Today we’d like to introduce you to Svitlana Prystynska.
Hi Svitlana , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career in television in Ukraine, working as a journalist, video journalist, and entertainment show host. Storytelling has always been a big part of who I am — I love meeting people, asking the right questions, and finding the story behind what they do.
When I moved to the U.S., the reality of immigration meant starting over. For my first couple of years, I worked jobs completely unrelated to media, but I never gave up on getting back to what I loved.
Eventually, I returned to journalism and spent several years working for Voice of America (VOA News ), an international broadcaster based in the United States. It was an incredible experience that helped me grow as a journalist, interviewer, videographer, and visual storyteller.
After the Voice of America temporarily shut down in 2025, I decided to turn my experience into something of my own and began growing my video production business in Denver. Today, I create photo and video content for local businesses, events, weddings, families, and social media.
Journalism taught me how to look beyond the surface, ask the right questions, and discover what makes a person or business unique. Now I use those same skills behind the camera — whether I’m helping a local business tell its story or capturing moments that a family will want to remember.
As a mom of two young children, I’ve also come to appreciate how quickly moments pass, which made me fall in love with capturing those memories even more. I don’t want to limit myself to one type of content. I love exploring, creating, and telling different kinds of stories — all through the lens of my camera.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t necessarily call them struggles, but one of my biggest challenges was learning how to promote myself and my own business.
As a journalist, I was used to reaching out to people who already knew who I was and were excited to share their stories with me. When I started my own business, suddenly I had to introduce myself not as a journalist representing a media organization, but as an independent business owner. At first, I think I expected people to simply find me. Eventually, I realized that if I wanted people to know about my work, I had to reach out, introduce myself, and tell them what I could create for them.
That was definitely outside my comfort zone at first, but over time that barrier disappeared. Today, I have wonderful repeat clients, and I love seeing how naturally things come together when the right people find me. It has also made me much more comfortable and confident in promoting my own services.
Another challenge when I first came to the U.S. was the language barrier. I worked on my English constantly — practicing, communicating with people, and, yes, watching a lot of TV show Friends with subtitles! 😊 Little by little, that barrier disappeared too.
I think both experiences taught me the same thing: sometimes you just have to put yourself out there, keep practicing, and not be afraid to start from the beginning.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
MissPriss Videography is more than a business to me — I genuinely live through my camera. I love capturing meaningful moments, whether it’s a celebration, someone’s personal story, a local business, or simply a beautiful place worth sharing. Sometimes I joke that my camera and I are one, because I’m always filming, remembering, and looking for something worth showing. 😊
Growing up, we didn’t have the ability to record every little moment the way we do today, so maybe this is my way of making up for it — now I want to capture everything! I’ve learned how valuable photos and videos become with time, whether they preserve a family memory or tell the story of a growing business.
What sets my approach apart is that I don’t want to simply show up, film, and leave. I listen to my clients, learn what they want, and work together with them to create something that feels personal and authentic. My journalism background also plays a big role in my work — it taught me how to ask the right questions, understand people, and find the story behind what I see.
My goal is to create content that my clients are excited to share and will genuinely enjoy watching again, while also connecting with the audience they want to reach. And through my own content, I get to do the same thing — discover places, experiences, and stories and share them with my community.
At the heart of MissPriss Videography is something very simple: I love capturing stories worth remembering.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something people might not expect about me is that before moving to the U.S., I also performed in comedy and worked as an entertainment show host back in Ukraine . I’ve always loved connecting with people and listening to their stories — and I think that curiosity is still a big part of everything I create today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misspriss_videography?igsh=b3E1YThydjF4bTk2
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/svitlana_prystynska?igsh=MWpyNGp5Zm5qbjBvcQ==
