Meet Josiah Holwick of Proper Films

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josiah Holwick.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Josiah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I fell in love with filmmaking from a very early age of 12. What started as a simple hobby while skateboarding with my friends, quickly turned into an obsession. I wanted to learn everything I could and invested what little money I had into used camera equipment the rest of my teenage years. When it came time to start thinking about college there wasn’t a doubt in my mind this was what I wanted to pursue, and fortunately, my parents were very supportive. With snowboarding being another huge passion of mine, it was time to pack my bags and leave the east coast for school in Denver, Colorado.

While attending film school I was fortunate enough my meet my wife, Julia. Our passion for creating videos is what brought us together, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. By the time we finished our bachelor’s degrees, we had enough stable freelance work to quit our day jobs and start our business.

Proper Films is a video production company based out of Denver, Colorado. For the last seven years, we’ve sought to capture passionate stories about interesting characters and brands, both local in Colorado and to the farthest expanses of earth. We are lucky to live against such beautiful backdrops that provide a creative space to produce videos. Check out this collection of our favorite recent promotional projects! https://vimeo.com/339470888

It’s been 17 years since picking up my first camera, and since then I have filmed in exotic destinations all around the world. We also specialize in documenting travel content, using elevated storytelling to reveal what lies at the heart of a destination, its culture, and its people. Educating and inspiring others to explore different cultures and landscapes around the world, we’ve been fortunate to work with a number of tourism boards and brand-sponsored trips. Reaching adventurous destinations such as Patagonia and Antarctica, but also experience deep cultural roots in places like Nepal, Thailand, Sweden, and even a tiger safari in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. These experiences have shaped who we are and the way we tell stories throughout our portfolio.

We love to experiment with new techniques and equipment, and we’re always looking for new creative ways of thinking. We primarily focus on a video promoting the outdoors lifestyle, as well as higher education, and small business start-up. We love telling stories to communicate the message your brand or product has to tell and taper it towards the right target audience. We’ve produced hundreds of videos since we met in 2010, so while working side by side we know exactly how to compliment each other’s strengths.

Has it been a smooth road?
“Pain is a kind of shortcut to mindfulness. It makes us suddenly aware of our environment. It brutally draws us into a virtual sensory of the world” -Chris Burkard.

Our entire lives we’re told to follow our passions. While this can be very fulfilling, there are also many challenges that come with pursuing your passion as a career. There’s a fine line of a healthy work/life balance, finding that flow that allows you to stay creative and avoid the inevitable burn out. There are also physical and mental challenges that come with filming in harsh conditions. I’ve had multi-day hikes and horseback adventures through the backcountry of some of the most remote places on earth. Some of our best work has been produced during the most challenging conditions. One of the most difficult was documenting a voyage while simultaneously learning how to sail a 100-year-old sailboat across some of the world’s roughest seas, during a 3-week trip to Antarctica. https://vimeo.com/260368157

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Video is the quickest way to tell a story and the easiest way to share your imagination. While we love filming, it’s only half the picture. The process all begins with pre-production. This involves brainstorming different creative concepts that are developed into storyboards to illustrate the structure of your story. Shooting is always a challenge as the conditions are rarely in your favor. However, it’s all about your perspective. Adventure photographer Chris Burkard said, “The novelty of a sunny bluebird wears off pretty quickly when you realize what a landscape really needs to come to life”. Then editing is where the magic truly happens, allowing us to show you what we see. This video showcases the wild adventure over the last decade. https://vimeo.com/158549942

Another passion to stem from a video is photography, we are inspired by the method of composing multiple elements of a story in a single frame. This keeps the viewers engaged, as we are able to tell the story in the most efficient manner to keep the videos at a minimal length. We enjoy capturing stills of powerful landscapes, cultures, active lifestyles, and products.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
One of the best things about living in Denver is how like-minded everyone is. We all seem to have caught the adventure bug with similar interests in hiking, camping, snowboarding, and plenty of other activities. You can easily find a buddy to go explore and have a good time. Denver is a great place for creatives to collaborate on out of the box projects and concepts. Creativity is a general spirit of spontaneity and questioning the world and the way things work. Everyone has their own lens that depicts the way they perceive the world. Seeing things continuously fresh and new, that you may have seen many times before. Be open to new experiences. You need to create a space where you can discover new things about yourself. To have the drive for exploration and curiosity, and the contestant temptation to get outside your comfort zone and embrace the unknown.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

Thank you to everyone that has helped support our efforts of following our passion!

Contact Info:

• Address: 7301 West Bayaud place, Lakewood, CO 80226
• Website: https://www.proper-films.com
• Phone: 973-5257442
• Email: josiah@proper-films.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/properfilms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiah.holwick
• Other: https://vimeo.com/properfilms

   

Image Credit:
Josiah Holwick

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