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

Hi Emma, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is absolutely essential. Nothing worthwhile in life or business is achievable without taking risks. The ability to plan, execute, and weather risks is what sets you apart from those who aren’t willing to do the same.

When my business partner, John, and I first started our videography business, we took an enormous amount of risk.

Both of us were classical musicians, with advanced degrees in music performance and pedagogy. John was a very talented music composer as well. When we decided we didn’t want to be musicians anymore, and instead wanted to become filmmakers, we didn’t know anything about videography!

We dedicated ourselves to learning cinematography, video editing, color grading, scoring, sound design, and 3D animation. We purchased numerous online courses in all these subjects, and spent hours everyday mastering these skills. Fortunately, we found that video editing is quite similar to music composing, and these skills came relatively easy to us.

The next step was gear. We knew that owning our own gear was essential for selling our services to potential clients.

We knew that we needed a professional quality camera, gimbal, tripod, multiple lenses, lighting equipment, backdrops, and storage drives. We also needed to build a computer from scratch with specifications that could handle professional-grade video editing software and large files.

All of this gear amounted to about $50,000. $50,000 that we didn’t have.

We considered various kinds of business loans, but were deterred by high interest rates. We didn’t want to end up paying more than necessary.

After carefully considering all of our options and the consequences associated with each one, we decided to put all of the gear on credit cards.

Both our credit scores were very high, so we were able to apply and be approved for 4 new credit cards, each with a 0% APR for 12-15 months.

If we could successfully find work and pay off all the credit cards by the end of their 0% APR periods, the payoff would be huge: essentially a free “business loan” with 0% interest.

But if we weren’t successful in finding work and couldn’t pay off the credit cards, the consequences would be dire: we’d be stuck in a huge cycle of debt with sky high interest rates up to 25% at the end of the 0% APR periods.

It was a huge risk. But a calculated one. We trusted in ourselves, we trusted in our skills as videographers, and we trusted our business instincts and our ability to network.

Long story short, we found steady work within 3 months of that huge gamble, and paid off all $50,000 of credit card debt 4 days before the last APR period ended.

We did, indeed, get a “free” 0% interest rate business loan!

Looking back now, that decision seems crazy. And truly, it was crazy. But we knew that investing in gear was the surest route to finding high-paying work. It takes a big risk for a big payoff.

We had the strategy to increase our chances of success, we had the pressure of such a great risk pushing us to work as hard as we could, and we had the courage to weather the storm.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Veganography’s mission is to empower people to make more plant-based choices through inspiring and informative storytelling. We hope to create a more compassionate, sustainable, and kinder future for all living beings through our art.

Storytelling is at the heart of what we do. We work in various artistic mediums: from filmmaking to photography, social media content to 3D animation. But the intention is always to tell a story that inspires positive change for all living beings.

We’ve learned that the manner in which stories are told is just as important as the stories themselves. Even if a particular story is really devastating or contains a lot of cruelty, we always try to inject as much positivity and inspiration as possible. We want people to walk away from our art feeling pulled towards a more compassionate future, not ashamed of the current reality.

One of the things that we’re most proud of is our ability to capture the beauty and individuality of farmed animals.

Farmed animals are so misrepresented in our culture. They’re seen as stupid, empty vessels of food production. But they are so much more than that! They have friendships, they fall in love, they have a sense of humor, they show altruism and care for others. And they’re really smart! We’re proud that in our art we’ve been able to capture those incredible characteristics and relationships in a way that hasn’t been done before.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh gosh, what a great question! For food, we’d definitely have to go to City O’ City. They have the absolute best seitan wings and vegan pizza in the area! Collision Brewery in Longmont has excellent cauliflower wings and vegan ranch, and a great selection of beers. License No. 1 in Boulder is the coolest speakeasy in the area. The atmosphere really transports you back to the early 20th century. Dazzle in Denver is a great jazz club, John and I always love getting back to our roots with some classical music/jazz. Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster is also really magical. When you step into the butterfly dome, you’re suddenly surrounded by these gorgeous creatures. It feels like you’re in the wild, seeking out mysterious and elusive wildlife, but in fact you’re totally surrounded. John and I were fortunate enough to do some macro photography there and it was one of our favorite photography experiences. Of course, we’d have to visit at least one farmed animal sanctuary in the area as well!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although our technical skills in videography are self-taught, my partner John and I learned everything we know about storytelling from Shartrina White, former Executive Director of an animal sanctuary in Erie, Colorado.

Before we worked with Shartrina, John and I were very fact-driven in how we presented information. We had great technical skills, but the manner in which we told stories was not compelling.

Shartrina taught us how to craft a story that reached people emotionally. She taught us the importance of reaching people’s hearts, drawing them in, and inspiring them to care before ever presenting factual information.

We learned from Shartrina that facts and statistics are most powerful when paired with the story of an individual. It’s easier for the audience to receive facts when they care about an individual who represents the real-world experiences of those facts.

This methodology that we learned from Shartrina informs every single film, social media video, photograph, and business decision we make now. We would not be where we are today without Shartrina’s incredible mentorship and expertise.

Website: https://veganography.org/

Instagram: @veganography.films

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veganography.films/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@veganography

Image Credits
Veganography shoots and edits all of our own photos

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