Meet Christa Kent of ArtGecko Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christa Kent.

Christa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Both Jim and I were working for local TV news stations and really wanted to jump into production. In 1997, we got the opportunity to purchase our first camera package, a Sony Betacam 400A! We quit our jobs and took the leap. It paid off. We traveled, met new people in the industry and built our client list. Since then, 20 years later, we have purchased a multitude of cameras and formats as technology changed, weathered the horrible recession between 2007 – 2012 and came out on the other side busier than ever.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think the greatest challenge was during the recession years. All of the sudden work just stopped. Our clients were dropping video from their annual budgets and it took a long time to get it back in their budgets. The worst part of the recession is that a lot of our clients, who had become friends, got laid off. We had to search far beyond our Phoenix home base. Jim ended up moving several times to go where the work was happening. He moved to Philadelphia for 9 months and Dallas for 4 months for different reality shows. That was difficult for the whole family as we have a little guy who is now almost 14. He mostly travels now all over the world, which sounds glamorous, but is hard work living out of a suitcase and eating hotel food instead of home cooked meals. It is the way the industry has changed after the recession. We need to go where the work is. There is a lot of work in Phoenix still as well, so we are lucky to be so busy after years of being slow.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ArtGecko Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
We like to take on projects that are fun and work with people that enjoy the work as much as we do. It’s why we like what we do so much. Right now, reality TV is still the main focus of our work. Not to brag, but Jim is sought after for not only his excellent eye as a videographer, but also for his great attitude on the set and beyond. It takes a lot of effort to be on your “A” game day in and day out. Most people don’t have the stamina to keep that up. We feel that you get what you give, so we give it our all.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have always had good luck, even in the slow times. I think it’s the attitude we have and show to the world. Because of our positive attitudes (we are also realists, not Pollyannas) we seem to reap the benefits the world has to offer. Whether in our personal lives or work lives, we continue to grow and be happy. If you are open to new situations and opportunities, you don’t miss them when they come along.

Contact Info:

• Address: 507 East Maryland Avenue,
  Phoenix, Arizona 85012
• Website: artgeckoproductions.com
• Phone: 602-684-7814
• Email: artgecko@cox.net
• Instagram: artgeckojim
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artgeckochrista/?modal=media_composer
• Twitter: @Artgeckoprod

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