We created 2:1 Studios in July of 2016 while we were living in Arlington, Texas. I had graduated in May and was then teaching reading development. Olivia was going back to Lubbock in August to finish her last semester of college. We wanted to start expressing our creativity more often.
So, we started a photography business. At first, all we shot were pet portraits. Our prices were low and any profit we made we donated the proceedings to AWI anyway. We weren’t doing it for the money, but the experience.
We loved getting to take pictures of people’s pets. Word of mouth spread pretty quickly, and we had the opportunities to photograph all kinds of animals: dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, alpacas, donkeys, chickens, and even an aoudad!
We started shooting senior portraits, couple’s portraits, and artistic portraits as well. Then, it came time for Olivia to go back to Lubbock. And I joined her.
We continued freelancing to pay the bills, when one day our university advisor shared an email with us. It was from a couple looking for a wedding videographer. They were wondering if any film students wanted the opportunity.
And their wedding was the first wedding we ever filmed. We were nervous. We wanted to do a good job but had limited gear. We weren’t super confident in our videography skills, including editing. No matter what we were going to give them our best and try to share our perspective.
We immediately felt welcomed by the couple, and the enjoyment of the experience was everlasting. We put together a best wishes video for the couple. I asked all the bridesmaids and groomsmen to step in front of the camera one-by-one and talk to the camera as if the couple were watching from a month after the wedding.
With all their video letters, we edited an extra video that we would deliver with the finalized films. It was a total surprise! They had no idea we had done that, and no one in their party had said anything about it happening. The couple was so thankful and so happy we put that together. We are forever grateful for them. They inspired us to keep going. Even 2 years later, they, and all the couples we have worked with, inspire us to keep going.
From that first wedding on, 2:1 Studios started filming weddings. We booked 15 in our first year. We took anything we could get and made the best of it. Most of our clients were friends of friends or family friends.
During this time, we also branched out and tried commercial videography. We produced videos for coffee shops, local gyms, and construction businesses. We built up a portfolio, as well as our skills. However, we quickly realized what we enjoyed more: weddings.
So, we changed our business model entirely to make sure our passions lined up with our professional purpose.
2:1 Studios is a wedding videography team whose collective passion is to capture togetherness, communion, and the divine chemistry of your unique love. We offer a thoughtful, cinematic take on emotion. We aren’t big on being “flashy” because there is always more story to tell than what fits into a trend.
Our purpose is to help celebrate the togetherness and support surrounding your love story. A lot of videographers don’t focus on family and friends, but we do.
We’re all about the details. We think every piece of your big day is important because you choose how you want it to be. Every little thing means something to you, so every little thing means something to us.
We are based in Texas and willing to travel.
We are available to set up initial consulting meetings in person free of charge, as well as calls via FaceTime or Skype free of charge.
Congratulations on your special love. We are so happy for you!
We look forward to speaking with you!
- Jacob & Olivia