Meet Janie Griffith | Video Producer, Editor and Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janie Griffith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I consciously worked toward Global Shout Media becoming a reality from the very beginning of my career in video production. Every gig working for someone else was an opportunity to practice my craft. Every failure was an opportunity to learn and do better next time. When various job interviewers would ask, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” the answer that came to mind was never, “Here at this company running so-and-so division” but always “running my own business.” I have always valued working at my own pace and having control over the type of work I spend my days doing, and Dallas-Fort Worth is home to a nearly-limitless supply of companies that benefit from video’s unique ability to educate, communicate and inspire. So five years ago, as soon as I felt ready, I went for it! It’s difficult sometimes and definitely not for everyone, but I haven’t regretted the decision to go into business for myself for a single second.

What should our readers know about your business?
My clientele is diverse: large corporations, small businesses, universities, entertainment outlets and not-for-profits. Video content is a cost-effective way to help any organization achieve their goals, whether that’s through internal corporate communications, distance learning, business-to-business, marketing, sales, networking or education. My job is to take information that can sometimes feel lifeless, technical, or confusing and transform it into something watchable and digestible – which is often a challenge!

My first real video job was producing a monthly training video series for firefighters and other first responders. It was the best boot camp ever! I was given a firefighter’s phone number and a few pages of crazy-boring content I needed to teach the audience. For almost five years, I practiced turning those bare elements into a compelling, informative 30-minute video product that these amazing heroes would want to tune in for every month. Those years have paid dividends as I apply those lessons learned to the communications strategies of top-notch companies like American Airlines, BNSF Railway and Fujitsu and esteemed universities like The New School’s Parsons School of Design and my alma mater, Southern Methodist University.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, selfishly, we’d need to stop by the American Airlines CR Smith Museum to view a short film I produced about the airline’s employees that loops daily in their theater! After that, my favorite spots in the Dallas area are really some of the quietest. I love to spend time outdoors running and exploring. I’d take you to White Rock Lake, Spring Creek Forest Preserve, Joppa Preserve, Bonton Farms (their coffee shop and restaurant are farm-to-table, and they have the cutest goats!), Fair Park, Klyde Warren Park and many more with my tiny-but-mighty Maltese, Waffles, who can run faster and further than I can. I’ve been to the State Fair of Texas every year of my life, even when they were reduced to a drive-through during COVID, so that would be a “must.” The Dallas Tin District is a new hot spot I discovered while producing some video for Meow Wolf. The piece featured a handful of the artists there doing the coolest, innovative pieces in graffiti-covered, tin warehouses. During the annual Art Walk, the studios open their doors and invite you in to see their weird and wonderful work. We could chill and have a drink on the expansive patio at the whimsical Trinity Groves ArtPark right around the corner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe so much of my identity as a business owner to my father, Don. From childhood, he has spurred me to do better and think bigger. For instance, if I said I wanted to work in a flower shop someday, he’d say, “No, you want to own a flower shop.” He had his own business for a few years when I was a teen, and I was fascinated by that. He helped connect me to my first big internship, my first PA role on a real film set – and my company’s website, globalshout.com, is even one of the domains he had reserved for himself to use at some point! He and my mother, Kay, have supported every dream I’ve ever had, no matter how crazy and out-of-reach they seemed to me at the time.

My husband, Barry, has also been a constant support, encouraging me to start the business even though we had a (very expensive) 2-year-old and 6-month-old at home at the time. I sometimes think he has more faith in me than I have in myself, and he always pushes me to level up.

Website: https://globalshout.com

Instagram: @global.shout.media

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiegriffith

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

Other: https://vimeo.com/globalshoutmedia

Image Credits
Bobb Truax