Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyler Beal
Hi Kyler, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I began my “creative career” in 4th grade when my grandpa first showed me how to use his film camera. When he passed away a few years later, I inherited his gear, but more importantly his eye for people, processes and stories going unseen. After high school, I went to Guatemala as a multi-media journalist for an organization called Manos de Jesus. While there, I fell in love with the power of video. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then is a video worth a million?
I began to travel and document the world as a solo filmmaker capturing ‘advertorials’ – real people actually using products in rad places with brands – across the country as well as internationally. From Wyoming to Alaska and Romania to Uganda, if I was invited into someones literal or figurative backyard for a story, I was there in heartbeat.
As I was wrapping up college, I founded Minivan Productions – a video production firm that specializes in solution-centered video with a sweet spot in humanizing products, organizations and processes! We create media that moves culture, missions, people and YOU!
Our team now calls Old Town home and is more and more entrenched in the local neighborhood. We love it here!
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?
No road is as smooth as one might see… I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease after my freshman year in college and was told I would likely never be able to walk again, let alone play the sport I loved and came to school for – soccer. I even lost virtually all my sight! I slowly saw some improvement after leaving school through some experimental treatments across the country. The neurological issues subsided – I got my eye sight back and everyday activities were tolerable. I still couldn’t run, I couldn’t live life the way I once could. However, this was far better than the wheelchair bound documentaries I had been warned with, so this life felt better than I could have hoped upon diagnosis. That’s when I met Sharpe on a production in Uganda.
Sharpe had mentioned he had been having vision of me and my name even though we had never met. He mentioned that I had been working through a season of productive pain as I was realigned with God’s will for my life much like a tuning fork will always find it’s major key. While this season was self described as productive, he didn’t believe I should live in unproductive pain – and that I wouldn’t from here on out. From that point forward, I’ve had no more joint pain. No discomfort, no chronic tiredness. Through no personal effort or skill, I was healed! It was a miracle!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a full-service video agency developing campaign and story driven content. Our focus is in humanizing brands and organizations – helping clients identify, engage and convert target audiences is what we do.
We offer one of the best project experiences of any video agency we know, both for our clients and the agencies we support. We are known for our ability to guide our clients through a proven process with a genuine interest in their organization! We love being a part of internal teams and cultures, we’re not looking to interrupt their flow.. just augment their teams’ abilities and capacity.
We solve problems like sales, engagement, recruiting, fundraising, awareness and training through our process that starts with really defining WHY that problem exists. Come to us with a sales problem? We help identify whether it’s a reach, engagement, placement or content issue.. and a solution for that specific need!
We do so through through any one, or a variety, of the products we deliver:
– Commercial Content
– Campaign Strategy
– Customized Content Creation
– Lifestyle Testimonies
– Capital Campaign Videos
– Social Media Shorts
– Brand Anthems
We’re really proud of our people frankly.. we exist as a company to help people feel seen in the story and as much as that’s true for our clients, it’s also true for our team here at Minivan where we’re able to grow and be challenged together while we build something really special.
If you’re looking for a team to get on board with for your content creation needs, we’re ready to guide you!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Covid shifted out ability to work the way we always had, but it actually highlighted – and cemented – our ability to be ‘low footprint, high quality’. We changed from 7-10 crew member sets down to 2. We ran virtual interviews and brought more motion design and animation into the mix. What stood out to us, and our clients, was our ability to continue to tell stories that mattered in a dynamic, engaging way. The power is, and always has been, in the story. Covid helped us make that even more clear to the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://minivanproductions.com
- Instagram: @minivanproductions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinivanProductions
- Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/minivanproductions
