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

Hi Rachael, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Managing risk takes up a substantial amount of time in my life. There is a sick uncertain feeling that you get used to that sits in the pit of your stomach and reminds you that your choices determine whether you eat. There are no rewards without risk in business, so learning how to calculate the odds of your decisions are crucial. Even the smallest risk is a step forward, every triumph and more importantly every failure. On the bright side, the overall confidence you gain from betting on yourself transforms you. You are almost surprised at how brave you can be and you look forward to the next big risk.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
VirtuReel has undergone some major changes in 2020. Like everyone else struggling to manage a business this year, we have had to re-evaluate our practices and creative direction. We are pretty excited about expanding our company into new services that will enhance the events we film and to learn a new aspect of our industry. In December, we will be launching a new collection of custom rental items for 2021. We also plan on taking a new creative direction next year as we focus on becoming more dynamic cinematographers. We have a couple collaborations in the works with fellow wedding vendors that we are VERY excited to explore. Ultimately, we look forward to slowing down from a high-volume wedding videography company into a boutique heirloom film and rental production company. Getting VirtuReel to where it is now did not go according to plan. We still haven’t figured it all out. Success can be as unpredictable as failure. The key for us was to make fast decisions in the beginning. When we had an idea we ran with it until it failed or succeeded. Our quick decision making forced us out into the business world. We didn’t really have time to second guess ourselves and it triggered a “sink or swim” mode mentality. We are eager to take the lessons learned from our journey and apply them to the new VirtuReel of 2021!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In today’s world I would probably ditch the city and spend a week with my best friend “road tripping” around Texas. Starting north having a picnic at Eisenhower state park, Kayaking at Lake Texoma, down to a sunset at Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Go to Fort Worth and dive into different BBQ spots, stopping at random historical markers and Oswald’s grave. Maybe heading south next for some Czech kolaches and into Austin for more hidden food gems stopping at road side attractions as we found them. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up at a Texas beach or in Marfa at El Cosmico. The best trips are ones with no itineraries!

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 have to give ALL of the VirtuReel Productions credit to my business partner Michael. You will never meet a more patient teacher, friend, and movie buff. When I first met Michael, he was making short films with his friend in between shifts at work. I would hear about his movies through the grapevine and I wanted to be apart of something like that. When you talk to Michael about a movie, first off he can remember everything. He has seen it all, can recite lines, color palettes, actors, directors, and will talk to literally anyone about a new trailer. When he talks about or is creating a scene, you see him light up in a way that really inspires you to get to work and build something with him. This is how VirtuReel all started! He has taught me everything I know and I really look forward to what we can build together.

Website: https://virtureelproductions.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtureel_weddings/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirtuReelWeddings
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE4AwLbH2_7Q9_6l_7QNCA?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Xsperience Photography Becky Burleson Photography

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