Today we’d like to introduce you to Jutah & Arthur Meucci.
Hi Jutah & Arthur, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We started our business back in the summer of 2019. Arthur had been pursuing photography as a hobby for years but lacked the confidence to do it full time. We had come to a turning point in our lives where we knew we needed to make a decision. Do we keep our regular 9-5 jobs that we are not passionate about or do we risk everything to create the life of our dreams? We didn’t want to make this decision irrationally, but every day we went to work it became more difficult for us mentally to envision a future of happiness. We didn’t want to look back on our lives in 40 years with regret.
Our original vision for our company was to exclusively offer lifestyle photography and videography. So we used up all our paid vacation days we had racked up for the last few years and booked a trip to Tulum, Mexico for 10 days. Our intention was to film the most incredible travel video and shoot the most epic lifestyle content, knowing our lives literally depended on this. We spent all of our savings on gear, hotels, and experiences to elevate our video. This video definitely helped put us on the map, and at least proved to our friends and future clients that we weren’t messing around.
While on the trip we visited a sacred, remote watering hole called a cenote. We were the only ones there until 3 friends around our age showed up to shoot some content. One of the girls mentioned to Jutah that she had just quit her high-paying job a few weeks back to work at a beach bar. She explained how life was short and she wanted to spend her days by the beach, with no stress, and use her free time to follow her passion and shoot photos. This moment was truly transformational in starting our business. We took it as a sign, returned home, and immediately put in our 2 weeks at both of our jobs.
It was a rough first 6 months. We learned the hard way that no matter how incredible our content was, influencers were not just going to reach out and book us. We were putting in the time, and the passion was there, but we didn’t quite know what we were doing yet. As we slowly ran out of money, we came to another crossroad: Get regular jobs or sell our home. Any smart person would have probably thrown in the towel, but our vision for a better future was too strong. So in January 2020, we sold our home to buy us some time. 2020 was filled with incredible highs and unbelievable lows, but somehow it was the year that shaped our business into what it is today.
After a couple of months of worrying and brainstorming how to restructure our business, we realized that no matter how crazy life got during the pandemic people were still getting married every day. We wanted to start shooting weddings but didn’t have any idea how to start, or the confidence to offer services. Around August a previous client reached out and asked us to shoot her wedding video. We were hesitant but she had so much faith in us and believed in us enough to get us to agree to it.
We shot her wedding and treated it like our Mexico video. This was a make-or-break moment for us, we didn’t know if we would ever have another opportunity to prove ourselves at a wedding again. We shot the wedding and the rest is history. This video brought us plenty of inquiring clients and everything snowballed into what it is today. Every time we posted new wedding content we have a handful of prospective brides and grooms reaching out.
On top of the boom in business, we found that shooting weddings were some of the most fulfilling and rewarding work we had ever done in our lives. In 2021 we shot over 40 wedding videos and now in 2022, we have the ability to be selective and work with clients who love and appreciate our unique style.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This adventure has been a bumpy ride full of twists and turns but we never gave up on our dream or each other. Our first struggle was learning how to run a business.
We still learn new things every day and have found that the best lessons are often learned the hard way. The pandemic was another struggle. We had just spent a large chunk of money to have a website created, and then the entire world collectively began to stay home. No one needed lifestyle photos or videos when everyone was struggling with putting food on the table.
If we didn’t persevere during these extremely difficult times we wouldn’t be where we are today. Now nothing scares us and nothing can stop us. We are determined to do what we have to in any situation and we treat every project as a blessing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are lucky to have the clientele and expertise to work on a variety of different projects at all times. If we had to choose a specialization it would be wedding videography. Every month looks different for us, but our most popular services are wedding videography, proposal photography and videography packages, and lifestyle photography. At first, we tried so hard to find our niche, but as we shared more work we found people were interested in booking us for all kinds of unique projects.
I think there are a few elements that help us stand out in all aspects of our work. Firstly, we are a husband and wife duo. When you book us you aren’t just getting a random contractor we booked for the gig. You get us taking care of you, together, with our hearts and souls. We did not have the luxury of filming a wedding video when we got married 6 years ago. We give our clients what we wish we had on our wedding day, and that care starts the moment you book us.
Another stand-out factor is our editing style, which we describe as vibrant natural. The current trend in Arizona right now is desaturated, muted, and neutral editing. When clients reach out to us they always say our colors are what first caught their eye. When colorizing our photos and videos we focus on creamy natural skin tones and vibrant, punchy, complementary color schemes. When we first started out we understood very quickly what the popular companies were offering, but we wanted to carve our own path and it’s incredible to be recognized for that.
We are most proud of the way we make people feel. We believe that half of the experience of working with us is to feel important, taken care of, and empowered. This is why we have such a high rate of repeat clients and how we can work on such a wide variety of projects.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Everyone is always shocked to find out that Arthur is from France. Arthur immigrated back in 2016 when we got married, and although he has a vibrant English vocabulary, slang included, his accent still stops people in their tracks! He definitely has an eye for the right shot, and his style is nothing short of chic.
Another interesting element is Jutah’s degree in fashion design. Jutah designed clothing for the prominent fashion brand BCBG right out of college. Her designs have made it onto the runway at NYFW and into retailers such as Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Nasty Gal, and more! Her eye for design and proportion translates into her work as a photographer, and her attention to detail is reflected in every project she touches.
Finally, I think it is important to note that when we started out no one believed in us. Family and friends thought we were crazy and had good reason to. Fueled by passion, and commitment to our craft, we were able to teach ourselves everything we currently know and find success.
Pricing:
- Wedding videos start at $1,900
- Proposal photography + videography packages start at $1,000
- Lifestyle photo sessions are $350/hr
- Couples photo sessions are $450/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.Awesome-Phoenix.com
- Instagram: @AwesomePhoenix_
Image Credits
Awesome Phoenix
