Hannah is a force of nature in her industry, and we’re so proud of her for winning the top prize in the first ever Denton Pitch Competition. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to quality shines in her work. Read more about Hannah below!
Since you run Hans Film & Photo/Modern Memoir, how many days/hours of the week are you working on one of these endeavors?
I work six days out of the week and from 8am to 6-7pm every day. I’m trying to have a normal 8-5pm work week, where Monday may be a day off I take since the nature of my job has me working most Saturdays.
How did you come up with your business concept? Can you tell us a little bit about your rebrand and the direction that you’re going?
The purpose of the rebrand is to split my corporate work from my wedding work. They are entirely different clients. My production business is meant to help create strong brand messages that lead to a call to action. If someone is looking for a promotional video or branding video, they trust us with their vision. Then my wedding business has a separate website and brand for couples wanting an elegant wedding video experience. It’s a breath off my shoulders knowing that each website is catered to specific clientele.
What is your background in? Could you tell us how each of these disciplines emerge in your work?
My background is in radio television and film from the University of North Texas. I have experience in music and audio production, video production, sound design, video editing, and journalism. It takes all of these things to create an engaging and emotionally relatable video. Whether you're at school or you're a couple getting married, there is a story to be told, and we're going to tell it better than anyone else.
How did you decide to go all in with Hans Film & Photo/Modern Memoir?
I wanted to go all in with my own company ever since I started it in 2019. I was working a production job in Dallas at the time. Saving money was hard in the midst of paying bills, but I made it work and was able to launch my business last January and have the gear I needed to get started without sacrificing any quality to my clients. Having sat in on some production calls with our client manager at my previous job, I was like wow they get paid a lot and I can totally do this with my own company instead of getting paid X dollar amount per hour. Go big or go home, sis.
How did you find your way into the wedding/nonprofit photo and film industry?
In and after college, I worked with nonprofits. In college I worked at the Heart Center in Plano, specifically at Global Aid Network. It was there I learned how to tell heartfelt stories that led to a call to action. I went onto work at Blueprint ministries, similar to Habitat for Humanity, and even did a few videos with Habitat later on. I've done commercials for fast food, and instantly knew I'd rather be telling people stories than selling chicken fingers. It was during my time at Blueprint ministries that I was connected to my first wedding video client and from there I kept looking for more weddings because I really enjoy it.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace?
I love that my workspace at home has a dog and a cat, but sometimes they are distracting and I work at Stoke. Stoke has been so good to me the past few months as a cohort member. I really enjoy the people and complimentary snacks and coffee. They even helped me get a conference room booked for five days. I had to sit down and meticulously edit a documentary for a client.
Do you ever find yourself in a creative rut or facing obstacles that require creativity when planning for your clients? How do you get yourself out of that?
The only time I had found myself in a rut and not enjoying what I do, was when I did headshots. So. I've decided I'm not doing headshots anymore and that's how I'm dealing with it.
Name a woman, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
I really love the work of Peyton Frank. She's a renown videographer in the wedding and fashion industry and everything I want to be. I already know I can make what she can make, I just need to keep pushing, keep creating, keep networking, and I know I will be recognized eventually. My word for this year is persistent, and I’m going on my second year of business full-time. You won't find me quitting now since I'm already this far ahead.