A story of turning the creative desire into a video production business
This July, it’s been exactly two years since I shot my very first video and decided to build a video portfolio to add that to my business. Only then, I had absolutely no idea how it would turn out, and that video production will be the main focus of my professional life. The sentiment of this memory made me wanna share the story of how Noisy Creations were born and what’s the behind-the-scenes of what it is today. As you might remember, in March this year, we only celebrated the second birthday of our business, but even though the journey is not that long, heaps have happened over that time, and I feel like it’s a good moment to reflect on that. After over two years of running Noisy, this text is also an opportunity to share insights on starting a business in a new country, the learning curve of the unknown realm of filming, and what it is that excites me the most in the video production process.
How it all started
I always wanted to do something on my own. I always liked trying new things, changing, and discovering. I could never do just one thing and always struggled to settle into the same everyday tasks. I’ve been doing many different things over the years, but the one thing they had in common was that they were always fueled by the desire to create. When I started thinking about opening a business, I was still working full-time but had heaps of side gigs going on. In addition to being an event manager, I worked in the Krakow Music Scene Foundation doing many music business-related projects and - of course - making music on my own in a couple of bands. The idea of compiling all that into the business was with me for years, I just never had the guts to do it. As for many people, the extra motivation came with reflecting on my skill set during the covid pandemic. All of a sudden, I had to change my approach to events and wasn’t sure anymore if that profession had any future. So I dove into learning new skills, which at that time were UX and UI. I finished a couple of courses and started doing projects on the side while still working at HCM Deck. The very first idea for the business was a marketing/digital agency focusing on web design and content combined with music. This way, Noisy Creations was born and officially registered in March 2021 back in Poland. I was brainstorming around the name with the word“creativity” in mind, and one day it just came to me! I’m really proud of that one 😉At that time, I didn’t even think that video production would be a part of it, not to mention that it would become Noisy’s main focus! It changed a couple of months later when Aneta and I went to Costa Rica for a month-long trip. While preparing for the adventure, I thought that Noisy needed something extra creative and that adding video production to the services would be a good idea. The plan was to make Noisy a 360° agency targeting new businesses to help them with video, website, events and marketing in general. Very ambitious! 😊We bought a gimbal for our iPhones and shot the video with zero skills. Our Costa Rica travel video was the first one I planned, shot, edited and graded all by myself. I knew very little about video production back then, even though, as a musician, I’ve produced a couple of music videos and learned the basics while doing online events. It quickly turned out that video production would suck me in completely and become not only my new profession but my passion at the same time. Back in mid-2021 it still wasn’t clear that I’ll bet everything on video. What was clear, though, was that we were relocating abroad. Far away!
Moving Down Under
By the time we went to Costa Rica, we already knew that Aneta had gotten a job offer in Australia, and we would take that big step to change our lives. It was obvious that the fledgling Noisy Creations would have to change its headquarters too. Sounds challenging? Well, it was! And it still is. On January 6th 2022, we landed in Sydney, our new home, and Noisy got registered as a business two weeks later. The business’ profile at that time was still pretty wide, and I started looking for clients for web design, marketing, events and video production. I’ve quickly realised that, like any creative business, a crucial aspect of finding clients is the network. And after landing in Australia, my professional network counted exactly 0 people, and I won’t lie to you - it was scary. I was reaching out to people through a couple of friends living in Sydney, but I landed my first gig only two months later! In the meantime, I was considering other options, and I was also looking for job offers. After a couple of interviews and offers, something was still telling me that I should stick to Noisy. Aneta and I decided that the only option was to go full into business, no matter how hard it seemed. Every business requires patience, time, persistence and hard (in a smart way!) work. I’ve quickly realised that focusing on so many things at once will only make me average at all of them. So after the first couple of clients, who were only interested in video, I changed the business profile completely and stuck to video production only. And it was, in a way, a real relief, and it helped a lot with many things, including the frustration of defining what Noisy really is. It’s been over a year and a half since we moved to Australia, and it’s been nothing but great in every aspect. It’s so beautiful and full of adventures, so whenever we can, we explore this land and absorb every second of it. The business isn’t easy, I have to admit. The video production market is extremely competitive in Sydney, but hey, there’s still a place for everybody, and it's absolutely not saturated yet. Every day is a new challenge but I try to appreciate it and use every opportunity.
The learning curve
Moving to the land under wasn’t the only challenge for Noisy Creations. One of the biggest ones was to gain the two crucial skill sets as soon as possible. One was business skills, and the second one was related to video production itself. New country, no connections and a business that was based on something I had very little experience in - that was a real deep dive! The complexity of video production can be overwhelming. And even though I was on film sets multiple times in the future, you only appreciate how many things must be taken care of once you are on the other side of the camera. Noisy Creations covers end-to-end productions so I had to learn producing, filming, editing, colour-grading, directing, story-telling, literally everything! And I had to learn it fast in order to deliver high-end quality to my clients. With video production skills, the beginnings are really hard and the learning is slow because of many things to remember and a constant need to practice, experiment and discover. It is also a never-ending story because the world of video is constantly changing, and it doesn’t only relate to technology but channels and forms too. And that’s one of the things that make video production super exciting! Let’s take a moment to look at colour grading, which is my total obsession. When I first started doing that, I had very little knowledge about it. DaVinci Resolve looked like a spaceship but I thought, “ok, it’s just about mastering that beast”. Nope, it isn’t. In order to understand and absolutely nail colour grading, you have to learn not only the tools and how to use them, but you have to spend some time on colour theory too. There are so many different aspects of it, like colour profiles, different colour spaces, gamuts, and a crazy thing like how the colours can look different on various devices (sic!). The first steps are usually very frustrating and not good at all. But after doing it for a while and letting your creativity speak, it can be real magic!
Learning how to actually run a business isn’t an easy ride either. During the very first months, I could really only depend on myself and the resources I could find online. And I was basically following my guts. But it is simply impossible to be good at everything, and 24 hours are not enough to take care of everything. Even though I have some marketing experience, I found it really hard to be effective while doing the whole video production thing. That’s why last year, Noisy’s team got bigger by Monika, who’s taking care of the Noisy marketing. That helps me to focus on video skills and other strategic parts of the business. Like with video, doing business means constant learning. And yeah, there are tools that have been working for years and there are heaps of “magic guides” and one-of-a-kind sales systems, but the bottom line is, you have to find your own way. And that means mistakes, frustration, ups and downs. But it’s all ok when you realise that what you do is what you love and it’s actually a dream come true - I always wanted to do it, right?
Reborn again
So video production wasn’t the original plan for Noisy and I’ve recently started thinking about what exactly happened that I got to it, and what it is that I like about it so much. First of all, videography requires a lot of creativity and I guess that’s what was calling me unconsciously. Bringing ideas to life is one of the most important drivers for me, and using creativity differently through video was really tempting. Doing videos is similar to making music, there are so many layers and pieces that you’re working with, and the final effect can be different every time you make a decision to add or subtract something. The longer I’m doing videos, the more I see how complex the whole process is. Being a videographer requires learning a little bit of everything, from scripting, through lighting to post-production. Depending on the gig you’re landing, sometimes you work solo, sometimes being responsible for just one element, working in a larger team. Both scenarios are great and both are equally valuable, teaching different things. Another reason why I dig doing videos is that you have to go out to film. And after the whole covid thing and working from home, it’s truly amazing. Not that I don’t like working from home - it’s great. But going out to work with other people and having that real human-to-human interaction is totally awesome! Plus, whenever you go out and shoot, you’re meeting someone new and expanding your network, which is super important in running a business. Video production is also about constant learning. Every production, every video, no matter how big or small, is a new lesson and gives you countless possibilities to go about things. I have learned so many things over the last two years, it’s amazing. And learning, in this case, is really fun! Colour grading is, without a doubt, my biggest discovery and another form of art to me that I love to communicate with. You’d be surprised how the colour can change the perception of what you’re looking at, and again - how many possibilities you have every time you start grading. I feel really lucky that I followed this path, and it’s great to be genuinely excited every time I open DaVinci and start editing and grading. Despite the challenges and difficulties, it’s all going in the right direction, and I know the decisions made on the way were right. The biggest win in all of that is that Noisy Creations isn’t just a business to me, but it has become my new passion too.
Watch one of the latest productions for Sticky Fingers Surry Hills
The last two years have been a ride, that’s for sure! ‘Challenge’, ‘change’ and ‘unknown’ could easily be the hashtags to describe that period. But at the end of the day, it’s been nothing but great, and it was a chance to redefine myself and my professional life. Well, it’s kinda about the private side too, isn’t it? 😉 The shift from the original plan to what Noisy Creations is today was massive, but it was all for good, and I wouldn’t make different decisions. There are still a lot of things to do, new things to learn, more goals to achieve and that’s great. With each new project, each learning opportunity, and every connection made, Noisy continues to flourish, driven by the vision of a dream that is slowly but steadily turning into reality. The blurred ideas and ever-changing descriptions turned into something I stand for and am confident about. So how do I picture Noisy in 5 years time? More than anything, I want it to be ready to face more challenges, explore new horizons, and be driven by passion and delivering extraordinary results. Amen! Big thank you to all the people supporting me through this journey, and even bigger thanks for knowing that I can still count on you!
I'd love to learn more about you and your company to design your video strategy with you. Noisy Creations is one-stop-shop for video production excellence and we specialize in creating videos that don't just look great, but drive real results for your business. Book a call and let’s make some noise for your not-just-another corporate video!