Powerhouse couple Brittany and Ryan are the talented team behind Mainstream Multi-Media. Based out of their studio apartment in North Carolina, they produce highly polished and professional content on par with any commercial studio.
Brittany began her journey as a cosmetic influencer on YouTube but soon transformed into a product photographer fueled by her passion for marketing and content creation. With Ryan by her side complementing her skillset and supporting her creativity, the chilled couple soon became a formidable creative partnership. A match made, Brittany focuses on the styling and editing whilst Ryan is all things lighting and videography. They now both focus on Mainstream Multi-Media full-time and are going from strength to strength.
From the moment she joined our creator community, Brittany has impressed us. Her injection of creative enthusiasm is so refreshing and her hunger to share her knowledge is always welcomed. Her vibrant and clean style paired with Ryan’s technical knowledge and their studio quality portfolio meant they quickly joined our creator database for paid project opportunities. They have now delivered amazingly professional stills, stop motions and videos for our customers like Nexxus, Baby Dove and Love, Beauty & Planet whilst being a pleasure to work with and a team to rely on.
Mainstream Multi-Media’s presence on platforms like YouTube and Instagram has morphed from Brittany’s influencer days to educators and mentors as they teach new creators following in their footsteps with everything from creative hacks to business advice. Keep scrolling to immerse yourself in Brittany and Ryan’s creative world and soak in their enthusiasm too.
Hey, I’m Brittany! My partner Ryan and I are the dynamic duo behind Mainstream Multi-Media.
My whole life, I’ve had a knack for all things creative but it wasn’t until the world fell apart in 2020 that my life fell into place. In 2016, I started my content creation journey as a cosmetic influencer on YouTube which lead to me landing a job at Ulta while I studied marketing in college.
I became fascinated with the relationship between ads and business sales but did not yet know where that passion would lead. Upon graduating in 2020, I stumbled across a product photography video and realized there was a career in content creation beyond being an influencer. With all the knowledge I acquired in my time at university, coupled with my understanding of cosmetics, I used our nationwide lockdown as an opportunity to hone in on my creativity. It was during this phase of my life that I met Ryan who was in full support of my destined path.
Fast forward one year later, the business had grown so much that he was finally able to come on board full-time. I work as the stylist and editor while Ryan does the lighting and camera work. It is both of our minds together that make the magic happen.
This past year, we’ve worked to evolve my YouTube channel (Mainstream Multi-Media) into a place where we educate others on all things photography, videography, and business. Now, not only do we get to work with amazing brands featured in Sephora, Target, JCPenny, and more but we get to share with others the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to find success in their business.
We love working with anything that has a touch of elegance. This typically falls into the category of cosmetics, candles, and other specialty goods. However, every brand is unique and you can find elegance in almost every industry.
We’d describe our aesthetic as chill and love a neutral black and grey color pallet with a pop of olive green. Warm Eddison bulbs are a must for decor and Lofi music is always playing throughout our home! We love our space to reflect a cozy, modern loft and our vibe to be relaxed. In our off time, you can find us hiking and exploring waterfalls or gaming together on our Xbox.
I love exploring new platforms and Creatively Squared came up in my research. I actually had no idea about the amazing community I was walking into let alone that you offered work opportunities to your members!
The most memorable Creatively Squared project for us was working with Nexxus. We love sophistication and had been craving to do a scientific inspired shoot and this project encompassed both elements. I dedicated hours to sketching out detailed concepts while Ryan perfected the lighting and camera settings on the day of the shoot. This is absolutely one of our most favourite collections!
In our studio, we use a Sony A7III with a 90mm f/2.8-22 lens and mainly utilize 2 Godox lights: the SL60W with a softbox attachment and the FV150 as a bare bulb. There is a lot of miscellaneous equipment that we use depending on the look we are going for so, we’ve created a free downloadable equipment guide on our website for other aspiring photographers to reference.
When it comes to editing images we utilize both Lightroom and Photoshop. I love how seamlessly Adobe programs work together and allow me to get extremely complex with our edits. Premier Pro is another great Adobe program that we use for editing videos.
When styling product pictures, we tend to favour simple sets with matte props and enjoy utilizing textures and shadows to create interest in images. We find that this creates a very mature scene that feels relaxing to the eye. Props such as stone, wood, ceramic, and plants are great examples of pieces we love using. Recently, we’ve developed a new love for shooting outdoors in forests or near waterfalls and at Airbnb locations across the nation.
We produce all of our studio content out of our 2-bedroom apartment. We have a secondary room set up as the main studio and create mini sets in our bathroom, kitchen, and living room as needed.
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I sketch out all of our images on my iPad Air with an Apple Pencil using and app called Procreate. This helps us work more efficiently by better-visualizing lighting, shadows, and anything uneven prior to the shoot day to prevent any complications on set.
If I am not feeling inspired then we usually will push off a project a day or two. My creativity is the building block of a picture and if that is lacking then the rest of the pieces will not fall in line. When I reach moments like these, we will usually take the day off, head to the Blue Ridge Mountains and spend the day hiking. I find time away from technology and peaceful drives through the mountains is a great way to refresh my creativity.
I am lucky enough to work alongside my best friend and partner, Ryan. I work as the stylist and editor while he does the lighting and camera work. It is both of our minds together that make the magic happen. We also have 2 furry kitty executives that help us run the office.
Brittany and Ryan’s stop motion magic for Love, Beauty and Planet. Source: Creatively Squared
When creating image concepts, I mainly like to browse Pinterest to kick off my inspiration. I create a mood board with a colour pallet and then begin brainstorming all the details.
My top tip for creating content is to take each project one step at a time and proactively do things to keep your creativity stimulated. Go on a walk, listen to music, play with your fur babies, or watch some photography videos on YouTube. By keeping your spirits high and your mind active, you’ll begin to always feel inspired!
This year we are focused on improving our location and video work. We love exploring so naturally we enjoy jobs that require us to go out in nature or rent locations.
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