Our featured business this month is the Vanessa Castillo Visuals.
What is your business?
Vanessa Castillo Visuals is a photography and videography business.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. My parents were also born and raised in Miami which makes me a second generation Miamian, and that’s a rarity in itself that I am proud of.
What is your professional/business history?
I graduated from the University of Miami in 2012 with a Bachelors of Science in Visual Communications. Immediately after graduating, I freelanced for a bit. Slowly but surely I created my website, logo, business cards, and thats when I realized it was time to make it a business. So, 10 months later I did just that, and Vanessa Castillo Visuals Inc was born. Making April 24, 2013 the birthday of VCV.
What makes your business successful/unique? Anything you take special attention to or pride in?
My truest love is Visual Storytelling; which is really just a fancy term for documenting life in a journalistic way. I tell multimedia stories through photography and videography. Creatively editing stories that inspire and impact the personal lives of people I’m working with and those watching. I’m most excited when I am depicting people’s lives and their experiences through telling stories visually, where others feel closer to it. Showing authenticity helps the audience relate to these stories and creates a greater sense of community. I strive to be that top of mind person people think of when they want their stories creatively told. I believe that like every singer has a song, every ONE, has a story.
How is it running a female locally owned business? Struggles? Advantages?
I can’t say I’ve had many struggles. One would think that this industry is male dominated and Miami is extremely competitive, but I have come to find that people love working with likeminded people. I have been blessed to find other female leaders in my industry, as well as male leaders who need that female sprinkle and outlook. There are always advantages to being a female and that’s that, we have that magic that puts all kind of people at ease. We have what’s called “The Halo Effect” and this is a true thing! I can walk into any room and talk to anyone (male or female) and people open up to me. Which later opens other business opportunity doors. Being a female entrepreneur is one of the greatest gifts.
Outside of running the business, what are some of your personal interests?
Secretly, I love to write poetic stories and feelings. I’ve always loved to write and never lost touch with it. It’s always been a part of me and I may just have to release some kind of Photo Poetry book in the near future.