Meet Kolton Rice of OpenEye Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kolton Rice.

Hi Kolton, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started OpenEye Studios when I was seventeen, still in high school. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do yet, but I knew it would be something in media, and I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak. That pushed me to launch OpenEye as a photography company.

A few years in, I interned with a video production company, started building a client roster, and began leaning into video. Around that time I noticed something. There were five video production companies in the area, and most of them weren’t thinking about strategy at all. They could shoot a nice video, but it wasn’t tied to any real outcome for the business. That gap became the whole reason OpenEye exists.

Today we still make videos for our clients, but everything starts with strategy. We’re focused on making videos that actually move the needle, not just look good.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a business is a challenge no matter the industry. I started this with no real experience, but thankfully, through a lot of YouTube learning and educational books, I’ve been able to find my way.

The hardest part that I still deal with is getting clients and then selling them on the idea of video they’ve never had done before. What we really do now is, again, that strategy, and that is what really has helped us be able to change the narrative a little bit for them. They’re not just buying a pretty-looking video; they’re buying a revenue engine or a recruitment engine. Everything is tied to some sort of outcome that they can see financially.

We’ve been impressed with OpenEye Studios, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
OpenEye Studios is a boutique video production company that is based in Ohio. We work with brands from multi-billion-dollar corporations all the way down to a mom-and-pop shop.

We exist to create a reality where the hardest business problems are solved with creative and efficient videos. To do this, we leverage video strategies structured to get real outcomes.

My favorite moments when running OpenEye Studios is when we get to sit down with a client after we finish a video and they see how this will work in their business and make their life better.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have a very long list of people who have helped me get to where I am today. It ranges from some educators and teachers to my fiancé, all the way down to business owners who have helped me gain the knowledge I use today.

I was never the best student in school, and there were several teachers who would notice I was working on different video projects or photo projects that I had at the time instead of doing the classwork. Whether they knew it or not, it seemed to me that they turned a blind eye and let me do what I was naturally good at. I cannot thank them enough for that opportunity.

I also used to work at a marketing agency, and the owner let me learn a lot on his dime. You can’t ask someone to do that. The fact that he was able to let me do that and let me make my own mistakes and learn along the way is really, really critical to where I’m at today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://openeyestudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openeye.studios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenEyeStudios/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kolton-rice
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFk2_JsCQGFGY95cip-3vGA