Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Shields.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Everything really started when I was about 12 years old. My dad would always film all of our family vacations on a camcorder that recorded to a cassette tape. We would sit around and watch several hours of video from start to finish. I figured there had to be a better way to rewatch our family adventures. That’s when I discovered video editing. At the time, I was just using Windows Movie Maker to throw in highlights from the trip and add some music in the background. My family was amazed at how much more engaging this style of video was compared to several hours unedited on cassette tapes. In that same year, my school was doing a video editing contest for veterans day. I figured I would give it a shot and enter. I ended up getting first place and winning prize money. I realized that I really enjoyed working with video and editing to tell a unique and effective story. By time I got to high school, I was part of the video announcements team, filmed high school football games and would always record silly videos with my friends. I never really thought of pursuing videography as a career and thought of it as more of a fun hobby.
I ended up going to Texas State University and pursuing my undergraduate degree in Public Relations. During my time in college, I took on a lot of freelance gigs working on websites, filming events, and taking photos. I decided to turn this into a small business called Sara Shields Media Production. Finishing off my last semester, I found that I didn’t really want to pursue a career in Public Relations. So I finished up my classes, graduated and dove straight into grad school to get my Master’s degree in Digital Media. While I was doing my Master’s at Texas State, I took classes related to web design and video production and knew that this was something I wanted and needed to pursue as a career. I also taught courses such as Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media and Web Design and Publishing while pursuing my Master’s. After graduation, I took on a full-time marketing job in New Braunfels while still teaching part-time at Texas State and running my own production business.
Fast forward to 2019 and I started teaching full-time at Texas State University teaching classes such as Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media, Web Design and Publishing, Media Design, Visual Storytelling and Advanced Social Media and Analytics. I am still currently teaching at Texas State and pursuing my passions through my business. Right as the pandemic hit in 2020, I decided to rebrand with a name change from Sara Shields Media Production to Pixels Creative Media. We are currently offering web design, videography and photography services.
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?
It’s been surprisingly somewhat of a smooth road. I’ve hit a few bumps along the way and learned from them. Some of my original struggles were the business/admin side of things. I had files everywhere, physically and digitally. Communication was all over the place. Tracking income and setting pricing for my services was a constant struggle. Now I am a well-seasoned pro and extremely organized. I use third-party services like Honeybook to communicate with clients and send contracts, Zoho for invoicing, expense tracking and logging working time, Google Drive to store project files, Notion to make important notes and timelines on specific projects and so many other great life-saving apps and software.
We’ve been impressed with Pixels Creative Media, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pixels Creative Media is a creative business primarily offering services such as web design, videography and photography. We also offer consulting, branding and social media strategy. We’ve built simple and complex websites for salons, logistics companies, photographers, motivational speakers, catering companies and so much more. We’ve produced beautiful wedding videos, engaging commercials, creative graduation videos, and fun short films. We’ve captured photos of graduating students, families, models, products. That’s just a shortlist. We’re always excited to take on new projects.
What sets me apart from so many others is that I come from BOTH the creator and the educator background. Not only am I regularly practicing my craft, but I’m also teaching it on a regular basis. This keeps me up to date in each of these industries. I’m always making sure course material stays relevant while also enabling students to gain high-level skills. The educator part of me absolutely comes out when I’m working with clients. Our ideal client is someone who would appreciate this, as well as exceptional communication skills.
What makes me most proud of my business is that I am always transparent, honest, and friendly upfront. I want my clients to feel that they can easily approach me and trust my word. I want them to truly enjoy our process together while also becoming educated on the subject matter – whether that’s spending 8 hours together during their most special day or working for weeks on a big website project. Through all my services, I work with my client’s step by step along the way making sure they don’t get left behind, confused, or upset.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
So many people deserve credit, but I’ll make this short. My family has been my biggest support system. Ever since I was a child, they provided me with the tools to go down this path of creativity. They always pushed me to be the best I can be. They gave me the freedom to learn from my mistakes, which makes me a better person today.
I also owe a lot of credit to those who taught me. My yearbook and video announcement teachers from high school. My professors from my undergraduate degree. My Digital Media professors from my master’s program. I would absolutely not be where I am today without them challenging me and encouraging me to believe in myself.
Pricing:
- Web Design Services: $100 Per Hour
- Wedding Videography: Starting at $2,400
Contact Info:
- Email: sara@pixelscreativemedia.com
- Website: https://pixelscreativemedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixelscreativemedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pixelscreativemedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7yWJcRV3cEUiCBZ7oGQfcQ
Image Credits:
Bio photo taken by: Witte Idea All others taken by myself
