Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Helton.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Greg. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
In 2003, I started studying Materials Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with the plan to pursue a job in this field after graduating. As graduation approached in 2007, I still wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with my career, but I knew that I wanted to try living somewhere new. In April of 2008, I moved to Portland, Oregon to do music for a local church and give the good ol’ NorthWest a go.
As my job search began concurrently with the start of the economic recession, I learned quickly that my pursuit of an engineering job was going to be much harder than I expected. I didn’t end up getting an interview with even one engineering company in Oregon. So as my small savings account dwindled, I decided to get any job I could to pay the bills, so I got a job as a server at a restaurant. Though this was hard and humbling for me, I honestly think that it was a great lesson for me on the understanding that our purpose shouldn’t derive from our job.
In May of 2010, I married my now wife, Kristen. Shortly after we got married, she challenged me to start a photography business. I started taking photos as a kid, then took a class in high school that turned it into a hobby and by the time I was in college, it was something that I really loved doing. Since I had been taking photos for fun for so long, I decided to give it a go running a photography business. For the next three years, a ran a portrait/wedding photography business in Portland. As 2014 began, my wife and I decided to move back to North County San Diego before the birth of our first daughter.
At this point, I had started doing some video projects on the side and found that video-enabled me to tell stories on a more complete level, which I really loved. So with the transition back to San Diego and having to start my business over anyways, I decided to switch my focus fully to Video Production. Over the past five years creating compelling video content for brands and businesses has been my focus and I have been blessed to work with some incredible companies over that time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Being a solo-preneur is hard! There have been many hard times where I didn’t know if I would have enough money to pay the bills, but we have been truly blessed with great opportunities and have always survived. I can’t count the amount of times where the weight of the business led me to look at the Job classifieds and consider ending the business, but I think that is just the life of an entrepreneur.
Social media and YouTube definitely make self-employment look super glamorous yet often hide the pains and struggles that come along with it. Without prayer and the support of my wife, I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far. Though there have been hardships, there have been many great times as well, and 2018 was our best year by far, and we are excited for what the future holds.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Larimore Production Company – what should we know?
When I ran a photography business, I tried to be the swiss army knife and do every kind of photography. When I transitioned into video production, I decided to focus on businesses. I have had more than a handful of people asking for wedding videos or even music videos, and I knew that I wanted to be more focused this time around.
Here at Larimore Production Company, we are focused on helping clients create and implement effective video marketing strategies. What I mean by this is we don’t want to just create a video for a business just because they heard they need video, but rather we want to help companies process and understand how to use video effectively in their marketing to not only bring in new customers but also to engage and retain their current clients.
One thing that sets us apart from many video production companies is my background in engineering. My approach to video is very detail oriented and so is the entire video process. Too often people believe that creativity is king, but without a strong plan and system to create and implement videos, even the most creative videos get lost in the fray.
I think what I am most proud of as a company is the relationships that I have been able to build with my clients. We have multiple clients that we get to work with on a consistent basis and that makes this process so much more fun! The more I get to know the people and their companies, the greater impact we can make together!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I truthfully give the majority of the credit to God. I honestly don’t know how this business would have survived if it weren’t through God’s provision. My wife has been a huge advocate and support for me and the business.
My parents have helped in many ways, included small loans to buy equipment to even start my first business. There are too many people to credit here because I have been influenced and blessed by so many relationships over the years to help me create this business and maintain it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.larimoreproductioncompany.com
- Phone: 760-505-5480
- Email: greg@larimore.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larimoreproductioncompany/
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