We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sam Ramirez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sam, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My definition of purpose is defined by the people around me. I get life, through them. Without the community I have, I don’t think I would be able to continue – my wife, my friends, mentors, family. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that. For a long time, I didn’t either; at least I refused to accept the fact that I had support.
Growing up, I saw my father – maybe – a few hours a night? Some nights not at all. I didn’t hold it against him, though – he was a hard worker. As I grew older, I started to hold a grudge: “why wasn’t he there for us”, “why wasn’t he present”, “he wasn’t a family man” – and it reached it’s peak when I entered the married-stage of life, when I started to notice similar patterns in my own life.
After reaching a point where I couldn’t continue this way – or risk losing everything – I had to pivot my thought process. See, I thought I was alone, I thought it was “me or us” against the world. But in reality, the people that God kept shoving in my life, had a deeper purpose. They, in their own special ways, mentored me into being that “family man” or “hard worker” or “good husband” – these were features that I thought I would never be, because of how I was raised.
I think I’ve always known my purpose…it just took a little village to put the mirror in front of me and remind me of it.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ve always been fascinated by film & television. When I was a kid, I would make little episodic adventures with my toys. I would imagine a whole series of epic movies – even draw fake movie posters. I also always had an eye for cinematic elements – so much so that it bled into my projects. Any thing that had to do with me creating, it had to feel like it was a movie.
When I got my first camera, around the age of 18 or 19, I thought of ways to make money with it. So, I posted on Craigslist “Wedding Videographer – $100 for FULL DAY”. Now if anyone knows the industry…that’s insane. Let’s just say, my prices have never been the same since. Anyway – you could even notice the hints of Cinematic storytelling in those earlier projects.
I started SR Photofilm while I was in college, mostly trying to apply everything that I was learning because it was so fresh. Throughout the years, following trial & error, I was able to build it to a place where it can sustain multiple incomes for a small team. My wife & I made it our full time career about 6 years ago and it’s been a great adventure. We’ve been able to create relationships with so many great vendors and have been able to build such a beautiful team of Cinematographers, Photographers, Florists, Planners & Editors all around the world.
If I’m being honest, we haven’t been very grateful to God for this blessing, and we’ve definitely experienced the sour fruit of that. Recently, we’ve refocused and renewed our passion for this business and we have some tremendous plans in store.
Some of the amazing things we’ve felt energized to offer are:
– seasonal discounts for clients
– Free yearly high-quality Bridal Guides for anyone inquiring about our business & services
– Upcoming workshops on Wedding Planning
– Future workshops on Building A Thriving Wedding Business from the ground up.
I feel like we’re just starting! We’re more excited now than we ever were before and I can’t wait to see what’ll become of this beautiful adventure.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Patience. Persistence. Resilience.
If you’re needing results quickly I’d say that you need to work on patience sooner, rather than later. I think good results come through persistent good-quality work & dedication to that work. See it all the way through, don’t give up on it half-way. Now WHEN trouble comes, you need to be like a stretchy-rubber band. You need to be resilient and roll with the punches. Be proactive and start looking ahead – “we just got hit with multiple cancelations, let’s use this time to offer discounts or incentives for new clients to replace these that canceled”.
The worst thing in the world, in this line of work, is to lie down and be stationary. This is a momentum-based business – and if you’re not capitalizing you’re not growing.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I would say, hands-down, my wife has been the ultimate partner in overcoming challenges. She’s pushed me to go farther than I’ve ever thought I could go. She’s helped me open my eyes to the possibility of new ideas, trends and creative techniques(momentum-based creativity). I think she has a special calling to lift people up; but more than that I think she has a special calling & blessing to make life easier, for anyone she meets. Some day, I hope to be able to give her the life she’s always dreamed of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://srphotofilm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/srphotofilm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srphotofilm
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@srphotofilm
