Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Hight.
Hi Anthony, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got hired as a video editor at a video production company right out of film school. I’ve always had a strong work ethic, and I was hungry and just wanted to learn everything I could about video production. I loved every aspect of the production process. I loved scripting and storyboarding, I loved shooting the videos, and I loved editing them. The company I worked at had you wear a lot of hats. My title may have been Senior Editor, but I also set up AV rentals, edited websites, and shot videos. I got the opportunity to learn everything, and right out of the gate, we were shooting content up at Kennedy Space Center, so I got to see the last few shuttle launches before the shuttle program was shut down. I enjoyed the work but found the work environment was something other than what I enjoyed. I also wanted to change some of the ways we handled our customers. I remember thinking, “We are a video production company – this should be more fun!” So, I set off to start my own video production company. I started small, just shooting things on the weekends and low-budget or non-profit videos for free. Then, when my fiance Tawny got pregnant, we decided to move to California for her to be closer to family. This was when I decided to do Ant Farm Media full-time, so when we moved to California, I hit the ground running with the business.
We struggled for the first year or so and stayed with her parents until we could afford to be on our own. Soon, I started getting higher-end clients and buying better equipment, which allowed us to get our place in Southern California 1-year after moving out there. I started my business 2 years into recovery from drug addiction. I fought for about 9 years until finally getting clean in 2013. Recovery was the foundation of my new life. I felt like I wasted so many years in a fog that I wanted to build something. It was also when I reconnected with Tawny, who would soon become my fiance and wife and could implement healthier habits in my life. I have 10 years clean and in recovery, 2 beautiful daughters, and 8 years in business.
Was it a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not! Haha, I wanted to quit so many times. It can be challenging – running a business is like raising another kid. When your wife is at home taking care of the kids, the pressure is definitely on when you need to put food on the table. Sales is a roller coaster; some months you’re up, and some months you can be down. You only realize what it takes to run a business once you run one. Every step of growth usually comes with additional operational costs in some capacity. It’s a common issue with entrepreneurs, especially creative people, who decide they can start their own business and then realize how much work they want to avoid doing is involved. I got burnt out two years ago and started looking for a job. I worked full-time as a Media Producer at the Kennedy Space Center, producing content for NASA TV broadcasts and internal videos. I was convinced I wanted to do anything except run a business, so I dissolved the company.
NASA TV is unionized, and the Producers were in a different union than the video shooters and editors, so I couldn’t shoot or edit, which was told to me before I started working, and I thought I’d be fine with it. I’ve worked as a producer for many videos in the past where I communicated to crews what to shoot, which was great. But, I realized I derive much of my self-worth from my ability to fill every role. It’s not like I want to always do everything, and love working with a team, but I like to be able to fill any role when I need to. At NASA, I couldn’t even help the crews wrap cable after a shoot was done. I had to watch people edit videos and couldn’t touch them. I felt creatively stifled. I tried to share ideas, but all the real ideas came from the top down, so I felt more like a placeholder than someone who contributed. Even the produced television segments had a script where you’d replace the names from the last media event with the new people’s names. I just sat around and waited for work to come through and be told what to do. I realized that I am most satisfied in a role where I can wear every hat. So, I quit NASA. The people there were amazing, don’t get me wrong. It was a great experience. Who wouldn’t love working at NASA? But it wasn’t for me.
People thought I was crazy to quit NASA. I compared it to what Ben Stiller felt like quitting Saturday Night Live. I heard a story about when he quit; all his friends were like, “How can you quit SNL!?” That’s what my family was like. But I knew I had to follow my bliss. I immediately reinstated Ant Farm Media (which was a headache all on its own) and got back to work. It’s all been worth it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world! Work picked back up, and we currently have a new office on US-1 in Rockledge. Every day and every month has new obstacles and challenges. But you can’t give up. I’ve always been eternally optimistic and see the light at the end of the tunnel. You hang on a little longer when you want to give up because the good stuff is just around the bend. It always improves if you stay positive and keep doing the work. There’s no easy way to do it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Ant Farm Media, Inc. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
Ant Farm Media, Inc. is a Full-Service Global Video Production Agency specializing in Commercial, Corporate, and Conference Videography, Live Streaming and Hybrid Event Production, In-Person Event production, and Virtual Video Production. We are B2B, so we don’t do Weddings or Birthdays or anything like that; we like to stay in the corporate and government sectors. It’s easier this way, as people tend to try to lower your prices more, and it can even take longer to pay your invoices. Corporations and Government organizations are much easier to deal with. We love what we do and put 100% into every project. We take on only a few projects to focus on one at a time. This can cause pricing to be slightly higher, but we ensure you’re delighted. We want you to be happy with our work and work with you every step of the way to ensure we’re on the same page and share the same vision. There are a lot of excellent video production businesses around, and we like to think there’s enough work for everyone, so we don’t consider anyone competition. Everyone has their own style, and we consider everyone as a contemporary in this industry. When I started the business and moved out to California, I thought I’d need help thriving in such a saturated environment. We were able to acquire a lot of new partners through word of mouth and deliver high-quality services and high-end final products. We’re proud to put our logo behind all of our products. If you’re a business, who needs to market themselves or tell their company’s story – check out our website and see if we’re a good fit!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Everyone in my life has supported me so much. My wife and kids have always been my biggest champions and love sporting Ant Farm Media shirts at every chance. My wife’s parents were the most help of anyone, as they let us stay with them the first year we were out in California as I worked on growing the business and we raised our first daughter. Without them, none of this would have been possible. They’ve seen our struggles over the years and have been some of the biggest supporters. But honestly, all of my friends have been my champions and supported my recovery and business development journey. And, of course, our clients. We have many repeat clients who are so supportive and love working with us, which is something I’m thankful for and incredibly proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AntFarmMedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antfarmmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntFarmMedia/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ant-farm-media-inc./
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Antfarmmedia
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/rockledge/profile/video-production-services/ant-farm-media-inc-0733-90794779#sealclick
Image Credits
Ant Farm Media, Inc.
