Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Burns.
Hi Bobby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ll speak first to what has been my main business for over 15 years now, Redmond Digital Media, primarily as a wedding and commercial filmmaker. I started shooting weddings in high school somewhat by chance when I interned for another production company that just so happened to primarily focus on weddings. I was looking for more experience in filmmaking as it was something I was interested in, but the wedding aspect was more circumstance than anything. I spent about two years working under and learning from someone who produced work I greatly admired and attribute much of what I know and do today, and a large amount of my success to that period. From there I went off to college where I continued shooting for a few different brands out in California, and my sophomore year I started taking on my own weddings. My mindset at the time was that it was something I enjoyed and something that could help me pay for college but I’d be lying if I said the plan was always to do this as a career path. As I continued through college I carefully assessed what a typical career in cinematography might look like (which was my major) and decided that large scale set production just wasn’t the life I wanted to live. I continued to work at perfecting my craft (which is, of course, a lifelong endeavor) and by the time I graduated I had enough work to be full time as a wedding filmmaker. Fast forward to today and I have shot countless weddings all around the world from Minneapolis and the surrounding areas to Mexico, Jamaica, Tokyo and more. I have curated a distinct look and experience that my couples expect from me and continue to develop as a filmmaker and storyteller to this day. In addition to weddings, I also do a decent amount of commercial work which has also brought me around the world helping provide value and visuals to businesses of all sizes.
I see so many people in the wedding industry specifically come in with a passion and quickly burn out. As a result, I have always been protective of my workload and have been fortunate to be able to do so, though it certainly takes effort and intentionality. As I have decreased my weddings over the years (I now typically shoot about 15 in a year) I have freed up time to pursue other passions both related and unrelated, and have a few other businesses that I spend time on as well.
First is Wedding Film School, one of the largest online educational platforms for wedding filmmakers, and just those interested in video in general. We are primarily on youtube with a subscriber base of about 165,000 and of course, can be found on general social channels as well. We have content for filmmakers in all stages of their careers and put together tutorials, gear reviews, business tips, live film reviews and more as well as some more in depth conversations on our podcast, The Wedding Film School Show. Education is something I enjoy, and I’m thrilled to be able to educate within an industry that I am so passionate about. I love being able to share what I have learned over 15 years in this field with others in various stages of their journey as a filmmaker and believe that as creatives we are all always learning.
Outside of filmmaking, I have a passion for staying active, and while that takes shape in many different forms, one of the main ones is training for American Ninja Warrior. I’ve competed on the show two seasons now, and have made it to world finals in two other leagues for about 4 or 5 years running. It’s an amazing hobby and community and I’ve met some of my closest friends through the sport. I joined forces with one of those friends to brainstorm an idea about two years ago which has now taken form as The Wilderness Fitness and Coworking, which just opened in the heart of Uptown, Minneapolis. We are excited to provide a coworking space with an emphasis on mental and physical well-being and providing an inclusive community for those who want a happier and healthier work life balance. We are staying true to our name by bringing the outside in, and cultivating a relaxing space to work hard and play hard. We offer day passes, memberships of all levels including private offices and many amenities to our members including free classes. We are excited to see this concept come to life and think it will thrive in the uptown community.
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?
Redmond Digital Media – Being a small business owner in a creative field is never without its downsides. I know many friends who look at the idea longingly as if I can make my own schedule and do what I want. I won’t lie, there is certainly some truth to that, but it also comes at a cost. When you aren’t self employed it’s hard to understand that I am truly never off the clock. My business depends on “me” even late at night or on vacation, my brain is always working, and I know many people in the industry who feel the same. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for the world but I think it’s important to know that your small business friends have downsides to the career path they’ve chosen too. Being in a creative field specifically presents more problems too. While sales, marketing, and things of that nature are trackable concrete data, the artistic side of things presents unique problems. Self doubt runs rampant in the industry and we are by far our own worst critics. This oftentimes leads to imposter syndrome which I have certainly experienced at times (and I know many others at all levels who have as well). The feeling that I am not actually creating good work, that I don’t deserve to be educating others in my field, and other similar thoughts. I think this specifically hits hard in creative fields, so while I feel you should always support your small business owning friends, pay special attention to creatives as it can often be a rewarding, yet lonely career path.
Wedding Film School – Education is a unique job as I know a heck of a lot of information about my area of expertise (in this case wedding filmmaking) but how to get the content out there always presents unique challenges. It’s been a learning curve figuring out how to run a large youtube channel and Facebook group, how to continue growing, and how to make content that I am proud of.
The Wilderness – The last two years of concept to execution has presented tons of challenges and the last couple of months of buildout and actually getting the space ready has been exhausting. While I have business experience and I have great partners in the business it is always scary dedicating this amount of time and money to an idea and I have no experience with a business of this type. We feel strongly that we are offering an amazing experience to our potential customers at an unbeatable price and are excited to be a part of the Minneapolis community
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m known for cinematic story driven wedding films for adventurous couples. I’m proud of the films I make, the trust my couples have in me and the ability to not only be a business providing a product, but also an artist providing an heirloom to my couples. No one of my films are alike and I am always pushing myself creatively to think outside the box of what a wedding film can be.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
From an artistic standpoint, I think being willing to push wedding films outside of the box of what a wedding film has traditionally been has been part of my success, but there are many things that go into a successful business in a creative field. In addition to the creativity, business acumen, persistence and more I feel that my longevity in the industry can be attributed to always having my client experience set as a priority and also safeguarding myself against burnout within an industry that suffers heavily from that. I continue to limit my weddings and other projects each year in an effort to continue to love what I do, after all, this started as a passion of mine and I want to continue to enjoy picking up my camera and telling stories with it. Along those lines, I think one of the best business lessons someone can learn is how to say no. Not every project and every client is the right fit and that’s ok, but I see so many people casting a wide net and saying yes to everything that comes their way which I think is a major contributor to burning out in this industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@redmonddigitalmedia.com | bobby@weddingfilm.school | info@thewildernessmn.com
- Website: www.redmonddigitalmedia.com | www.weddingfilm.school | www.thewildernessmn.com
- Instagram: @redmonddigitalmedia | @theweddingfilmschoolshow | @thewildernessmn
- Facebook: facebook.com/redmonddigitalmedia | facebook.com/thewildernessmn
- Youtube: youtube.com/bobbyburns | youtube.com/weddingfilmschool
