Meet April Davis | Creative Director & Producer

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

Hi April, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in the Philippines. As a kid, I always had a keen interest in style, visual arts, and fashion. I used to save all my allowance just to buy fashion magazines and tear out pages featuring designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Guess, and Obsession. I would collect them in binders and study them deeply, immersing myself in the images and imagining the backstory behind each photograph. It was an experience that tantalized all my senses. Back then, I was unsure about what I wanted to study in college. I knew I wanted to be involved in fashion, but not as a clothing designer. Eventually, I pursued Fine Arts and majored in industrial design and later switched to visual communications. Looking back, my confusion seems justified because what I do today simply didn’t exist then.

My first job after graduating was as a graphic designer for a girls’ clothing company. Later that year, I relocated to Los Angeles and worked as a graphic menswear designer. My first job in LA was quite an eventful experience all while being on a work permit. It served as an eye-opener for me. However, things took a positive turn when I landed a position as a creative director at a women’s clothing Ecommerce company. There, I had the freedom to unleash my creativity and took on multiple roles such as graphic designer, website designer, hair and makeup artist, newsletter marketer, and even as the producer and leader of their photoshoots.

It was during this time that I stumbled upon rental listings for content creation. This experience sparked the idea of starting our own business. Out of all my tasks, my favorite was always production shoots. I aspired to create those curated studios that I once only rented.

Juggling multiple responsibilities was quite a challenge when it came to organizing my thoughts to kickstart our rental studio. One crucial aspect was interior design, which I hadn’t personally delved into before. I extensively researched interior design trends, observed industry professionals, and eventually had to break free from traditional practices to focus on what truly mattered. I started by envisioning the perfect shooting environment that would ignite my inspiration to capture my subjects. I longed for something distinctive and adaptable, where my clients could freely experiment and create their own personalized set design.

My husband, Austin, and I had to work on a budget during the build-out. We mixed and matched designer pieces with practical ones that were aesthetically pleasing and fitting to our corners. Fortunately, with his background in finance, the process was more seamless as I could focus on the creatives.

What should our readers know about your business?
As we near 3 years of running the studio, we are very much still evolving in the services we’re able to confidently offer, and our approach to growth and maturing as a business. In the beginning, we were mostly a content studio with graphic design services. Now, we boast a network of photographers, videographers, digitechs, makeup artists, models, and producers that we frequently collaborate with for own client shoots and on-location productions. We we want readers to know that we’re approachable, flexible, and up for the challenge of bringing creative projects to life. Production has been a natural progression for Artform Design & Studio, since it melds my experience as a producer, creative director, and in curating spaces.

Our journey wasn’t an easy ride. It still isn’t, as a lot has been unpredictable. The industry is constantly changing, and our economy is in flux, which has affected our clients and had a domino effect on us. The actors’ strike also took a bend and the ever-growing rental studio listings have been very challenging for us but it’s still all worth it. The lessons we learned and the people we met are priceless. This is a small industry and it’s all about the relationship. I have this board displayed in my studio, and it says “WORK HARD & BE KIND TO PEOPLE.” That is really what it’s all about. Having empathy for everyone we work with and around us. We are all hustling in our own way, and there is always room for creatives to do their thing. Be kind, we all have a place in this platform.

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.
We live in Orange County while our studio is in the Downtown Arts District in LA. If our friends were to come visit, we would give them a taste of both worlds! Perhaps a beach day down at Huntington Beach, take a walk over to Pacific City for some shopping, good food, and drinks. On a separate day, we would drive down to DTLA and visit the Getty Museum, LACMA, the Grammy Museum, and then some shopping, food and drinks at the ROW.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am forever grateful for everyone I have met in this industry that led me to where I am today. I have had good and bad experiences with employers but one stood out from the rest and has continued to mentor me to this day. I am thankful for all the creatives I met in and outside our studio. Having met like minded, creative, kind, fun, and smart people really brought color to my career and continues to do so. I’m also grateful for my best friends who never stop encouraging me whenever I feel like giving up. I’m grateful and blessed to have a husband like Austin who has been my biggest cheerleader and support, my daughter who inspired me to take risks so I can spend more time with her, and my family who has been there every step of the way.

Website: www.artformdesignstudio.com

Instagram: artformdesignstudio

Linkedin: artformdesignstudio

Twitter: twitter.com/artformdesignstudio

Facebook: facebook.com/artformdesignstudio

Yelp: yelp.com/ artformdesignstudio

Youtube: youtube.com/artformdesignstudio

Image Credits
Avery Davis and Austin Davis