Today we’d like to introduce you to Nora McCormack.
Nora, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was in college (Sport Management major at the University of New England), I had to find an internship starting my junior year. I had tried contacting a number of minor league sports teams and agencies about internships to little avail. I was at Sunday River Ski Resort one weekend where my brother & his wife work. I was asking my sister-in-law if she knew of anybody that was hiring when the station manager for the local TV station overheard me. He asked me if I knew how to work on computers & cameras, to which I replied: “no, but I’m willing to learn.” I started working at the TV station the next weekend, and have been there for 14 years. I have been the station manager at Sunday River TV, an Outside Television affiliate for the past four years.
I started shooting weddings as a way to continue producing video content over the summer months when I wasn’t working at the TV station. I second shot for another company for a season before starting my own business in 2008. Being a business owner was a bucket list item, and I honestly did not think that I had what it takes to be successful. I did it just to see if I could — and it went better than I had ever imagined. What I started as a way to keep busy for a couple of months out of the year has turned into a growing, profitable company. Things are going so well, in fact, that this past November, I left Outside Television to put all of my time and effort into SP Films and Airglow Films.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No road to success is ever smooth! I have experienced my fair share of bumps, twists, & turns on this road– and all of them have led me to be a stronger person and better businesswoman.
A lot of what I have learned on the wedding side of things has been thru trial and error. My motto now is “prepare to fail,” and I take it to heart. Some might say that I’m a control freak over certain aspects on a wedding day, but if I weren’t, then my work would suffer. Audio, for instance — A wedding film is nothing unless you have a good, clean sound. Having to rely on another person (in this case a band or DJ) to do their job well in order for my product to be of the quality that I need it to be doesn’t always work. By taking a few extra steps that some might consider “overkill,” I have peace of mind and exactly what I need to give my couples a quality film.
Over the past 14 years, I have made numerous sacrifices for my business – personal, professional, and spiritual. The biggest struggle (that I’m still trying to overcome, but am far better at these days!) is finding a healthy work-life balance. I made the mistake of putting work ahead of my marriage, personal relationships, and mental health. Everything suffered as a result, and I won’t ever make those mistakes again. I have restructured things to make my business work for me, not the other way around. I now only take on a small number of weddings per year, have hired an incredible editor, and work with couples who truly appreciate the time, effort, and process that goes along with hiring SP Films.
SP Films & Airglow Films – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
SP Films is a cinematic wedding film company that services New England, but I am willing to travel wherever I am needed! While the final product is a film that tells the story of the couple, we put a heavy emphasis on the level of service that we provide. When you hire SP Films, we don’t simply take your money, have you sign a contract, & then we’ll see you on your wedding day — from the moment you contact us, we want you to know that we are invested in you and your event. If schedules allow, I love meeting up in person at least once over the course of the planning process over a coffee, beer or dinner. If the distance is too large to make that happen, then I schedule several FaceTime meetings just to that they can put a face to the name and ask any questions that they might have.
We are also in touch with your planner, band/DJ, and photographer leading up to the wedding day, that way we’re all working together as a cohesive team. It is very important to us that we’re not in the professional photos and that the photographers aren’t in our film. We communicate our strategy for certain parts of the day to make sure everybody gets exactly what they need.
I am very proud of the reputation we have been able to build over the past several years. From a client’s perspective, we’ve been given nothing but 5-star reviews for a level of service & professionalism, quality of film, and value. We’ve had guests approach us at the end of the night thanking us for being so unobtrusive, which is pretty cool! We know that we are not the most affordable option out there, but we have heard time & time again from our couples that working with SP Films was one of the best decisions that they had made for their wedding day.
From a vendor perspective, nothing makes me happier than hearing how easy we were to work with. I’ve heard horror stories from photographers about working with other video teams who were only concerned about what was going on in front of their lenses and were oblivious to how their workflow was negatively impacting the photographers and guest experience. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Airglow Films is a new venture that is still in its infancy but provides cinematic films on a smaller scale than SP. Airglow was created as a way to create beautifully shot cinematic films for the couples who might not be able to afford the full SP experience. Emphasis is on quality, not quantity. This company only services the greater Bethel, Maine region.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success has changed over the years. Right now, I’d define success as the ability to find sustainable joy on a regular basis. For me, that joy comes from creating relationships with my clients and colleagues, turning my passion into a career, and generating enough of an income while doing so to feel secure.
I use to think that success only came when you turned a profit. These days, I find those who are able to enjoy their lives, take vacations, and carve out time for themselves (while not going into debt) are the truly successful ones.
Pricing:
- An investment with SP Films starts at $5500
- An investment with Airglow Films starts at $2500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sp-films.com
- Phone: 207-400-0311
- Email: nora@sp-films.com
- Instagram: sp_films
- Facebook: facebook.com/softshellproductions
- Other: www.airglowfilms.com
Image Credit:
Kate Crabtree Photography, Brandon Pullen Photography, Russell Caron Photography, Annemarie Swift Photography, Boathouse Studios, Jamie Mercurio Photography
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
