Good Neighbor Podcast for the Greater Chattanooga Region

Paris Campaign and Creative on Elevating Business with Nea Paris

September 08, 2024 • Scott Howell

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Ever wondered how to maintain a competitive edge in your business amidst challenging times? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as we chat with Nea Paris, the visionary behind Paris Campaign and Creative, a boutique custom media agency in Chattanooga. Nea's journey from her family's business traditions to building her own agency is nothing short of inspiring. We explore the range of services her agency offers, including public relations, graphic design, web development, and corporate training, highlighting the importance of tailored solutions for each unique business.

Discover the indispensable role of videography in modern marketing and training, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nea shares her expertise on how video content can significantly enhance consumer engagement and employee education. Addressing common marketing misconceptions, Nea emphasizes why slashing marketing budgets can be detrimental, even in tough times, and stresses the need for continuous marketing to remain competitive. Her team’s comprehensive videography services ensure businesses stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Lastly, we celebrate the essence of supporting local businesses. Nea’s personal passions, from salsa dancing to her schnauzer poodles, Coco and Matrix, add a delightful touch to her professional persona. Her enthusiasm for her work and community is contagious, encouraging listeners to consider Paris Campaign and Creative for their future projects. We wrap up with a heartfelt call to action: let's support the small businesses that form the backbone of the Greater Chattanooga Region. Tune in and get inspired to contribute to our vibrant local economy!

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Local Businesses in Greater Chattanooga Region

11:14

The Importance of Videography for Businesses

16:59

Building Beautiful Businesses

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Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Scott Howell.

Speaker 2:

Hello, good neighbors, and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Friends and Neighbors Group of the Greater Chattanooga Region. Of course, my name is Scott Howell and I'm your host for today. We're so glad to have you all on with us. You know, the purpose of the Good Neighbor podcast is to bring an awareness to the residents living in our community regarding locally owned and or operated businesses in maybe your neighborhood, across town or across the whole region that possibly you've never heard of before. You know, local owned businesses are the backbone of our community.

Speaker 2:

Can you imagine what your community would look like if suddenly tomorrow you woke up and there were no more local businesses? It would just be a ghost town and we would have so much less opportunity at Variety in our daily life. So we want to give these people a voice. Every one of these locally owned business owners has a story to tell and at the Good Neighbor Podcast we want to give them a place to shout that story loud and proud to all you good neighbors out there. And speaking of good neighbors, we've got one with us today. Her name is Nay Paris and she owns Paris Campaign and Creative. And we're going to get Paris on here and get excuse me, get Nay on here and tell us all about what Paris Campaign and Creative is all about. But and I'm going to introduce her now Nay, thanks for being on the program with us.

Speaker 3:

Oh, Scott, thanks for having me. I'm so glad to be on.

Speaker 2:

Oh, we're glad to have you and you know I want to know what all you do and what it's all about. But before we jump into talking about the business, let's jump in and just give you a chance to tell about yourself and your family, if you'd like to.

Speaker 3:

Yes, so I'm a Chattanooga native. I was born and raised here. I visited quite a few different areas, lived in some different places, but Chattanooga is really my home, and so when I left for college I was exposed to some different areas and different ways of living. And then, when I came back to Chattanooga, one of the things I was opened up to was that this is really an amazing city. There's just so much going on here that when maybe you're a young adult, you aren't really paying attention to. But when you come back and you look at the city with new eyes, the area with new eyes because I've also lived in Cleveland, tennessee when you're looking at the area as a whole, you're like, oh my goodness, you know why would anybody leave here? This is just so amazing. But then also, what I noticed was monumental growth in this area, especially we all have noticed it maybe within the past, say, three or five years or so. I mean, this area is booming and there's so many more fun opportunities for fun for families, fun for those who are aging and then all those of us who may be in between. There's no better time to be in this area than now.

Speaker 3:

I'm very much a business person. Business is pretty much what I do day and night. That's what I pretty much enjoy doing. Every now and then I go and do some traveling, go to different conferences. Really, as a whole, I'm mostly a business person. I just love business, I love work. It's part of me. My mom was an entrepreneur. My mother was an entrepreneur, both of them owning businesses in this area as well, and so I've kind of carried the torch and that's pretty much who I am today.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's great. You know, Nate, I want to hear about what the Paris Campaign and Creative does to contribute to the business in the community and anything else that you do. Share that with us.

Speaker 3:

Yes, so Paris Campaigns and Creative is a boutique custom media agency and we're based here in Chattanooga, tennessee, and this agency is equipped to meet the creative needs of businesses, large and small, and we do so with the beauty of business in mind. So we're able to help with variety of different things. We do some custom projects, but mostly we focus on public relations. Graphic design, web development and design event campaigns is one of our favorite things to do landing pages for those who need some lead generation, videography, brand management and even podcasts. So we're having a lot of fun with a variety of different services and offerings, but what we're focused on is finding that custom solution for that team.

Speaker 3:

Right, we even train teams. We even train corporate teams. I have a corporate training on Friday that's involved around WordPress and helping a corporate team get acclimated to that platform. So we do training as well. But the main focus, scott, is that we want companies to have that competitive edge using creativity and to not think of things as oh, I need to order a website or I need this graphic, well, maybe you need that graphic, but maybe you need something else, and so our approach is very prescriptive. So we really want to look at the situation and also the person we're working with, because businesses are run by people, right, and so we want to look at the people the person and the people we're trying to reach and find that custom, creative solution that's attractive to them.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. That's important, and you were talking about doing those corporate trainings. There's so many things you know when you're running a day-to-day business. You're running the business of it. You don't have time to learn everything. You don't have time to learn all the things that are going on in the background. You know, if I'm a race car driver, I probably don't have time to learn all the ins and outs of how the transmission works. I just need somebody to take care of that transmission so I can get out there and drive it. And it's kind of like that being a business owner and entrepreneur. Sometimes you don't have time to learn all the details. So it's nice to know that there's a company like you out there that can help teach you the things that you need to know, that there's a company like you out there that can help you know, teach you the things that you need to know, but yet take care of the things that you don't have time to take care of. So kudos to you for being out there for the business community.

Speaker 3:

Yes, thanks, scott. You know, one of the things that I try to let my clients know is that it's not just about delegating and getting it done. It's also transparency, in that I want people to know okay, this is how this is done, this is the process. This is the why I know a lot of entrepreneurs have been talking learn to do better yourself, whether that's you know learning how to write better business emails or learning how to manage your social media, so that you can get more done in less time. But also you can get over some of the frustrations of changing technology right, because technology is faster than any of us can keep up with and so it's important that we stay abreast on the latest and greatest when it comes to managing apps, or managing desktop applications, whatever that may be.

Speaker 3:

So it's important and I feel, I guess, responsible with my agency, to make sure my clients are educated in those areas.

Speaker 2:

That's great. Tell me about your journey. How did you come about to find a passion in what you do and come about to start the business that you started?

Speaker 3:

Okay, so I was an eighth grader at Tyner Middle Academy and I took up this media extracurricular class because I thought it sounded cool, right. So during the 90s, a lot of girls wanted to be, we wanted to have our own shows. We wanted to be like Oprah or Jenny Jones or something, someone like that, some TV personality. So that was really attractive to me. But really, when I got exposed to the technical side of media, then that's when my obsession flourished. I was learning how to edit video, edit, audio shooting. I even was on a team that built a teleprompter. We built our own teleprompter in the class and it was the coolest experience. But it stuck with me to this day. It's just like that was the very thing that just pushed me forward and said you know what I really want? To get into the behind the scenes of why these shows are well oiled machines, why these productions are so nice and and people come away feeling good about themselves after this awesome production. So I wanted to be a part of something like that. So so I earned my bachelor of arts in print and web journalism at Austin Peay State University. I earned my bachelor of arts in print and web journalism at Austin Peay State University, had a great time there working in the newspaper arena and then working on some custom projects on the side.

Speaker 3:

Then, from there, after I earned my degree, I worked with a few corporations and then decided I was going to just start my solo journey. I was on my own, I'm going to go do this, and there were a lot of little short term projects along the way that really helped enrich the process and helped me to grow Like. I worked on projects for some pretty big name companies too, and I was blessed to be able to do so. So I worked with companies like Drive Time You've seen those commercials and so I did some internal campaigns with their team. While I was working at a local drive time location, I was actually able to connect with the corporate office and they let me work on a couple of projects on the side just for fun, and they became some national sensation. So it was. It was fun to be a part of that process.

Speaker 3:

And then later, after I worked a couple of corporate corporate jobs and had some great corporate positions, I took up a contract with WebMD we're familiar with WebMD right and so I took up a position there in the brand strategy department as a contractor and had a great time.

Speaker 3:

And then, of course, covid happened and so a lot of those responsibilities were let go at that time, but still have a great relationship with that team there, and then just a lot of other fun projects along the way. We had a great time and, you know, as we started to grow and I say we because we have now we're a team of three, now we just enjoyed just being able to take what we've learned from different areas and bring them together, because the people that I work with we have various experiences of our own, various levels of experience, but when we put them together, it's just a magical thing. So, but as far as my own journey, I just wanted to help many more teams, and so I decided to launch this company to be able to do just that. I wanted to touch more businesses, more individuals, more entrepreneurs who wanted to do just like I'm doing right now and help them find the tools necessary to do that.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and you said you mentioned a while ago that you do videography also. Is that something that you personally do, or is that just another member of your team, or how does that work exactly?

Speaker 3:

Yes, so we're a duo, so there are two of us that have photography and videography. Background Videography is something that I did many, many years ago and then we decided to reboot it as another offering. But one thing that's becoming popular is corporate video, because video is really how people are reaching people. Now, whether that's Facebook Reels, instagram Reels, tiktok, whether that's Facebook Reels, instagram Reels, tiktok, and then also just having a video that introduces you to the community, it's just important to have in general, whether that's externally, trying to reach consumers, or internally, to help either train or educate, video is pretty much where it's at. So myself, and then I have another video contractor who works with me on a variety of different projects to help, you know, create the right solution for our clients.

Speaker 2:

It's funny. It took us long enough to figure that out. Right, the video is where it's at. I mean, how many hours have you sat in those conferences staring at a steel screen with words across it and almost going to sleep? Right, it took us long enough to figure out that video is where it's at.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. And you know the COVID pandemic. You know when COVID came, it really pushed us, it forced a lot of us really to get out of our comfort zone and actually take video seriously. You know we're doing Zoom calls, right, we're gathering, we're, we have all. Everybody pretty much has a webcam.

Speaker 3:

Now it's become a necessity and so you know there's at this point is almost no excuse why, why we can't get on camera now. So you know, and we wanted to make sure that we helped companies get there there are many companies there now who they still struggling with that, or maybe they need a little bit of coaching being in front of a camera or they just don't know what they want to talk about. And so not only do we do the videography, the editing and so on, we also consult. We do a site visit so we take a look at the set or what the set could be, and we consult that. And then after that, then we of course do the production, and then, while we're doing the production, we also offer coaching. So we help with okay, diction and how you're projecting yourself, or if you're writing a script, or we need to load a script on a prompter. We'll set it up and get that going, but we're pretty much full service from top to bottom when it comes to that.

Speaker 2:

That's nice. Videography is something that, like you said, it's just become very important, so it was nice to know there's a great team out there taking care of that for the community. So I want to talk to you a little bit about perception. You know perception is key, right and anything when it comes to businesses that maybe that are new to you, that are just discovering Paris campaign and creative. What are some of the myths and misconceptions that you run into that people maybe need to be made more aware?

Speaker 3:

of OK. So one big one that I run into quite frequently is that marketing is something that, oh, I can just do that myself and we don't need to spend a major amount of money or we don't need to sink a lot of dollars in it, especially when times are getting rough with business. So we find a lot of times that companies that may be going through a difficult time they make a cut, and sometimes that's necessary. But one one cut that they tend to make is in the marketing arena and, you know, because that's so predictable, it kind of leaves the company very vulnerable, and there are two reasons why that can be an issue. And there are two reasons why that can be an issue.

Speaker 3:

One so, while the company is taking a break from marketing, the cost of creative services, like the services that I provide, continues to increase. So, say, you take a hiatus, right, and you're like okay, well, you know, we don't need to do marketing right now, we'll just pause everything and we'll come back maybe in a year or two when our numbers are better. And of course, you have to do what you have to do as a business, right, you know. But when you do that, when you come back to marketing and advertising and engaging with, say, an advertising agency or a media agency.

Speaker 3:

What oftentimes you'll see is what they call a sticker shock, right, where it's like wait a minute, maybe 10 years ago I could buy a video, for you know, I can get a video done for 300 bucks. Well, it's not that anymore. So it's important to maintain a relationship with the trusted agency and a lot of times, you know, when you're grandfathered in, as we grandfather in a lot of our clients, you're getting the most competitive rate, you know, from years on out, versus, you know, stopping all of your marketing efforts altogether and then coming back, you know, into the game. Another way that that makes you vulnerable is that you become behind the game when it comes to, say, media. We're talking about how technology, you know, is so, so it's always growing. It's a living, breathing thing, right. So say you take a break and then maybe two, three years, so it's always growing.

Speaker 1:

It's a living, breathing thing right.

Speaker 3:

So, say you take a break, and then maybe two, three years later, there's a new social media platform, there's, you know, new tools. There's new equipment. Your equipment's now outdated and you need to upgrade. There's so much that will pass you by if you decide to just, you know, take this hiatus and stop with your, your marketing efforts. So so what we try to do is educate clients about, you know, let's just stay the course, because these of these, these different risks, right? And then also, when you do pause, don't think that no one sees you. Your, your competition is also seeing you take this break.

Speaker 3:

So when you leave this gap in the community right, your community building right, Because media is not just about look at me, look at me, it's also you're fostering relationships with those in your community as a community expert. But if you leave that gap in your community, your competition is looking to fill it.

Speaker 2:

Yes, absolutely Matter of fact. I'm glad that you said that because it segued exactly into a point that I was already thinking. I read a report one time that said, before the depression of the twenties, that there was two main factors serial companies. One was Post and the other was Kellogg. Well, here we are, 100 years later. Guess what? There's still two main serial companies, right, post and Kellogg. However, they said before the 1920 Depression the Depression of the 20, that Post was the number one serial company, kellogg was number two and during the Depression, post decided there's no need to market because people don't have money and they cut back their marketing. Kellogg's, like you said, saw that opportunity, kept pressing forward and after the depression, was the number one cereal company and never have lost that footing in 100 years. Wow, post is still number two. It has never been able to gain their footing.

Speaker 2:

So that's the exact point you're talking about Now. That's on a national, broad scale, but the same things happen in a local market, in a regional market. Same things happen. So a good point that you made there. You know, step outside of work for a moment, just real quickly, if you're. What, what, what is? What does Nay do to have fun when she's not in there grinding numbers and helping people boost their company. What does she do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Okay. So you know I'm blessed to be in a field that's a whole lot of fun, right. We have lots of variety and such, and I built it to be that way. But so sometimes it's hard to break away, right, you know? I mean, you'll see me on weekends doing some fun stuff, or I might be on a podcast, like this one year, you know. So I'm just blessed to be able to be in a field or an industry where I'm having a lot of fun. But when I'm not doing this, when I'm not glued to a computer screen or on a campaign or shooting a film or something like that I am. I'm actually out salsa dancing, so that's one of my favorite things to do. I've been doing that. I've been doing salsa dancing for probably, probably about 12, 13 years or so I not, you know I've taken some classes in like knoxville and here locally and I just love it.

Speaker 3:

It's just, you know, I don't do anything professional or anything. It's just where I can actually be like, okay, I'm, you know, letting loose and just getting to, you know, burn some energy and and meet some awesome people and and the salsa scene in this area has just flourished. It's just a whole lot of fun and so that's what I like to do. I like that I have to get physical at some point.

Speaker 3:

You know when you're sitting here and you're in a chair and you're in front of a screen, you know you start getting a little bit like antsy right. So that's one of the things I really enjoy doing is salsa dancing, and I really enjoy doing it's also dancing. And then also I love a good road trip. So, um, you know, just wherever I can be to kind of enjoy a new, new surroundings and see some new things, I like I love hotels. It's crazy.

Speaker 3:

So I'm that person that travels and just hangs out in the hotel is. I know that sounds weird, but I'm always just fascinated by, okay, this space you know it's a different, different room and all this bathroom, this space, you know it's a different, different room, and oh, this bathroom is gorgeous and you know all the amenities and such. So so when I'm there, I'm really, like you know, peeping out like all the beautiful hotels that I get to get to experience. But I get, I get outside a little bit too, but, but, but, yeah, that's pretty much the highlight of it. And then, of course, you know I live with two schnauzer poodles, coco and Matrix, so I'm cuddling up with them in my time.

Speaker 3:

So you know they, they, they keep me busy and active and I just love all the pieces there. They're three and four years old and of course, because they've got the schnauzer in them, they're very yappy and so taking them out and about can be, but they're my pride and joy.

Speaker 2:

I love. I love spending time with them and I'm a dog guy too, so I know exactly what you're talking about. You know, and you you talking about the salsa. I was looking at a dance class the other day myself. I was thinking, wow, what if I'd be any good at that? Cause, you know, the older you get, you better use it or you'll lose it, you know what I mean you got to get up and move around.

Speaker 2:

So, that sounds awesome that you're already doing that. I tell you what I want to jump into a question that I always like to ask everybody on this program, and that's this Now, nate, when it comes to the heart of your business, moving out a little bit outside of what you do, but more of why and how you do when it comes to the heart of your business, if there was one thing that you wish our listeners knew about Ney Paris and Paris Campaign and Creative and Paris campaign and creative but they probably wouldn't know unless you shared it with them and you'd like to shout it loud and proud here today on the good neighbor podcast, what would that be?

Speaker 3:

Well, I believe that business should be beautiful inside and out. You should do things with with pride. You should do things in a way that you're, you can look at it and you know that you did a job well done. I know that, say, in the sphere of creativity and marketing. I don't believe that anybody is not creative. I believe everybody is creative. We just have to tap into it. But also, there's no reason why we can't look our best while doing what we enjoy doing.

Speaker 3:

You know, I grew up in a family where your image mattered. You know, it didn't matter what type of job you were working, it didn't matter where you were going. You came out, you stepped out with a sense of pride, you cared about how you looked and how you. You know you want to look good, you want to smell good, you want to speak well and you want to represent like for me in my case, representing my family.

Speaker 3:

But you know, when it comes to your business, it's very much the same approach. It doesn't matter what it is you're creating. So maybe that's your website, maybe that's your business card, maybe that is your podcast, maybe that is your whatever image, presence that you want to create. We want to do that and you want to do that with style, because that's very attractive, that's very when you're thinking about the consumer and what they need and how, who they're trying to, who are who they're wanting to trust. They're going to trust the person that takes themselves seriously and in various areas of their life, and especially in their branded image as well as their personal image, and so I want to take that and make an extension of that to that entrepreneur, to that marketing manager, to that business owner who is maybe stuck trying to figure out what the next step is, how to elevate themselves, how to really break out and be the expert in their community. I just really, really urge every business to consider your image and don't think that no one is looking at you.

Speaker 2:

Everyone is looking at you, everyone is looking at you. That's exactly right. Wow, that was very well put. Very well put Well. Nate, I want to give you an opportunity right here to share with us, online or offline, how we can find out more about you, how we can contact you, and that way everybody knows how to find Nate. Paris and Paris Campaigns and Creative.

Speaker 3:

Yes, so best way to reach me is NatePariscom. That's N-E-A Paris, paris, as in Paris, france, that is not a mistake. That is actually the name Naypariscom. Reach out to me there. Subscribe to my newsletter. The Passport is full of updates, tips and best practices and specials. I even plan to include some courses that I'm working on as well, and then you also get some highlights of my team and get to meet the people that are behind this business. And then also, if you want to reach out, you have questions, you need to pick my brain. Whatever that is, reach out to me at hello at naypariscom. That's hello at naypariscom. Those are the two best ways to reach out to me.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and for all the social media butterflies out, there are you on social media.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I'm on Facebook and I'm on Instagram. Instagram it's Nate Paris and then also on Facebook it's Paris Campaigns and Creative. Look it up, you'll find me easily.

Speaker 2:

And not only that, you shared a lot of good insider information about why they should do it and why they should be listening to you when you speak. You're kind of like the old commercial said when EF Hutton speaks, everybody listens. I kind of feel like that. When Nate Paris speaks, everybody needs to be listening.

Speaker 3:

Oh, you're too sweet, scott, that was awesome.

Speaker 2:

I really enjoyed it, and thanks for being with us today.

Speaker 2:

Oh, thank you, Scott, for having me, my pleasure, my pleasure, and you know, to all the good neighbors of the greater Chattanooga region. You know. I know that Nay hopes, after you know, listening to her speak about what she does and why she does it and why you should too. I know that she hopes that you'll keep her and her staff in mind the next time that you have a project that comes up that fits what she shared with us today, what she does, what she offers, because it sounds like she has a lot of insight. She has a newsletter that we can subscribe to and get continued information. So keep her in mind and let her try her best to earn your business to talk to you, have that conversation with you when you're reaching out and needing to talk to someone about those things, and to all the listeners out there, thank you so much for being with us today.

Speaker 2:

I know you took time out of your day to be with us here at the Good Neighbor podcast and, you know, always remember to support the locally owned businesses in the greater Chattanooga region. You know, from Cleveland to Dalton, from Jasper and Trenton all the way out to Benton, there's so many small businesses, so many communities that need our support and need our help. My name is Scott Howell. Again, I'm with the Friends and Neighbors Group. Everyone go out and make this a remarkable day.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. Everyone go out and make this a remarkable day. One. Nine, eight, four.

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