10 to now has been about as smooth as the roads in Michigan. There’s a perception that people with disabilities are unable to do certain things because of the way they move, communicate, think or act. Though sometimes that may be true, it’s a human condition to assume what someone can and can’t do before even giving them a chance. That’s been the biggest battle of my life. Not relearning to walk or talk or swallow. Nothing physical. It was battling the way people perceived me. Kids and adults. Throughout every aspect of my life. It wasn’t just others either because after enough people tell you that you can’t, you start to believe it yourself. So, my journey has been part recovery, part rediscovery of what I can do, and part hell-bent determination to prove the doubters and haters wrong while simultaneously honoring those who have helped and supported me get to where I am, 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Good Fruit Video is a video production company that produces authentic, impactful video for professionals that need to effectively and efficiently communicate clear messaging for the betterment and growth of their organization. 

We live by the core values of… 

Keep it Real — Be respectful and considerate to all; open and honest; communicate clearly 

It’s All Good — Stay calm but assertive, focus on solutions, make the call 

Move the Needle — Take the initiative, make progress, get it done. 

Help First — Do the right thing before being asked. 

Stay Curious — Continue learning; ask questions – don’t assume; get clarity 

Beyond striving to live by our core values every day, we look to surround ourselves with people and organizations that also hold those same values. From our team members to our clients and partners, even our vendors. 

We also live by the motto of Do Good. Be Fruitful. 

Simply put, doing good work leads to growth and more fruitful endeavors, which guides our philosophy in creating win-win partnerships with clients. On another level, we share the basic karma-driven belief that doing good for others is good for everyone. 

Do Good & Be Fruitful is also how we refer to the philanthropic arm of our business. It is a deep-rooted value within our organization to be a force for good in our community, and we know that many organizations struggle to find the budget for professional video that could help them grow. That’s why we encourage them to apply for one of our quarterly fruit snacks – a video we’ll produce for free to help them share their story and make an impact. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The video industry is changing almost daily, and it’s a constant battle to keep up. The tools used to create excellent video continue to become more and more available to everyone. Heck, my iPhone can shoot video that can rival many high-end video cameras. From there, sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and TikTok allow anyone to create a channel to share their content. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You don’t want an amateur piece representing your professional company. That’s why we’re here. 

Pricing:

• Starting at $2,500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goodfruitvideo.com
• Instagram: @GoodFruitVideo or @Justin.Caine
• Facebook: facebook.com/goodfruitvideo
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/justincaine or www.linkedin.com/company/1636659
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@portfolio4039
• Other: www.goodfruitvideo.com

Image Credits
Jenna Hovey
Stacey Bakken