Today we’d like to introduce you to Xander Wynn.
Hi Xander, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up with me mom and sister in Price Hill and attended CHCA from Pre-K until the 6th grade. While living there with two women and getting older, I used to write letters to my father, asking where he was, making up ideas of what he would be out doing, and creating stories about how our relationship would be when he came back. Those stories turned into letters filled with tears knowing year after year he wouldn’t come back, no birthday text, no birthday visit. At that point, I had began my journey I just didn’t know it yet. Then going into the 7th grade my mom put me in this two-week film festival with my best friend – basically brother at the time – and we created a short film within those two weeks. We learned how to hold a camera to how to export our short film. That was my opportunity to share my story. The short film ended up being about a younger boy whose brother left him and watched his life from afar as the younger brother struggled and having the older brother come back into his life at such a later stage in life. From there that film got submitted to the White House, we got to meet Barack Obama and take a picture with him and spend the day on the White House lawn. Fast forward, I did that two more years, won two more local awards. Then my 10th-grade year I decided to take this to the next level. I created my own business with the help and support of my mother and my mentor/brother Jordan Bankston – founder & CEO of Forever Kings – that would specialize in videography and storytelling for others. So, I started doing recap videos for small companies, the first being my mother’s job who was having an event. Then branched off into promo videos, music videos, sports videos, and now into photography, wedding video, senior portraits, high school sports coverage. We now have worked with many schools and companies including Western Hills University, Walnut Hills High School, UC Health West Chester Hospital, Forever Kings, Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Tabernacle Apostolic Church, as well as many photoshoots including weddings, senior portraits, headshots, couples, and families. I recently just completed the GCMI “Ice House” program over the 2021 summer and was able to rip back the roots of my business and put in place procedures and set some foundation to my business.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think the biggest struggle started off was working while I was still trying to maintain my grades at Walnut Hills High School. After my 10th grade year, I transferred to Colerain to be inducted into their digital media program where I am the ambassador for the program and head of social media for DMA. I think coming to Butler tech helped me be with other like-minded individuals who enjoyed digital media and a great teacher in Caleb Swelbar who lets me unless my talents and continues to push me to greater heights.
My second biggest struggle was asking for help. I had grown up so fast as a child between my sister in and out of the hospital with mental illness, sleeping in the car some nights, getting our house robbed while I was home alone on parent-teacher night, our car being stolen, moving in with mom’s childhood friend in 7th grade 45 minutes away from Walnut Hills. I did a lot on my own and didn’t want to bother my mother with more issues than what we were already dealing with. So, with all that I have closed myself off and been the one to say I can figure it out myself. Now spending a lot of time with Jordan and having him mentor me and want me to become better each and every day, I have been having to open up more and actually ask for help and not be afraid of getting help and understanding that I can’t do all of this by myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
X.Wynn Films is a youth-led, minority business that partners with individuals and brands to bring stories to life through videography and photography. That is our mission and that is what we stand by. Our famous tagline is, you name it, we film it. With that being said, any project you need completed whether that is a video shoot or photoshoot we will complete it for you. We have yet to turn down any project. We are open to anything our clients what to create and do it to our best ability. We are mostly known for amongst the youth is our sports work and portrait photography. We spent majority of last school year working with Western Hills and Walnut Hills, taking photos and videos for their basketball team. That has expanded into football work with Walnut Hills, individuals form Lasalle, and games at Western Hills with the addition to a soccer video we just completed for Northwest Varsity Team. Amongst the mid to older generation, we are known for our recap videos, promo videos, and church videos for organizations and businesses such as BrideFace, TriYoga, Pleasant Ridge Montessori, Community Happens Here, and SoulSisters. We believe what sets us apart is our youth, our quality work, innovation, and outside-the-box thinking. Readers should know that we our a dedicated youth-led organization that is continuing to grow and expand, having 7 members on the team all but 1 of which are in high school and love what they do for the business. We take our passion for what we do and turn it into a brilliant product that will last forever.
Pricing:
- Non-Profit Video Rates start at $100/hr
- For-Profit Video Rates start at $150/hr
- Live-streaming services start at $350
- Photography starts at $125/hr
- Wedding Packages start at $1500
Contact Info:
- Email: info@xwynnfilms.com
- Website: www.xwynnfilms.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/x.wynn_films
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/X.WynnFIlms
- Twitter: https://instagram.com/x.wynn_films?utm_medium=copy_link
