Meet Carson Poe of Inflight Creations in Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carson Poe.

Carson, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I feel like I’ve always had a creative side to me. Whether it was building Legos or drawing my favorite superheroes as a kid, I was always interested in design. Growing up, I attended multiple high schools, so I was forced to communicate with new faces and make friends. I played sports in high school, but never hung out with just one group or click. I learned that everyone has a special talent, whether it was athletic or artistic, everyone expresses themselves differently.

After high school, I attended New Mexico State and enrolled into the Animation program at CMI, under the direction of Derek Fisher. It was a fairly new program that had some amazing professors and the latest tech. There I learned how to tell stories and understand the importance of timing, shot selection, sound design, and editing. I quickly realized I did not have the patience for animation but was interested in post-production. I loved how sound could move a story and a simple transition could make or break an entire film.

I graduated in 2013 with my Bachelors in Animation and Visual Effects and took my talents to Phoenix, Arizona. There I linked up with childhood friend, Trevor Shaffer, and after a 6-hour road trip one weekend, we agreed that we need to start our own creative business. We knew if we didn’t try it out now, we would get sucked into the 9-5 lifestyle and wouldn’t ever start. Best decision I’ve ever made.

We quickly realized we needed an LLC, an office and a portfolio. We gathered every college project and were able to create a solid showcase of work. We landed our first website design project for a dental company and thought we had struck gold.

Website design was what we thought our company was going to be, but it quickly turned into a full-service marketing business. Social media, video, blog content, SEO, PPC, and other services were constantly requested by clients and we quickly adjusted.

Our agency, Inflight Creations, is now an Emmy Award-winning company, who focuses on marketing strategy and content creation. We work mainly with corporate accounts, but currently have a handful of local businesses that we maintain. We recently brought on Kyle Aramburo, who has a great vision for storytelling and film.

I am truly blessed to have found my calling and be able to turn my creativity into a career. I definitely could not do this without the help of my business partner Trevor and the support from friends and family. We have made the right mistakes, found the right mentors and have been persistent in our efforts of creating an honest agency. God is good.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think everyone has struggles, whether it is personal or business. I think not knowing where my next paycheck was coming from, was the toughest thing I had to deal with. There were times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I would take a look around and see how far we had come and I would find motivation.

My faith is why I am where I am today. God doesn’t put anything in your life that you cannot handle. Finding a positive in a negative situation is something I had to learn and I’m glad I did.

Also, I had to cut out distractions. I stopped going out as much and engaging with irrelevance. You will become like those you surround yourself with.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I really love design, so I try to be involved with that aspect of the projects. Mainly, I am responsible for creating timelines, budgets and realistic expectations for our clients. My partner, Trevor, is our Creative Director, so he oversees all the projects, so I let his creativity run free.

My specialty is client communication. I build trust with knowledgeable insight, honesty, realism, eye contact, and a firm handshake. I have realized over the past couple of years, clients will work with you if they like you and trust you.

How do you define success?
I would define success as achieving your set goals. I’m not very materialistic, but I do think financial freedom is a form of success. I think for me, having a healthy family, a good relationship with God, a nice house and my love around me, would be my definition of success.

Contact Info:

• Address: Inflight Creations
  9393 N. 90th St. #128
  Scottsdale, AZ, 85258
• Website: www.inflightcreations.com
• Phone: 480.331.4621
• Email: info@inflightcreations.com
• Instagram: inflightcreations
• Facebook: inflightcreations
• Twitter: inflightcreate

Image Credit:
Images were taken by either myself or Trevor Shaffer.

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