This month we meet... STACEY SWEENEY Owner, Scarlett Butterfly Media
Did you always envisage a career in the Media industry?
The short answer would be no. When I was young, I switched between wanting to be a Teacher or a Marine Biologist, that being said, I have always loved film making. Some of my earliest memories are of my Brother and myself making videos on the camcorder, then I would “edit” them on the old ‘Windows Movie Maker’. I really fell in love with it during my A Levels as I took Media Studies. I then went on to do a Media Production degree which reinforced this as a career choice in my head.
What has been your career path so far?
Prior to launching Scarlet Butterfly Media in 2017, I worked alongside my Dad as a second shooter for his professional wedding photography work. We now work as a team on weddings. I also supported myself by working part time in the Retail and Hospitality sectors, which gave me a great insight into customer service and problem solving.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
I feel my biggest challenges have been overcoming doubts in respect to confidence and self-belief, lack of business connections, and addressing people’s assumptions including the stereotyping as a young female in business. I have spent considerable time focusing on my selfdevelopment in these areas, which has helped me, especially in the area of running a commercial business.
Who do you most respect in your industry?
This is probably not the answer you were wanting, but there is no one person in particular. I respect anyone who works hard and produces great work in any creative industry. Which fictional media character can you most relate to?
There are a few different characters that I connect with, but if I had to pick one, it would be the role that Cameron Diaz played in the RomCom film ‘The Holiday’. She is an Editing Director and when I first saw the film I thought I’d love that job.
How have you adapted your business during the coronavirus crisis and supported clients?
It has been difficult, as it has been for many, as most of our work involves face to face interaction. We have had to cancel or reschedule a number of our jobs however, we have adapted to meet demand. Our bread and butter used to be producing short promotional videos for SME’s, but we have seen more enquiries from the Property and Education sectors. This, together with our work with Charities, including Open North Foundation and NE Youth, has kept us busy. We are also fortunate to receive regular photography assignments from Northern Insight Magazine.
What is your greatest strength?
I find this sort of question difficult to answer, however, feedback from my clients is that my biggest strength is I take the time to understand their needs. Asking the right questions, listening to their answers and taking onboard their ideas, so I fulfil their requirements. I enjoy a real collaborative approach to my work.
What is your biggest weakness?
I am sure that many in the creative industry will agree with my next answer. I am the biggest critic of my own work. When editing I become a perfectionist and there are similarities to being a painter, you need to know when to put the brush down.
What has been your proudest achievement?
Does getting ‘Student of the Year’ one time in High School count? If not, then my proudest achievement for me would be starting up a business from scratch and how the company has grown over the past 4 years, to such an extent that we now have several clients who are listed in the North East’s Top 250 businesses. What are your remaining career aspirations? I work with a network of great freelancers, however I would like to build my own team of in-house creatives including sound engineers, editors and camera operators. I would also like to continue to grow the business and expand our client base. From a personal perspective, I want to explore more of the Documentary style of filming and grow my own skillset in that area. How do you see your industry evolving in the next 10 years? It will be technology driven, with changes to the way people consume media, including crossovers between; Animation, CGI and Holograms. I believe there will also be a growth in VR technology. There will be improvements in our ‘tools of the trade’ such as cameras and editing software, but the fundamentals are still about helping businesses to communicate effectively with their clients. My role is to keep pace with the technology changes and to stand out from the crowd. www.scarletbutterflymedia.co.uk 07852 990362
