Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Ray.
Hi Garrett, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started as an actor when I was 12, inspired by the Spider-Man movies to really pursue performing and entertainment. Throughout my teenage years, I worked as a stage performer doing vaudeville, melodramas, and stand up comedy. I loved making people smile, laugh, cry – I just wanted to explore all the things that an audience (and myself) connect with.
At 15, I was cast in a short film in Austin and really caught the film bug. Everything about setting up the shot, lighting it with intention, editing together different takes of performances… I was fascinated by every step and all the work that goes into creating a single moment.
It felt like the first step into that original dream of being Spider-Man, making a movie that people loved the way I loved that series.
At 18, I had been through a few years of professional training as an actor and stand up, and I had left public school to have more flexibility in home school so that I could be available for shoots and training. I went for auditions as much as I could, applied for parts, and that was fun, but I wanted to do more.
I wrote 12 short films and comedy skits over the course of about 3 weeks, hoping to find a team who produces narrative content and would help me build my portfolio. One night, I was looking at a website, trying to find out pricing information, and I just felt God impress on my heart, “Why are you looking for someone else? I sent you.” So I bought a camera, got my hands on some lights and a sound setup, and started planning. I partnered with my local high school, brought on a bunch of A/V Students from their roster, and we shot 5 short films in 3 months. After finishing production, we hosted a fundraiser for a program that works with victims of human trafficking and raise a few thousand dollars showing our short films and some musical guests. All in all, it was a great success for something we did with a budget of about $400. One of those short films, Final Moments, has gone on to get over 1 million views on our youtube channel, and that’s not too shabby for a first time out.
After making those short films, I had to face the reality that there’s not a lot of money in short form narrative content. It’s just one of those things that most wide-eyed kids who get into this business have to accept at some point. But I had a unique perspective on this, because growing up, my dad has always been an entrepreneur at heart. I knew what it was like to run a small business, to have the weight of the world on your shoulders day in and day out, and feel like you really were on your own trying to fight the big guys who can out-spend you in advertising. Heck, my first “job” was selling gourmet coffee door-to-door on my bicycle at 7 years old – I couldn’t compete with Folgers!
But what’s really awesome is that Belton and Temple, never mind Georgetown, Round Rock, Austin… These towns are full of incredible small businesses run by people who are involved in their local communities, People who care about where they live, the people they serve, and are invested in doing business with integrity and honesty. That was who I could serve best.
So I set out to provide advertising and video services to local businesses, trying to give people high production quality without a price tag that would make it completely unreachable for them. We wanted to make commercials for people that looked like they spent like the big guys. For the first few years, I worked other jobs while building a portfolio, but in 2017 I was able to go full time running Solar Flight Productions and have been working with wonderful local partners ever since.
A good amount of the people who hire us quickly become our friends, and we try very hard to lead with a service-oriented attitude. I want the projects we work on to be treated like they’re personal, even if it’s shots of lettuce. We often work as a small team, 2-3 people, but we work hard to make sure that we don’t settle for “good enough”. We often say that it’s your project, but it’s our passion.
I have to give a shout-out to my long time gaffer, Lucas Ward. He’s there for most of my shoots, and he works harder than anyone I know. He’s an absolute beast and a brother.
We do lots of work for local brands like the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, Temple College, Grand Avenue Theater, Fire Street Pizza, the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, and more. Some are more corporate style, some we get to be a little goofy with, but every time we try to go above and beyond so that our clients can be proud to showcase their stories and missions through our work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a small business owner can be tough. There are months where we’re so busy we feel like we’re drowning, and months where it seems that the phone doesn’t ring. This is a very seasonal business, and there’s months where we’ve learned we have to assume that there will be little to do.
The really hard part is staying peaceful no matter what we’re facing. It’s just as hard to stay at peace when you’re busy as it is when you’re struggling to onboard new clients. For me, running a business has become much more of a faith walk than a business walk.
There is wisdom in looking for advice on how to build stability and financial security for your business and your family, but there are times where neither you or anyone else can predict what’s coming next. So you need to do your due diligence, make smart moves, invest wisely, and keep your pipeline full – but you also need to be able to trust that God will provide when one or more of those things inevitably fail on you despite your best efforts. I know not everyone shares in that faith, but for me, it has become the greatest comfort and the thing I value above whatever the numbers say, good or ill.
My wife, Hannah is a ceramicist, and so I’ve been helping her start her own business, Potter’s Paradise. Starting another business while running one already can be a challenge, but we’re both crazy in the sense that we have a dream and we chase it together. I’d be remiss if I called that an obstacle though. We think of it as a way of life!
As you know, we’re big fans of Solar Flight Productions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
If you can point a camera at it, and my mother would approve, we can shoot it!
Solar Flight Productions specializes in broadcast ready professional video content creation. We do commercials, testimonials, narrative content, podcasts, photography, and more.
Whether you’re looking for a curated, scripted commercial or event coverage edited down into bite-sized ads, we’re able to cater to whatever the project calls for and deliver video with that “wow” factor.
Since we have a background in narrative filmmaking and story telling, we always try to introduce something to the process that takes it beyond the standard sit-and-tell interviews. We can work from an idea you have, or work with you to develop something from the ground up. Our goal is to use your voice and amplify it for the world to hear!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that clear language is not harsh language.
When you’re working with a client, saying “no” or clarifying terms is not a bad thing – it makes you both more comfortable! I know that when you’re small, you feel you need to as agreeable as possible just to book the job. But booking the job is not as important as protecting you and your client from misunderstandings. For some clients, you won’t be the right fit – and that’s okay! It’s better to make sure everyone can spend their resources (your time, their investment) where it really works for everyone involved.
So be straightforward, keep everyone happy because they know where they stand. No one likes feeling run over, and as the service provider, that’s your job to manage. Be clear, be kind, and be willing to walk away if you can’t provide what they really need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.solarflightpro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarflightpro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarflightproductions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SolarFlightPro
Image Credits
Garrett Ray, Solar Flight Productions
