a self-guided interview on personal branding

What does my project do? How would You sum it up to someone you don’t know? be as concise as possible.

Guts Media is a small production company that specializes in photography and commercial video production.

1. How does My project do it? How does that project operate on a day-to-day basis?

Guts Media Operates by hiring industry-recommended professionals for client projects that call for the specialization of particular roles. The day-to-day operation of Guts Media looks like a freelancer who packs their equipment a week, works, and packs it all again before call time.

1. What is my project‘s main purpose? Remembering your project’s purpose will motivate you.

The Company’s main purpose is to help tell stories of marginalized people- while still maintaining the messages of hope, and positivity for developing communities.

1. Who is my project for? This is all about your audience—who are you targeting? What sort of customer or client do you think you’ll attract?

Guts Media is for people who want to tell their stories in authentic and cinematic ways. I attract lots of down-to-earth clients and families.

1. Why is my project here? why did you want to start this project? Pinpoint the main reasons

Guts Media is here for several reasons- all of which are pretty invested in my emotions. One of the main reasons was a creative therapeutic outlet for me in high school. I got my first camera during my freshman year of high school, and honestly, it’s part of what kept me sane through it all.

1. How would I describe my project’s personality? Thinking of your project as a person will help you communicate with the right audience. Is it loud or quiet? Reserved or friendly? Assertive or modest?

I think Guts Media is a quiet and reserved type of person. Speaking out only when truly necessary, however, in day-to-day activities, I think Guts Media is quite assertive while still being approachable and friendly.

1. What tone or voice does my project have? Think about your intended audience. If your project could speak, how would it be? Would it be chatty or formal? Authoritative or confiding? Serious or lighthearted?

Out of these options, I think Guts Media speaks in a confiding and lighthearted manner. I like to keep things relatively chill and fluid. However, that can’t always be the case, depending on the scenario and situation.

1. What do I ( And my project ) Value most? What is the single most important thing about this project to you personally? it could be profit, making a difference, being the best in your field, or something else entirely.

I think what I truly value most in my pursuit of maintaining this project is longevity. The field of photography and cinema is so new that I want to grow with it. And what I value most on a brand and company level is - telling the stories of the little guy gives the marginalized a platform to be heard.

1. What Makes My Project Different? Consider the unique qualities your project has which could benefit your audience. this is key because your uniqueness sets you apart from the competition

Without a doubt, I think what sets me apart from the rest of my photographic competition is that I often work on film sets where I’m actively involved in learning how to light certain scenes and scenarios.

1. Which brands do I Admire the most? Learn from brands you like. Are the staff always friendly? Do they post great content on social media? do they make you feel part of a community? the brand doesn’t need to be a part of your sector.

These days, I’ve been paying a lot of attention to New Balance Numeric and the work of Kyle Camarillo. I’ve spoken to him once or twice and even sent him some of my skate photography, so yeah, I would say they are nice and most definitely make you feel a part of a community.

2024 - An Overview

In retrospect, I’m starting my year not bound by pent-up emotions, but with a little bit of cash in my pocket, a new job, and a polished career path.

The process of my saving was already in the works, as if Jesus Christ himself put these plans into motion. In March of 2023, I officially began my freelancing career, and in January of 2024, thanks to my long-time friend and mentor, Jackson Tubbs, I solidified that dream and started hanging out with the big leagues—working as a Production Assistant on the newly announced TV show Baylen Out Loud, premiering on TLC on January 13th at 9 pm EST and 8 pm Central. So, for the latter half of this past January, Guts Media, as a company, was taking a bit of a well-deserved break, but I, as a creative, was fully invested in what I had been privileged to be a part of.

In February, things took an unexpected turn. I received an email from a local business owner regarding a commercial for their second daycare location. For the Winchester locals, the daycare is called Tee Spot Drop-in-Play. They took over the old vet clinic on the corner of Berryville Ave and Battle Ave. Off the bat, it was a pretty daunting task, but I thought about it not as a young and hungry creative but as a sure-fire businessman. I considered the people I had connected with during the two weeks of shooting Baylen’s pilot episode.

My mentor is a sound engineer, with 12 tried-and-true lav mics and the best boom arm I’ve ever seen; then there were two new faces whom I can’t wait to work with again. Tom, a DP, whom I drove to Ellicott City, Baltimore, from Charlestown, West Virginia, to see for a third camera body, was a stellar Director/DP for my first professional video project. He even put together a script in virtually 48 hours. The lesson learned here is to never give a client full creative control—there’ll be a lot of learning curves. Then there’s Madison, the AC/DIT on the pilot set, who turned out to be a pretty good storyteller and editor. After speaking with each of them and coming to terms and agreements, the ball was rolling. As Jackson would put it, I was becoming a small forest fire. The shoot itself went flawlessly, and the client loved their slice of movie magic. Voilà, the fire was lit again.

In March, I was called back to PA on some pickups for the show. For the most part, I held cute pups and showed Tom the pictures from the last shoot date. Season 1 began shooting in June of 2024, so I only had a couple of months to make a move outside the help of Jackson.

In pursuit of that forest fire, I also started taking the advice of DPs before me and joined lots of filmmaking Facebook groups. That’s where the next chapter of my freelancing journey began. I met a gaffer-DP duo, Brian and Rob from Croydon, PA, in NatGeoHappy, one of the many Facebook groups I joined. Brian needed a PA in late March for a commercial shoot in Lynchburg, VA. Tom saw the post and recommended me, along with Ramya, an Assistant Director whom I had also met briefly during the pilot. From then on, Brian and I worked right up until the time of my writing this.

Working with Brian and co. has taught me incredible things—not just about filmmaking itself but also about client and team appreciation. He’s brought me out to Southern VA twice, DC a couple of times, and even a full week’s worth of work in North Carolina, helping his team out at UNC-Chapel Hill this past October. This led me to my part-time job search for the winter months. I went knocking at Winchester City’s door in November, and by December 7th, I became their new and first A/V specialist, responsible for all things video-related. I’m just now settling into the position, but my first few weeks haven’t been bad at all.

Unless you’re on a long-term project, you’re looking at a typical net 30 payment schedule, meaning you get paid 30 days after the work has been completed. Most of the industry is okay with that, and I am too—it makes sense. Though in a world where not everything does, having a boss who looks out for you and takes care of you is everything in this industry. Shoutout to Brian, Rob, Davey, and the 360 Digital Studios crew. It’s amazing to work for such a great group of individuals and teams alike.

Shooting a season of any show was something I had never dreamed of, let alone done before. Showing up every day and being around Baylen, the cast, and the crew was a gift. As a person who openly struggles with Tourette Syndrome, she is a walking embodiment of the “you can do it” mentality. There have been so many times on set when I’ve felt compelled to simply say, “Thank you, Jesus,” because the amount of strength it takes to go on national television, tell your story, and tell it proudly is unfathomable in the culture of social media. I love that Baylen defined her narrative and encouraged so many people to do the same. I couldn’t have made it through without the help of familiar faces like Jackson and Dev, who hired me the first time around, as well as the kind and patient folks I met on the first day of Season 1: JB, Jack, and Taylor. Thanks, boys, for keeping it light and showing me how to use a carabiner. A big thanks, especially to Michael Levitt, for shouting out my mom at the dinner table back in January and giving me the chance to be on your show.

Along with all of this, I was also booking clients and shooting personally. Lightroom says I shot 10,000 photos this past year. I know for a fact lots of those photos were from events my mom hosted and planned, maybe one or two concerts, and a few portrait sessions for local talent. I booked three weddings in total this year, one of those being a video project back in April. Around this time, I had also been planning Lem and Lilly’s wedding, set for this past August, as well as being a contender for the late July wedding of Breanna and Thomas. Helix and Lem were the most supportive this year, brothers booking me back-to-back for different projects—video and photo alike. Guts Media wouldn’t have survived the year if not for these two trusting me with their whole hearts.

2024 has been nothing short of a legitimate miracle. I truly have no one else to thank except for Jesus Christ himself. I ended 2023 on some pretty shaky terms with myself, working through all the hurt I was feeling. I looked at photography and cinema with puppy-dog eyes, begging to be saved—and for once, I was.

Top 5 Of Summer ‘24

Between June and August, I got called back to set working on a TV show filming around my area. During that time, I stopped taking on clients besides two weddings I had booked before I got the official green light that production was starting again. The weddings were within a week of each other; they were each unique and beautiful. The couple’s quirks and naturally charming wit are reason enough for me to keep doing what I'm doing.

Today, out of a total of 13 images, I bring you a list of 5 of my favorite photos I’ve been able to create this past summer.

Marriages Twinkle 

Looking closely, you can see the twinkle in Lem's eyes as his brother prepares his collar and bow tie. Like all memories, this one in particular was especially fleeting—what could be called the most pivotal moment of his life was nearing; the day he said, "I do," to his true love, Lilly.

 A Timeless Kind of Photo

Something important happened when this photo was snapped. I learned two things: the use and implementation of depth of field and focus peaking. Taught by a Director of Photography I worked with, he showed me how reaching the end of your lens can be extremely useful in portrait-like situations. For reference, this was shot at 85mm on a 24-105 lens; and on my crop sensor camera, the equivalent focal length is 136mm. (Focal Length × sensor size) In my case:

85 x 1.6 = 136

Hand Kisses

Lem and Lilly had an amazing wedding, and I was honored to be their photographer, guest, and friend. This image is so special to me because these beautiful people recited their "private" vows to each other; unbeknownst to them, for a moment, the two lovebirds had their entire wedding party backing them.

A Patriotic kind of Love

In the moments following Breanna and Thomas's heartfelt exchange of vows, where they not only pledged their love but also united their families, I witnessed a scene of unparalleled tenderness. As a photographer, I've captured countless intimate moments, but this particular instance stood out as one of the most touching and genuine displays of affection I've ever had the privilege to document.

Guts Media Year One

Sometime last March, I got a lump sum of money from the community college I went to, and although they call every week asking for it back, I have no qualms about how I spent that money. 

Guts Media was a finite idea in my brain then, but it has become an infinite reality to myself and presumably others. 

On March 21st, 2023, I became a business owner at 18. I naively thought I was making enough money to start my LLC, and while I had been right in hindsight, I don’t think I would have done it that way. To challenge other hobbyists in my field, what is business if not a risk? In May, I left school and had an amicable ( I think ) falling out at my restaurant job. In truth, I miss the environment occasionally and wish them well, but for the sake of my career- I’m relieved I no longer work there. Instead, I sought proper stability at one of America’s best restaurants, Chick-fil-A, for the second time. Without going too in-depth, I was probably a bit too metal for Chick at this point in my restaurant career and checked out, banking on deposits from my first and second shoot to keep my car. Thank you, guys. 

These Two Shoots were memorable. They were within a month of each other, and it is just now that I’m thinking about the stark differences between them. For one shoot, my mission was to showcase articles of clothing bought from thrift stores and sold for profit, while for the other shoot, my mission was to showcase the vision of a musician’s debut. 

While this was happening, I was withdrawing from Community College, and In May, the Pidgeon Coupe ( my 2014 Kia Soul ) was totaled after a quaint evening visit to their grandparent’s house. This was a tough time for both of us. Driving my partner's car and high tensions at the original restaurant ultimately led them to go through a job switch. My partner and I worked at different restaurants, which made it easier on the transportation, but by this time, I had enough saved to start looking at cars, and she already lined up a temp corporate job. By August, I bought myself another silver vehicle, an unnamed 2014 Nissan Murano, and left another restaurant and another- So I tried my hand at the corporate too. It was not the move as a young buck who only knew how to pour a beer and serve tables; sitting on my ass was not for me. So, in November, I dove into Guts Media head first, mildly regretting some of the mistakes I made along the way.  Despite the bad, though, we moved forward. A wedding and two back-to-back Eagle Scout ceremonies had already been booked, and while that may not have been much, it was definitely what I needed to get the ball rolling. I do miss the Pidgeon Coup, But I think the Murano suits this Javan a bit better. 

“ Do You Want to Work in TV, “ my friend and neighbor, an audio engineer named Jackson, asked. I replied yes, and something clicked for me. The investment Jackson had spent four years growing had started to take root and pay off. While the Imaginary Projects era of my life was taking place, the actual podcast was in his basement. If I'm being honest, I genuinely owe my start to this man believing in my vision. At this point, it hadn’t even been decided if I were the one they would hire; I was just excited to have my name make its way out to LA legitimately. He told me I needed to stay humble and prove that I wanted the job; his reputation was on the line here. I braved that responsibility, and sure enough, I was introduced to the line producer via iMessage text about driving a cargo van. 

Top Virginia of Commerce and local business meetings are a great place to start networking; even if you attend one event, you may come out with your next retained client, or that was my experience, even if it may have turned out to be a Ponzi scheme- the money was good, and my bills were paid. Truthfully, the guy who brought me in understood I wasn’t in it for the long haul but knew he had something worth teaching someone. So I learned and got my little money to take videos, manage social media accounts, and witness the most Andrew Tate-filled timelines seen to man. When the time came, photographer Javan turned into green production assistant Javan, finally realizing the dream of making a movie one day. 

Walking into the crew meet and greet was one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done. Pursuing my way as a 19-year-old into the lobby, meeting professionals in the same industry I aspire to enter truly. The second youngest on the crew was 26, and they were the AC, assistant to the Camera Operator, and Director of Photography, while the oldest, I believe, was the showrunner herself.  As one of two Production Assistants, I drove the cargo van and got it stuck up hills of snow several times, while the other PA was more involved in the actual set of the shoot. Prepared areas where we filmed and handled other tasks for the production team, and together, we handled film releases for people who may have been caught on camera. I’ll probably write about the experience in a little while, but I’m hanging on to that feeling just a bit longer for now. 

The weeks after the production were the wildest for me. I was growing in the journey of my career. Guts Media was a refreshing take for many of those who listened to my ramblings on the subject, and somehow, God made it possible for Guts Media to move from Still photography to including Video Production in its repertoire. I received an email in February inquiring about commercial video work for a local daycare. At this point, I had built a small network of professionals- Jackson as Audio, Tom as DP, and Madison as editor, whom I met during the production, so the means had been there. Still, it was up to me to finally say yes and wear the hat of the executive producer. Though It wasn’t just me who had to change hats, Tom and Jackson both took vital roles in managing the assets of this project. Tom had become a director, while Jackson became Tom’s AC. I shouldn’t beat myself up for this, but I recommend never giving the client creative control, especially if you have hired a team of seasoned professionals. Let the pros do their job and be amazed by what you, as a client, have consumed. After the production, I became overwhelmed and delved back into the artistic part of my job, photographing musicians.

After a few days of planning a trip to Richmond, my friend Kaylee introduced me to their friend Maya, who also happened to be a photographer. Our trip was planned around a state swim meet they were photographing; however, I had honestly been camera out and wanted to take pictures as a hobbyist, not a professional. This Richmond trip was my vacation. I skated and met some old and new friends. Old friends were folks that I knew from back home, Winchester and the new ones were folks who went to Shenandoah University but settled in Richmond to pursue music. While Kaylee and Maya had been out at the swim meet, my time was spent hanging out with Owen playing Smash, and it just so happened that these moments led me to my next gig. 

As I got home, I got a notification from Corey, Owen’s roommate, and bassist for Parsley, the band. “ Yo wyd Feb 24th, “the message read, and I replied, “ I don’t have anything planned yet. “ Little did I know I would have two weeks’ worth of work waiting for me in Richmond. Parsley, The Bends, The Phases, and Scan Slow have all been photographed by me, allowing illicit emotions to be present in my photography and my spirits. 

As we’re now in March, I’ve been able to take a step back and enjoy the blessings of what I’ve made possible. Instead of starting with one, I’ve booked two weddings this year—one as the lead photographer and the other as the Lead Videographer. I’m now working on contracts for this Year’s Apple Blossom Festival. I’m excited to be here, but the real work has yet to be done. 

• Javan Butler 

Year One Fin.

Archive 01

I Guess the Archive finally started. Standing on my pride and fully cemented into what I envision for not just my own future, but for the ones intrinsically involved as well. I couldn’t have picked myself off the floors of manufactured happiness, toxic environments and most of all- my own brain.

For the past year and a half I've completely lost sight of the integrity of the project itself. the key factor was to be authentic, using the codes and hidden messages in our world to find my own truth, I live to document essentially whatever catches my eye- that doesn't mean for a second that what I think the situation to be is- that’s the fascinating part about being a photographer, the intimacy of actions and feelings are frozen, unanimated flashes of our lives that we can’t get back. No matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that what we’re doing is in memory of something lost, in memory of something that we still care about is a disservice to me. Reminisce? Sure, but that thought won’t hit as hard as that image of your mom from a few years ago, it simply can’t, it doesn’t invoke the same emotion, the same anger you felt as what seemed like your life falling beneath your feet.

That’s what good photography does. the right composition, coupled with an obsession, turns you inside out like a pocket, looking for a folded dollar. Honestly, this is a lie ( welcome to real time blurbs of bottomless thoughts) any art should do this. I can’t say that all art is attractive looking, but what I can say is that all art is a strong piece of a persons character, goals and ambitions.