Pre-Med Student Develops Stewart Films to Feed His Video Interests

Dayton, TN --  Gavin Stewart has launched a company, Stewart Films as vehicle to offer videography services to the local community in his offtime from attending school and working.  Gavin recently contacted Rhea County Magazine to share some of his footage from Rhea County Football game and I was impressed.  I immediately asked if he would shoot some sideline shots for Rhea County Magazine.  I alos had a chance to ask Gavin a few question about his videography and personal history to share with the community.  Gavin took time to answer my questions. When did you become interested in photography? While film has nothing to do with my chosen career path, as I’m in school for pre-med, I have definitely been interested in videography all the way back to when I was in middle school. It’s always been something I’ve liked to do for fun and is just something I have continued to enjoy over the years.  Two years ago in December I took the first really concrete steps into turning videography into something in which I was actually able to make some money, rather than just doing it for fun, but I didn’t know it at the time.  All I knew was that I saw an ad for a drone that GoPro had made, and I decided to buy myself an early Christmas gift. It was initially just nothing more than a toy that I was wanting to try out for personal use to capture our summer activities on the lake, family vacations, etc. It dawned on me one day that that drone could not only be used just as a toy, but it could also be used as a business tool.  I was all excited about the idea and I began researching what it would take to operate a drone commercially, what licenses it would require, how I could set up a Facebook business page, etc. It really took off from that point as I branched into the field of real estate videography. What experience do you have with photography and videography? I had several clients right off the bat that kept me pretty busy, and I was thrilled to be able to make use of the drone I purchased. I got certified as an FAA part 107 drone pilot, and over time the business expanded to taking photos and videos of the interior of homes as well, which meant upgrading and buying more and more gear. While Real Estate photography,videography is fairly simple to do, after a certain length of time doing it the struggle becomes how can I present this house in a creative way that I haven’t done with every other house I’ve filmed. It’s the creative side of videography that I enjoy, and that’s why I decided to branch the business out recently to filming different types of events. I just recently filmed my first two weddings and those have by far been my favorite films I have put together since I started my business. Weddings are such and emotional, special event, and when you are hired to capture that in a video, it’s a big and stressful task. You only get one opportunity to capture these memories that couples want to remember for years to come, but the end result is so worth it. The second you reveal the video you’ve created for them is so satisfying.   Being able to take an event like that, and display it as a story really just allows you to be so creative, and that’s what I really enjoy. What was your high school experience like at Rhea County High School? Having graduated at Rhea County High School in 2018, I can reflect back and appreciate so many of the memories I was able to make with friends and athletics had significant impact on that. When they say that high school will fly by, they were not kidding. It was one of the quickest four years of my life, and college is moving along even quicker, but I am thankful to have spent them at Rhea County. I was surrounded by teachers and coaches that genuinely cared about my future and that is something I couldn’t have been more thankful for. What have you been doing since graduation from Rhea County High School? I graduated from Rhea County in 2018, and I’m currently enrolled at UTC as a junior this year. I have worked at Lowe’s since I graduated also and it has been a good flexible job for me during school that also allows me to film on the side.  Wanting to become a doctor was never something that was even remotely on my career radar until a couple years back when I got to meet Dr. Daniel Black. His passion for his work and the way he loves on his patients truly inspired me to pursue that career field. Over the years I have had the opportunity to build a close relationship with him, and have had many opportunities to shadow him and it has furthered my drive and interest to help others. Although I’m willing to pursue whatever God has in store for me. I have firmly believed for some time now that this is the direction he is leading me, and I couldn’t be more excited. What do you enjoy more, photography or videography? Videography is definitely my favorite over photography as I personally feel I can get more creative with it. Some are gifted in that sane with with photography, but videography for me is just something I enjoy much more. To edit my work I use Final Cut Pro X on my MacBook. I was able to get a student edition that I have been able to use throughout the whole length of my business. Videography is certainly my primary hobby, but aside from that I am also a fan of watching sports, and something else that I’m sure is unique is that I’m currently converting a school bus into an RV, which sounds like a crazy project, but I love a good challenge and it really has been a lot of fun to work on in my spare time. I’m looking forward to the end result. Link to one of Gavin's creations