Have you ever witnessed the magic of a small-town success story? This episode brings you exactly that, with Aleks Kapett of Firelight Studios taking center stage. From the bright lights of acting to the director's chair of entrepreneurship, Aleks narrates his captivating journey into the media production industry. His tales are not just about the glitzy premiere of his films on platforms like Amazon Prime, but also about the craft of creating bespoke visual narratives that resonate with a diverse audience. Get ready to be inspired by his mission to make professional media services accessible and his knack for helping personal brands shine in the digital world.
Have you ever witnessed the magic of a small-town success story? This episode brings you exactly that, with Aleks Kapett of Firelight Studios taking center stage. From the bright lights of acting to the director's chair of entrepreneurship, Aleks narrates his captivating journey into the media production industry. His tales are not just about the glitzy premiere of his films on platforms like Amazon Prime, but also about the craft of creating bespoke visual narratives that resonate with a diverse audience. Get ready to be inspired by his mission to make professional media services accessible and his knack for helping personal brands shine in the digital world.
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Rizzley.
Speaker 2:
Hello friends and neighbors, Welcome to North Atlanta's Good Neighbor podcast. Today I'm here with Alex Capet. He is the owner of Firelight Studios and we're going to hear about his business today. So, hey, Alex, how are you?
Speaker 3:
Good Stacey. Thank you for having me today.
Speaker 2:
We're excited to have you on. I think that you might be the first person from your specific industry that we've had on here, so very excited to hear more about your business and, with that, go ahead, if you will, and tell our listeners about Firelight Studios.
Speaker 3:
Yeah. So Firelight Studios is a media production company that specializes in photography and videography for local businesses. We help out more than just corporations. We'll work with food trucks. We'll work with personal brands as well. Anybody that needs a photo or a video is really our audience.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's a lot of people that are need them. So we've had several photographers on and a couple that work with us on Dunwoody, north Buckhead Neighbors, but I don't think we've had a videographer on that. I can remember so excited to have you on and, with that, if you will go ahead and tell our listeners about your journey into this business. What led you down this path?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so this all started 10 years ago. I'm 28. And so when I was 18, I started out acting and through that I've always loved stories and storytelling. And so I made a bunch of short films and eventually got lucky enough and put in positions to make two feature films. One's on Amazon, One is pending. We'll see where it goes. I just recently finished it. But through the process of making those I was just working like normal sales jobs and I kind of just figured through social media, funny enough, that every person and every brand has a story and I kind of have the skill set and the capabilities of producing the media to tell it, and so it was just a natural transition from movies into starting a media production company.
Speaker 2:
Well, impressive at 28 years old that you have, you know, one on a movie, a short film that's on Amazon. That's awesome. Do you want to like the name of that?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so Fall Nights in China Grove. It's available on Amazon Prime. It's a full length movie.
Speaker 2:
Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:
Yeah we just finished a second one. It's 2024 now. That's still like grasping in my head. Right, we completely finished it late last year and so it's done, it's edited and at this point it's just being shopped and in conversation, and so, fingers crossed, there's a potential.
Speaker 2:
I'm not going to drop streaming names, but you know, I'm hoping it goes really really well, I thought it may take this. That's exciting.
Speaker 3:
But yeah, no, that was just how I started out. I was a normal kid in college studying marketing, but I've always loved movies and the kind of person that just chased the thing that he really wants to do. And it's transitioned into providing that for everybody and making sure everybody can get quality content.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that is very exciting. I'm loving that. I love that you you know your young age have accomplished this much and are really, you know, already living out your dream and passion at such a young age. That's phenomenal.
Speaker 3:
It's when you say I feel old. I don't know why I'm like an old soul.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I have. You know, one of my daughters is an old soul and so I can resonate. That resonates with me. She's 23, going on you know 45. But she like well, she would not like me to say that at all.
Speaker 3:
Because like, yeah, we'll cut it out. We'll cut it out, yeah we'll cut that out.
Speaker 2:
I'm just kidding. But I hear you on the old soul thing and I think you would have to be achieved so much at your age to be able to. You must have an old soul, you know you must have. So I'm impressed All right, so very exciting. Well, so are there any myths or misconceptions about your business or your industry in general that you would like to clear up with our listeners today?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so I do come to mind, I would say that one that, like professional grade media, is too expensive. My whole goal and it was actually from making movies, because that's, I think, where the conception started and it was expensive and I knew it didn't have to be as expensive as it was. That was part of my goal with Firelight was to make it more affordable, literally to just the average person. And then the second is that if you, for example, are just like a real estate videographer that you aren't capable of shooting a different kind of video, so that, like you, have to be niched in.
Speaker 3:
For the last 10 years I've just studied like composition in general and storytelling and so through that you can kind of Well, I'll make sure, if you know what you're doing, you can shoot any kind of video and take any kind of photo. It is a tough thing to do, but me and my partner, ken Jackson, have over the last 10 years just fallen in love and been studying that and so that's why we're a pretty diverse thing, but it hasn't stopped us so like we've got quality testimonial videos to real estate to just like fund social media food stuff that we share and so very cool.
Speaker 3:
Quite adaptable in styles.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, well, that is very good. You guys, guys, are able to, you know, kind of meet the needs of any, any business, and regardless of what that's, of what that is. So when you work with personal, you said even, you'll do personal branding and stuff as well. So, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:
So, like actors, models, some people that you know want to grow their social media brand. In those situations, I try to maybe teach more so how you could do it yourself, because it'd be more affordable to them for them to just kind of learn how to use their phone a little bit better than maybe pay for some professional services, because the amount of content you have to be dropping for personal brand is pretty, incredibly high, and so I'd like to help people save money, if at all possible is my goal.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's great. I'm happy to know you're here in Atlanta, so I know that we have a little pre interview before we get started and you shared with me that you're living Sandy Springs and you're in that area, so you're truly in North Atlanta, which I love. Helping businesses that are really in North Atlanta, not just service North Atlanta. You know they're located in Macon, but they might.
Speaker 3:
I thought about swinging by. You know, I drove through there.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, no, so you really are. You're here in North Atlanta, so what are what are you doing for fun here when you're not working?
Speaker 3:
I love to when I'm not working is rare, but when that time does come I love frequenting just food spots and, like late night, dart spots. So ship and anchor is one of my favorite pubs to go to. It's here on Hammond Drive, a little past Hammond Drive, but they're the nicest staff like that I have ever met. I became friends with them after the first night that I went there. And as far as darts and Sandy Springs goes, I don't think you'll find a better, just better environment and vibe. They're so relaxed and so sweet. All the bartenders are. I just love it. And then food wise, if you love sushi, one sushi is like a hidden jet. I walked into this place. I don't know. Have you ever heard of savory crepes?
Speaker 2:
No, I have not.
Speaker 3:
Okay. So I just thought that would be terrible. I don't know why that my first impression of like a beef bulgogi crepe was why does this exist? But I had to try it because at that point I was like why does this exist? And it became my favorite item on the menu I just got. I just have to shout them out. They're so creative with what they do, food wise that I'll go there just about every other day for lunch.
Speaker 2:
And where? Where are they located? Sandy Springs and Sandy Springs as well. Okay.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Well, two great plugs for businesses and Sandy Springs. So thank you for that, and I know they appreciate it and we do too, because that's what we're all about is sharing the local places, and I'm glad that spread the love.
Speaker 3:
Why would we not?
Speaker 2:
Hey, there's so and there's so much love to go around for all of us so well. So to shift gears into something a little more serious, is there, or has there been a life challenge or a hardship that you have faced that now you can say, for having been through that experience, for having come through the other side of it, that you're stronger and better for that today?
Speaker 3:
Yeah I'd say I mean, I've got. I'm a foreigner, I was born in Serbia and so I had my parents came here when I was a baby with like no money. So I just kind of grew up a little bit more having to work at a young age and get instilled with those sort of foreign responsibilities but just kind of having to figure things out for myself. Literally from when I was like 12, I was landscaping to just kind of help out and paper my own stuff.
Speaker 3:
So that, I think, was a really, really beneficial thing in my life that instilled like a good work ethic that I needed for the movie. Tackling two movies when you don't have money is quite an insane thing to do. I'd say call me if anyone recommended, like if you're thinking of doing it, I can definitely really advise on how to do it better, because it was a learning curve for sure. But, um, yeah, trying to trying to manage like a whole town of people as you're producing something and Thankfully I worked with a great group of like crew and cast that just they all had heart, to be honest but like, yeah, going through that we're like you just are not sleeping. You get two hours.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, a full feature film like that's. I'm still just in.
Speaker 3:
Yeah. Especially there was no budget on the first one.
Speaker 2:
That one was Thank God and then everybody involved that they made that yeah that well and I like what you said about you know, Having to work from a young age instilled a strong work ethic.
Speaker 2:
You know and that because that makes all the difference In the world, you know, and that actually kind of does go back to you know how impressed I am by All you've accomplished at 28 and that really does kind of Put some explanation to that. And that's you know why I don't like to know the answers, you know, before the interview. I like to wait until the actual interview to get the answers, because find out and have that authentic, you know response and and that explains a lot, it really does. You know that the work ethic and drive and and that you're chasing your dreams, you know, and, man, I'm impressed, I'm excited for you.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, thank you, and we'll thank my parents because yeah, yes, so are they.
Speaker 2:
Are they locals still here too? Are they in Atlanta?
Speaker 3:
Uh, they're in alfredo.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's not hard off 20. Minutes.
Speaker 3:
That's why I love sandy springs on. It's 20 minutes from, like everywhere that I would consider. You know I need to be.
Speaker 2:
Um so I love I love sandy springs. Yeah, I, I love the area too and uh believe in it. I lived in sandy springs as a very young child, so I, and then move to south. Yeah, yeah, right. Well, thank you very much for the flattery. Um, so well, if there's, is there anything else you would like our listeners to know about your business?
Speaker 3:
I would just recommend, by all means, shop around, look for a photographer and videographer, but just kind of know that my goal with firelight is to create a one-stop shop ultimately, where, if you need any kind of media service from just like simple photos to even a full-scale commercial that we have the means and capability and knowledge to do so and we offer free consultation calls so you can literally hop on for 30 minutes and we can like discuss the needs of your project and budgets and give you recommendations and whether or not you even go with us. I just hope having a conversation with us really helps you out.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, well, that's, that is a unique offering. You know, like, that's not something that that everyone does provide. You know a 30 minute consult that's free is a really great, and I'd love to wait. You said earlier too, to circle back. You had said, um, that in some cases the best thing for you to do is just to educate them and teach them how to Become. Worse, you know Efficient at doing it themselves and that sometimes that's the right fit, and so that's the kind of business that gives back. You know that's not. You know you know that it's not. You know dollar signs driven. You know it's not all about what can I get out of you to you?
Speaker 2:
know, I'm gonna charge you. Charge you 300 for that consult and now go do it yourself. You know.
Speaker 3:
Oh god, I feel so guilty. I couldn't never.
Speaker 2:
No, I just I, I, but I love that and um, so I can, I like being able to to recommend Businesses who I really believe are in it. You know, for the right reasons and it sounds like you are in it for the right reasons. So what is the best way for our listeners if they want to learn more, they want to reach out, they want to, you know, schedule that free consult? What's the best way for them to get in touch with you at firelight studios?
Speaker 3:
Just visit firelight studioscom and that is light lite. Most people put ligh t, which I made that hard for myself Like it's just I'm to blame. But yeah, firelight studioscom or you could just reach out to 404 384 2418. That's directly to me and I'm more than happy to to have a conversation.
Speaker 2:
Well, that is great. Well, alex, it's been a pleasure having you on today. Thanks so much for for sharing your story with the listeners of north atlanta.
Speaker 3:
Thank you so much for having me. I love what you do with podcast.
Speaker 2:
Well, thank you. Well, that's all for today's episode. Atlanta, I'm stacey risley with the good neighbor podcast. Thanks for listening and for supporting the local businesses and nonprofits of our great community.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the good neighbor podcast north atlanta. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnp north atlantacom. That's gnp north alanacom, or call 470 946 67007.
