The Story of Unnamed Films

The story of how we got here, and a little bit about where we might be going.
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Firsts are always awkward.  First day of school, first dates, first jobs.  Possibly the most awkward of all: First blog posts.

This blog will be the place we share our thoughts and musings about the wedding & film industries, talk about projects we're working on, and anything else important to us.  While this isn't technically the first article we're posting to the blog, it will be the first post-launch.  So, we thought we should talk a little about who we are and the wild ride that led us here.

Unnamed Films was founded in 2015 by myself and David Garrett. We were both working at the same local company at the time, and we had been tossing around the idea of starting a production company to make money for college for a while.  Initially, we were worried that we wouldn't find any business, but were quickly proven wrong when our boss, knowing that we made short films and YouTube Videos on the side, asked us if we would be willing to film his daughter's school play.  Without taking much time to think about it, we said yes.

That week, we filed the LLC, set up a bank account, and took the small amount of cash we had saved up from selling promotional T-Shirts for a recent short film and bought Unnamed Films' first cameras. Our first official job was filming a High School production of The Crucible.

We grew steadily over the next few years, finding consistent work filming live performances and other events.  We became known for our attention to detail, the simplicity of our processes, and how easy it was to contact, book, and communicate with us.  Not long after, we filmed our first wedding for a friend of a friend (and made a whole $40 for it) and used that as a springboard for our wedding business.  As time went on, we went from doing 4 or 5 jobs every year to more than 40.  We brought on a number of additional videographers, hired a communications & marketing coordinator, and expanded the business all while finishing college and holding on to our original full-time jobs.

Four years of college came and went, and by the time graduation rolled around we were easily spending 30-60 hours every week on running this company, all while working full time at our "real jobs".  For a while, we thought that we could continue to do both, but needless to say, it all started to become a bit much.  After some thoughtful consideration (and a particularly intense mental breakdown in my car), we decided it was time to go full time.

And so, we did.  Unused degree in hand, we submitted our one-month notices and set off to work on this business that we've loved and worked so hard to build over the last few years.  It was a terrifying leap to make, especially since we never set out to do what we're now doing (since we initially just wanted to pay for college, we often joke that we "accidently made a real company").

Now in our fifth year of business, we've learned a lot about running a company, working with clients, and making movies.  We've grown from a completely unknown brand to a company known for consistent quality, professional attitudes, and hard work.  We are so proud of our entire team, and of the work that we are able to do together.

A lot of things separate Unnamed Films from the other videography companies in the area, but I believe that the story of how we came to be is the most important.  The decision to focus on the company ultimately came down to one simple fact:  we love making movies.  We don't do what we do because we have to, we do what we do because we love it.

You can read more about our current team here.

Scott Hoek

Creative Director
February 19, 2020
Movie Reviews, Educational Content, Industry News, and More.
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Unnamed Films is a video production company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We film weddings, events, corporate videos, and more.

At UNF, we have a unique, "all-inclusive" approach to wedding videography. We don't have any tiered packages or hidden extra costs. You simply choose the highlight style that works best for you, and you get 10 hours of coverage, 2 videographers, separate ceremony & reception videos, and more included for free.

You can check out our wedding packages and past videos to learn more.

Unnamed Films is a video production company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We film weddings, events, corporate videos, and more.

At UNF, we have a unique, "all-inclusive" approach to wedding videography. We don't have any tiered packages or hidden extra costs. You simply choose the highlight style that works best for you, and you get 10 hours of coverage, 2 videographers, separate ceremony & reception videos, and more included for free.

You can check out our wedding packages and past videos to learn more.

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