We had the good fortune of connecting with Trent Owens and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Trent, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It’s been my dream to direct and film music videos since I was 7 years old, but in the 90s and early 2000s there weren’t many resources that made this dream attainable. So I took the college to corporate route and quickly realized they weren’t the best fit for me. However, while I had these corporate marketing positions, I took notes on how these companies were structured and applied them to my own business. My thought process was, “why not use all of these creative ideas that I’m giving away for pennies and implement them toward my video production company”.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What makes me standout as a business owner and a creative is that I constantly advocate for the client. This insures that artists have more creative control and that no two videos are similar. Which sounds easy, but most times we’re working with little to no budget so I’m constantly amazed by the final products.
PSDNYM Films was created for the client and not so much me. The definition of a PSDNYM (Pseudonym) is a fictitious name or pen name that separates the story from the teller. The artists I work with use these pseudonyms to do just that and its my job to help their vision to life.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned while being a filmmaker is doing what works for you. There’s so many business Gurus that preach a certain way of working and while that may work for them, that’s not how everyone finds success. Running a successful business in the digital world is a trial and error process that I’m still trying to master this day.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a beer guy so Houston Brew Pass or any brewery bus tour is always a fun day for tourists. You get a nice drive around the city while stopping at the most popular brewery’s and food trucks in the area.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout the music filmmaker community as a whole. We are constantly sharing ideas, giving constructive feedback, providing free resources, and showing love to each other. I genuinely think that we all want to see each other win and that makes me so excited for the future kids who are trying to get in the game.
Website: psdnym.com
Instagram: @trentowens.jpg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentonbowens/
Image Credits
Quentin Williams Lorenzo Marez Gabriella Arevalo