Meet Kristen Leach | Video Producer, Photographer, & Motion Graphics Animator

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

Hi Kristen, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The success of my brand is really driven by authentic storytelling. I love to enter an environment where a story is already playing out & record those real moments. Whether it’s a wedding, corporate event, small business highlight, or behind-the-scenes moments on a film set, my goal is always to capture that couple, company, business, or film crew in the most genuine way & craft a story of who they are. I have always said there are three types of video producers – storytellers, techies, & a mix of the two. To be a great video producer, you have to be able to navigate equipment & software, & you also have to be able to capture emotion & tell a story well. I started out my career with little to no resources & put my efforts into really learning how to tell a story. Now, I have more experience with equipment, more resources, & I can create a story out of almost anything. I’m proud of my ability to see a subject in such an authentic way & tell their story in a way that makes them feel known & valued. My business’s tagline is “Prioritize Your Story” & I truly believe we should all be doing that, because every story is worth being told.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think my art is mostly about people & their stories. I’m really driven by connection & authentic emotion. Our emotions are really stimulated by things like music, art, nature, etc. & I learned early on that I could actually create emotion with my art. I loved the idea of that because I think our society really stifles our emotions & our authenticity.

It has not been easy to get to where I am professionally, & frankly, it’s still not easy. I think artists are always struggling in one way or another, whether it’s financially or something else. Burnout is certainly always a looming issue & the inconsistency of freelance is scary. But I really love the experiences I’ve had & the stories I’ve been able to tell, & I wouldn’t trade my own story for something easier, that is for sure.

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, I would take them to The Woodshed, as it’s one of my favorite places to eat & I love getting to hang out with all the dogs. I would make time for the Fort Worth Zoo, plenty of shopping, & time in the stockyards, of course. I love Reata rooftop bar, trinity trails, & the downtown plaza. I’d make sure they had plenty of tex mex & texas margaritas, as well as a trip to my favorite plant shop, Grow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a degree from the University of Oklahoma in broadcast & electronic media, but my career really began when I got my first internship & started working under a girl named April Kirby. In a very male dominated field, she was a lifeline for me – I was so intimidated by everything & she had so much patience for me & really believed in me. I worked for her for several years & we became great friends. She’s an incredibly talented director now & I will always give her credit for teaching me the foundation to everything I know. I owe her a big thank you & I’m forever grateful for her instruction & guidance.

Website: kristengleach.com

Instagram: @kristenleachcreativemedia

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kristenleachcreativemedia

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

Other: Vimeo.com/kristenleach

Image Credits
Mitzie Sparks (employee of Kristen Leach Creative Media) Kristen Leach, Kacey Gilpin & Tanner Herriot