Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Strayer.
Hi Nate, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
After film school, I began as a filmmaking professional when I moved to LA. I had no connections in the city, so I just DM’d all the music artists I could find on Instagram and told them I was a music video director and would love to be given a shot to direct a music video for them. Out of the hundreds of direct messages sent, only one person answered and didn’t offer me a directing job; he offered me a production assistant job. Throughout that job, I got as much face time with the artist as possible, and by the end, he told me he was glad I came out and would call me to be an assistant on the next one. The director of that music video and that artist had a falling out not too long after, and I got the call to direct his next music video. From there, I started directing.
During the Covid lockdowns, I returned to Michigan, where I grew up, to be with family during that “2 weeks” lockdown period. It turns out it was much longer than that, so I decided to fly up with some of my film friends, and we began writing and shooting my first feature film, “Outlier.” We made that movie for zero money and in limited locations. Once we had a rough edit together, I presented it to some investors and asked for an investment to finish post-production as professionally as possible. I took the film back to LA, got world-class colorists, editors, composers, etc., and finished the movie. It did decent, and I sold the film to Tubi for distribution, which then had my investors asking, “What’s next?” At that point, I decided if I could do the most significant thing in my career outside of LA (Michigan), then there was no reason to live in LA. I started looking at other options and fell in love with Austin. I was also interested in this new technology called “Virtual Production,” which would have made the issues I dealt with during the filming of Outlier extinct. The technology excited me, and the possibility of scaling up any story regarding locations and production value gave me many ideas.
When I finally moved to Austin, I did some market research and found that there needed to be more options for large-scale virtual productions in Texas. So, I pitched to my investors the idea of innovating in the space and opening the largest LED Virtual Production Volume in Texas. It was a big project, so I had to find more money. Eventually, I got the studio off the ground, and we’ve been open for over a year now. We’ve had countless productions with huge clients such as Dell, AMD, Intel, Cadilac, Google, Sega, Air Force, and more, as well as music videos for Hannibal Buress, Danny Brown, Paul Wall, Los Lonely Boys, Shane Smith and The Saints and others. We’ve also done narrative projects with companies like Narwhal Studios, who helped pioneer this technology on projects like “The Mandalorian.” Our time in Texas has been blessed, and we have had the opportunity to work with some fantastic filmmakers and companies. We recently expanded our operation to include the facilities and full production support and added another building to our studio compound. We now have 17,500 sq ft, and still the largest LED Volume in Texas. The future looks like many more productions walking through the doors of Stray Vista and leaving with stories and products they are proud of. We strive for quality not only of the project’s outcome but also of the process. Our favorite word at Stray Vista is excellence; we strive to achieve that in every aspect.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth ride at all. There have been large infrastructure obstacles (building permits, real estate deals falling through, etc.) to overcome, and on a smaller level, every production has hundreds of problems to solve. We are working with a brand-new technology; in many ways, we are leaders in figuring out how it works best. Many factors are a challenge, a fun challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. Nonetheless, as a startup in the challenging world of entertainment and brand-new technology, we constantly need to evaluate and refine our processes to be as smooth as possible for our clients. We care about quality and experience. If we find a way to make the best image possible using our technology, but the experience of doing so could be more enjoyable, we return to the drawing board.
Filmmaking is a dream job. When you have a job that people pay money to be able to do, and you’re making money doing it, that is a dream job. It’s not lost on us how special what we are doing is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with challenges. As a founder and CEO of a company like this, my faith plays a big role in overcoming these obstacles. I feel incredibly blessed to be in my position; the obstacles have been overcome so far. This technology can have a mind of its own, and production is a very stressful job, but assembling a team around you who are willing to stay late to figure out solutions makes our company different. My head of Virtual Production, Ace Patel, is an industry leader in how this technology can be optimized and used for storytelling and advertising. Our Studio Director, Aaron Mouer, has created relationships with clients and local crew that put us on another level with the talent we can attract. Our Head of Production, Zack Stauffer, can turn almost any idea into a well-oiled film production machine. Together with our incredible crews, we can tackle any problem and make mountains look like molehills.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although Stray Vista is at the bleeding edge of a new technology, we recognize that, like all other technology, it is just a tool. We are filmmakers, first and foremost. The tools available keep the end goal: to create an experience for an audience (advertising or entertainment) that transforms, immerses, and challenges them. This industry is all about the audience. Whether we are trying to communicate a brand, product, or story that puts you in the shoes of a character, we put the intention before the technology. We are a team of artists who are at this filmmaking method. Sometimes, we look at a script or an idea and decide to shoot it without the technology our studio was built on. We are fearless of the traditional way of doing things; we think the conventional way is incredible and don’t see ourselves as competition. We view Virtual Production as a problem solver for specific issues. The productions Stray Vista works on are not confined to the walls of our studio (although, inside these walls, we can take you practically anywhere). We also are just a production company that does excellent work anywhere. I am incredibly proud of the quality and intent behind every production we have put our hands on. I am proud of the craftsmanship that comes with a Stray Vista production. Whether producing or hosting a production within our studio, we put the story first, and everything else falls into place.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I can’t share the risks I’ve taken, but I can tell you my risk tolerance is higher than most people. Risk is an essential ingredient in success. To be doing something nobody else is doing, you need to do things that nobody else will do. I think there are two types of risk: calculated risk and gambling. I am not a gambler, but I do love risk. There have been times in my career where I’ve felt underqualified, but I took the risk anyway. This isn’t to say I went in blindly; it just means that I was confident that with the prep time given, I’d be able to acquire the necessary skills to get the job done. The risk comes the moments before the decision is made. Once I decide, though, I must do everything possible to solve the issues I foresaw before starting. If I can spend time and learn something to become better than average at it, I see that as well worth the risk. Once again, my faith plays a huge role in my ability to handle the stresses of a risk. Through prayer, I’ve relied on Christ rather than myself to help make those more challenging decisions because I’m a flawed human being who can only control so much. My faith in Christ gives me confidence that even when something isn’t directly in my control, at least I know its control.
Contact Info:
- Website: strayvista.com
- Instagram: @natestray @strayvista
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-strayer-701a5b123/
