We recently connected with Fred Duncan Jr and have shared our conversation below.
Fred, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
“The creation of FamilyThruTies Entertainment came from a collective group of guys who saw our passion as friends who just wanted to see each other succeed,” says CEO Fred Hundo. Frederick Duncan and Nathaniel Gleaton aka Mula, then founded the company and brand in 2018 which the two didn’t care about the name as much as they cared about the business. Within a year, at a time that business seemed like it was going downhill is where the two CEOs saw themselves soaring from their demise. FamilyThruTies Production was created when Fred Duncan, also known as Hundo, was an aspiring rap artist wanted to take a seat in many chairs and saw himself directing his own music videos. From the concepts to the angles to the dialogue and characters, FamilyThruTies Production became an organic creation. Lead by Hundo, he wanted to find himself working around creatives who were either as eager as himself or more skilled than he was at shooting film. That’s when he met the drone extraordinaire Marcus Hampton and later met the his favorite cinematic shooter Theron Buchanon aka Sour. Both Marcus and Sour each have their own prospective companies, All Done Everything (Marcus) and SourEffect (Sour) which was perfect for Frederick and Nathaniel because the two CEOs were focused more on bringing talent to the family business. This is when FamilyThruTies Production found its purpose.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
FamilyThruTies Production is a film and videography company who thrive in bringing the brilliance out of an idea and making it eye popping. Since Hundo, Marcus and Sour became one, working together seems second nature to them. They also use other creatives when needed to shoot or enhance the audio and lighting for their films. Most customers become clients because they never imagined their vision being brought out the way these three do it. Marcus who lives in Alabama, prides himself on his amazing angles and shooter’s eye with multiple drones and cameras. Sour is a sharp shooting beast and editor. While Hundo is a storyline and editor phenom. Each of the cameramen all have different perspectives but when their videos comes together, it is magic and money in the bank. With 3 years under their belt working together and over a decade worth of experience, the big three feel like their best work is yet to come. FamilyThruTies Production specializes in music videos, weddings, commercials and short films to name a few of their individual/ collective works.
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?
“I’d say when we huddle together and start talking about the next shot, then break away from that huddle, it’s going to be trouble. Because I can trust everything their about to do. I don’t have to look over them to make sure their doing right because the trust we have for each other is impeccable,” says Director Hundo. Fred Hundo also believes their willingness to still train and learn new creative film techniques are the key component that drives their success. “Sour, he be sending me all kinds of filmmakers to learn from and always shows me new techniques to make us all better. And Marcus is always training and skilling me on how to take drone shooting to the next level” It’s clear Marcus, Sour and Hundo have something to prove. “The last thing is we refuse to fall short. We don’t want to be happy for second or third place. We want the number one spot in Atlanta and surrounding areas, says Hundo. From their trust to training to believing their the best, FamilyThruTies Production is a powerhouse production force to be reckoned with.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
With the addition of our production team and service, it gave our other businesses a way to be seen and heard. For example you get to see artists work live in FamilyThruTies Studio. Big Trill and Hundo created Everything Atlanta Podcast which talks about everything happen in and around Atlanta plus it’s funny as hell. In addition, the creatives of FamilyThruTies found a lane to express themselves and put out their own platforms. The creatives we speak about is Yoxee who is an artist and Rel who is an entertainer and the brand ambassador for FamilyThruTies. Yoxee started choreographing his own music videos, interviews and photoshoots. And Rel got to launch his own show Rel Drop That Sh*t which puts huge emphasis on music reviews for underground music artists where he interviews & showcases artists in a major way. We wouldn’t be anywhere we are without these two creatives helping FamilyThruTies see other avenues to reach out to.
The man behind the scenes that really makes sure FamilyThruTies Production and FamilyThruTies Entertainment is number one is Nathaniel Gleaton aka Mula. “Mula is always making sure we have shirts every time we service a client. He sets meetings and direction to us that we couldn’t do alone. I know for a fact I’d be nothing without my right hand Mula.” Nathaniel, the co-CEO of FamilyThruTies Entertainment recently created his own company and clothing brand called YMula Customz and is making a mark in the fashion world. He also oversees the direction FamilyThruTies Production is going from bringing food props on set, casting calls and contacting important business partners to help FamilyThruTies Production soar to the top. “One time, we had a wedding to shoot. Mula made shirts minutes before the team needing to be in route to film the wedding just so we walked in with cohesiveness. Man when I say Mula comes through, I mean just that,” says Hundo. It’s great to see a team work together and have individuals pick each other up where one may be lacking and it’s clear that Nathaniel is a key piece to the success of FamilyThruTies Production.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familythruties/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familythruties
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@familythruties
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/family-thru-ties-lithonia
Image Credits
FamilyThruTies Production, SourEffect, Marcus Hampton Photography, JGR Photography
