We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Redic II and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I was young I always had an interest in media. Games, anime, film, drawing all of it. I never truly pursued any of those interests once I turned 18 however. I went to work in corporate America. I had taken some business and sales courses while I attended Central Texas College and my brother Jerry was going to ACC for commercial music management. He needed help writing a business plan and asked me to help him with it. I basically told him to burn it and start over. I remembered however at that moment, all of the times we discussed film and media and gaming. So I told him I’d write it for him, but it would be on a multimedia company, not just a commercial music company. He accepted and his teacher gave him an A for the paper. That’s when I knew I had a workable idea. We went out and get a DBA right after that. My thought process was that I could sit on the sidelines and Watch people do something entertaining, or I could get in the game and own a piece of the pie. I just thought it made more sent to get on the field and build something that future generations could benefit from.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ballistic Blade Entertainment LLC is a minority/100% veteran and military brat owned action choreography and video production company based out of Austin, Tx. We are about as TEXAN as it can get. We didn’t acquire our skills from a class room but from directly out of the dirt. We worked hard, read and listened to every bit of information about the film business that we could, received absolutely no handouts and fought to become relevant in the spaces we occupy. I was always into martial arts, dance and physical movement in general. To boost our companies profile I put all those talents and my body to use in whatever way would get me seen. That wasn’t always easy because I quickly found out that everyone isn’t into collaborating. Many of the groups involved in film and stunts especially were very cliquish. I felt that being from a smaller film market meant we should be the opposite of that. We should be Hyper Collaborative and we went about proceeding with that mindset at the forefront. We received a ton of support from people once they realized that we weren’t just playing around with this and once they got a feel of the energy we brought to the table. We want everyone to win and we try to exemplify that in all our dealings. There is more than enough room at the table for all of Texas to eat. The Austin Action Fest & Market LLC was born out the lack of business sophistication that I saw in our film community. Everyone had a camera. Everyone had taste and skill. But it seemed very few on the Independent level could market and sell their completed projects. Even less than that could put together the budget to get their ideas produced. We sought to step in and help with that. We are still educating ourselves on the best ways to help these Filmtrepreneurs be financially viable and create sustainable business models in our field. Our story isn’t a matter of luck. It’s a matter of tactics. It’s a matter of mobility, strategy and ferocity. The internet is undefeated so you might as well put it to good use. All of the information is out there. Success in 2021 and beyond is no longer only about who gets the lucky break. It’s about who will break their mental paradigm in search of solutions that work for them. Who will break their back doing the dirty, unsexy work. We aren’t special. This is a beautiful thing for everyone to realize because if that’s the case, then everybody has a shot at success. You just need to define what success means to you then Get After It!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So first off it would be summer. Not this craziness we’ve been dealing with. We’d hike the greenbelt a little, find one of the falls, bring a party speaker, snacks and craft beer ( We have standards in our 30’s) and chill out for a few hours. If we’re willing to make the trip, head south to Gruene, Tx and float the river. This always a good time. Dry off in 2.38 minutes in the Texas heat and head to 5T Firehouse BBQ and get some ribs and brisket. If it’s a well planned situation, I might have to take them to one of the Renaissance faires. Drink mead and nerd out with jousting, sword fights and all kinds of medieval pageantry. Completely in costume of course. That night we marshal the troops and get dressed for a night out on the town. I would take them to see the iconic 6th street and lights of downtown Austin. We would then check out Rainey and then head back to the Domain to finish the evening with a touch more sophistication. We’re still dancing though. If you come out with me there Will be dancing. That night we find some all night diner like a Denny’s or Ihop and laugh about the crazy day we just had.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My brothers in Ballistic Blade Entertainment LLC that believed that we could do ANY of this. The Indie Film Hustle podcast and Alex Ferrari for providing us with much of the business knowledge we needed to succeed.

Website: www.ballisticblade.com

Instagram: @BallisticBladeEnt

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ballistic-blade-entertainment

Twitter: @AustnActionFest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballisticbladeentertainment

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTj8dMJCYGspDLOogCUZuMg

Other: www.AustinActionFest.com

Image Credits
Allison Sullivan, Jerry Brooks, Edwin Quinones

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