Meet Visual Venture

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

Hi Visual Venture, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was working a job that I hated. Then the pandemic hit. Because of this, I ended up taking a leave from work and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Determined to “work for myself”, I dove into researching online businesses. I tried starting a couple of different businesses, but I didn’t feel passionate about them. I was making money, but I wasn’t making a difference. Then I had an idea…

At the time, I was in a band signed to a major record label and Sammie was a professional commercial video editor. I was thinking…what business could we start that made use of both our skills? I got it. Youtube!

Sammie and I put our brains together and started a YouTube channel. For about a year, growth was non existent. We dedicated ourselves to weekly videos bringing in less than 1,000 views, but we didn’t give up. We constantly learned about the algorithm and pivoted our content over and over. And I’m happy to say that we are proud of where our YouTube channel is today.

What should our readers know about your business?
Like most businesses, we started off pretty slow. It took us about a year before we really started to get any where with our channel. Part of the Youtube journey is about finding what sets you apart as each creator is different in their own ways. For us, it was a matter of sticking to what we knew best. Gerard from his music background, and Sammie from her video editing background. Quality in our craft is something we hope to uphold on our channel with pride.

Maintaining a YouTube channel was and still is a difficult challenge. Once you solve a problem, there’s always another lurking around the corner. What we came to realize is that succeeding in business is just learning how to constantly solve problems. We faced a tremendous amount of problems every day from team members leaving, to being threatened with a lawsuit, and being doxed and almost swatted by the police. The only way to overcome it is to keep fighting and fighting smart.

Our mission currently is to spread awareness about the dark sides of the internet. And in any future endeavor we take on, helping people will always be our main priority.

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?
We’d kick off our week with a magical day at Disneyland. From thrilling rides to beautiful shows, it’s such a nostalgic experience. Then we would eat at a delicious hot pot place in LA. We recommend Shabuya! Next we’d spend some time relaxing at the beach. Santa Monica Beach has a thriving pier with great food and attractions. Aquarium of the Pacific is also a fantastic place to go. We love water animals and it’s home to an incredible variety of marine life. For an outdoor adventure, we’d take a hike at Griffith Park. It’s a fantastic spot to explore nature and get some exercise. If you hike up to Griffith Observatory, you can see an absolutely breathtaking view of the city of Los Angeles.

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?
I would like to give a special thanks to my Dad because he never allowed me to settle for anything less than the best. If I did good at a task, he would push me even harder and this has fueled my need for constant growth. Also a thanks to Derral Eves for creating an incredible book called “The YouTube Formula”. It setup the basis of everything we learned about YouTube in the early days. -Gerard

Shoutout to my parents for their support in the creative field since I began, to the mentors that have pushed me to where I am today, and to Promo Pathway & Santa Monica Community College for the experience and community I’ve built along the way.
-Sammie

Instagram: @gerardchristianmusic

Youtube: www.youtube.com/visualventure 

Image Credits
Alexander Mel Catedral, Samantha Madnick, Matt Paragas