Meet Dalton Huey | Videographer & Co-founder of Deep Wells Media, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dalton Huey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dalton, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
One large over-arching theme that I’ve seen since we started our business is patience. In a world where you always see and read about people launching and growing successful businesses overnight, it can be easy to compare yourself to others.

It can feel like you’re a failure when your business doesn’t just take off. When you launch your website and only 5 people visit it—people that you know are your parents and friends. So you have to be patient and put in the work to get people there.

You learn that no marketing initiative provides immediate results. Content takes time to get picked up. Social media takes time to build an audience. Direct outreach takes time to reach the right person at the right time. Even personal networking takes time. Relationships don’t just blossom overnight, either.

And for me, that has been a really hard lesson to learn. It’s one that I’m still learning. I tend to try and take personal responsibility for most things related to our business growth. It’s good to be accountable, don’t get me wrong, but there comes a point when it’s easy to put unrealistic expectations on myself. When I’m not seeing the spectacular results within months of starting a business, I tend towards shame. I question myself. Things like, Am I just a failure as a business owner? Should I never have started this?

But the truth is, all these things take time. It takes time for a new business owner to learn the ropes. You have to keep failing if you’re ever going to learn. If it’s your first time as a business owner and everything works out perfectly, my guess is that it’s more luck than anything else. So in general, you have to be patient with yourself as you start learning. You keep putting in work to get better as a marketer, as a manager, as a finance person, and you give yourself some grace when you mess up. It’s part of the process. And any process takes time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Deep Wells Media is our photo and video production company based in Lawrence, Kansas. We specialize in telling the stories of local businesses and nonprofits so that they can continue to serve the people of our community.

We’ve been operating for about 10 months, and of course, that hasn’t always been easy. We moved to a new city about 5 months in, and that was definitely a shock. We’ve had to slowly rebuild our network and get plugged in to our new community, but we’re getting there.

Our motto is “Do good, beautifully” and I think that really encapsulates our desire for our business. Because Hannah and I have been given these creative passions and talents, we ought to use those in a way that serves others. Sometimes I go to bed dreaming about all the ways that our business can be a catalyst for change and development in our community. And because we’ll never run out of good stories to tell, I know we could do that for a long time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our first stop would be Fresh Med. Co., my favorite restaurant in Lawrence. It’s set up in a gas station, but don’t let that turn you off. The food is great, and leaves you feeling good, unlike a lot of other places.

We could spend hours walking around the parks in town, and we could also visit the Baker Wetlands. That’s a conservation area just south of town. It has tons of trails, and it’s a great place to watch the sun set.

Massachusetts Street, or Mass Street, is probably the main area of town that we like to walk around. There are lots of shops and restaurants, so you’ll be able to find something you enjoy there.

Burger Stand is another restaurant I particularly enjoy. It’s burgers and fries, but it’s special. I don’t know how to explain it, just go there.

Then, we could top it all off at Sylas and Maddy’s, a local ice cream place that just has a ton of character, and of course, great ice cream.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife and co-founder, Hannah. She was probably a little less excited than I was to start a business, but she has been so faithful and encouraging throughout our first year of operating. She keeps me in line when I lose focus, and she helps remind me that I’m not a failure when things don’t work out the way I had hoped.

Website: https://www.deepwellsmedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepwellsmedia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deep-wells-media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepwellsmedia

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRVvi09ig80GR-EIrFFl2A