May 8, 2017

Meet Geo Villegas of GZ Productions

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Geo Villegas.

GZ Productions was the outcome of a passion for telling stories with cinematic impact. Geo originally pursued film making after he went to his home town in Maryland to participate in a fundraiser for a friend with Stage 4 cancer. During this event, he re-connected with a high school friend who shared with him that seeing his posts on social media about his Ironman triathlon journey, had inspired her to pursue her own personal health goals. She then encouraged him to film his triathlon experiences and share them on YouTube so that he could inspire others as well. Shortly thereafter, Geo bought an I-Phone, Apple lenses, and a microphone, and began posting brief videos on YouTube and social media. He quickly developed a passion for film, and began producing brief videos on triathlons and other sporting events. Geo also maintained his commitment to giving back and produced videos for charities, including a charity for children with disabilities that provides lessons to surf.

Geo met his partner, Laura Peterson, while racing and filming a 200-mile ultra-run, benefitting a charity for children with cancer. With a love of film making and a united vision to turn a hobby into a business, Geo and Laura embarked on a new journey: to tell stories and bring people’s vision to life through film. Geo and Laura then invested in state-of-the-art production equipment, and began making videos and films of all types, expanding their business from sporting event coverage to corporate, weddings, special events, and expos, such as the Natural Living Expo that has over 10,000 attendees.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The journey for GZ Productions has not always been smooth and has had many challenges. We feel very blessed to have grown the company to what it is today, but it has grown so quickly that we have had to invest in expanding our equipment more quickly than we originally anticipated to be able to fulfill customer requests and orders. In addition, we had to learn more about film production than is often available through traditional education, especially with the ever-changing advancements in technology. Additional challenges have involved developing a business model with a strategic plan that is realistic, while also addressing our present operational needs, such as establishing a basic cost structure for a varied clientele, as business and personal clients differ tremendously. However, we are thankful for these “growing pains,” as we have learned much about ourselves and what we are capable of. We are committed to hard work and to making our business successful today and sustainable with projections for growth in the future.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
GZ Productions is a full service video production company specializing in bringing people’s vision to life through cinematic expression, using state-of-the-art video production equipment. Our services range from wedding, corporate, fitness and promotional videos, to interviews, documentaries, and more. We pride ourselves on being different from other companies as we have an artistic flair and bring that cinematic “big screen” feel to our films, while staying true to our clients’ goals. We accomplish these goals all while maintaining an unintrusive approach and avoiding all the stressors and inconveniences typically associated with video production. Usually, when people think of filming, they think of cameras as the focus; however, GZ Productions becomes part of the “flow” and makes the clients, not the cameras, the focus. By having this more subtle approach, we are able to truly help our clients feel comfortable and the end result is we are able to tell their stories, bringing them to life with passion,

What were you like growing up?
Geo: I was an out-going adventurist who loved the arts and outdoors. I played football, hockey, soccer, and the drums, and was often told I had “ants in my pants” and could never sit still. I always had to be doing something active and always had an “artsy” side, I later channeled my energy into triathlon, becoming an Ironman and competing nationally.

Laura: I was shy and was always driven to achieve. I was always considered a “girly-girl” who loved fashion and music, playing the piano and dancing my way through childhood. I also played baseball, and was the first girl in my town to be allowed to join the boys Little League Team. I loved school and learning, and graduated top of my class. I also became a triathlete and later turned my love of the beach and ocean into becoming a paddle board instructor.

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