Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by My Global Presence, the award winning Atlanta public relations agency that elevates brands and non-profits through authentic storytelling and national media campaigns. Find them at myglobalpresence.com. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is gonna be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, My Global Presence. If you want global visibility and meaningful impact, go to myglobalpresence.com. Today on the show, we have the founder and producer with Lark Media, Alahna Lark. Welcome.

Alahna Lark: Thank you. Lee. Nice to meet you. I’m excited for this conversation.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Lark Media. How are you serving folks?

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. So Lark Media is a production company based out of Atlanta. We specialize in cinematic films and television shows for what we consider to be socially conscious organizations, brands, and companies.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How did this thing get started?

Alahna Lark: Well, it started out of necessity. You know, a few years after graduating from film school and having produced several series and feature films, I found myself as a videographer, one woman’s show, and I knew what it was to be collaborative in the film industry. And here I was lugging my tripod and lighting kit and sound equipment and, you know, wearing all of the hats to make videos that I felt weren’t bringing my mission and vision forward of making the world a better place through film. It was really just to make ends meet. And so I remember being at a women’s conference called Alt Summit in Palm Springs, and I had booked 4 to 5 videos a day of the speakers at that conference hit the ground running, who’s who’s speaking? I can, I can film your video for you. And after the fifth interview, the second day, I just broke down in the hallway of the conference and called my mentor. And I cried to him and I said, you know, I didn’t go to film school to be a videographer at what am I doing? And that was when I decided I needed to rebrand and begin marketing myself as a CEO and marketing our services as a production company, not as a one woman show.

Lee Kantor: So when you made that shift, that sounds like a shift. Uh, a lot in mindset, but also in kind of a business strategy. Uh, can you talk about what, when you mentally made that shift, what changed and how you, how were you able to get momentum?

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. Um, well, for one, I appreciated my mentor, uh, Phil Stevens, praying for me in that moment. And, um, from there, I employed a woman owned, uh, graphic designer, uh, company there there called Mushaboom studio. And it’s actually a twin sisters who once a photographer. The other is a graphic designer and I said, I need to rebrand. And she created a logo for me. Uh, she created a website for me. And then the next step was to reach out to people that I had met over the years in the industry to say, hey, I’m starting a company. Can I add you to my website as my director of photography, as my editor? And I had a, I have a really great friend who also went to film school who’s an excellent producer. And I was like, do you want to be part of this? And everyone just kept saying, yes, yes, yes, of course we support you. We want to be part of the team. Some of those people actually ended up sending some of their work to be part of our demo reel, to showcase what we all could do as, as artists, as collaborators together. And so that new approach at branding this new team meant a new way of getting clients, and it raised the caliber of the clients that we could then serve.

Lee Kantor: So then what was it like kind of that first production when it was no longer Alana the cinematographer, but Alana, the CEO of Lark Media? What did that feel like?

Alahna Lark: Well, it felt, you know, the budget didn’t come out the gate, right? And so the higher the budget, the more you’re able to accomplish because you can bring on more people with different specializations. So it really did start still as a very, very small team. But, um, you know, I had made relationships as a freelance videographer that I could then tap into and say, hey, we’ve leveled up, you know, I know we did this. I did this brand video for you in the past, but I want to do, you know, a high scale, high quality commercial. Um, would you trust us to bring a vision to life of how we see your company? So the company, um, was actually called beer Beard Care Gang, and we had a production designer create almost like an oasis jungle type of feel in a bathroom. So we had a gaffer, which is, you know, the head of lighting, we had a cinematographer, we had that production designer and I was directing, so I was already able to see, okay, we don’t need a huge budget to start to show the caliber of what we’re capable of creating. We just need creative collaboration. And so that really did begin right out the gate.

Lee Kantor: So when you’re doing that, you’re in this production now. And do you feel like, okay, I’m moving the ball now I’m getting closer to what I envision my career being, this is closer to what I would like to be doing more of.

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. There was a moment when I was sitting on the floor on the set we actually used was my apartment, and I was watching the head of lighting set up the lights, and I just had a moment of reflection on, okay, this is that vision that you had on that conference room floor coming to life. And I had to fight the tears from coming just to see people believing in me and contributing their skills to what I was wanting to build was incredibly humbling. And, um, yeah, it was, it was the actualization of the beginning of my dreams coming true.

Lee Kantor: Now, for aspiring, uh, creators out there, do you have any advice on how to build that team, because it sounds like that was kind of an important moment in the journey, was finding the other people part of the team, part of the tribe that believed what you believed, and you were all kind of on the same page of what you were trying to accomplish. So what some advice on how to make sure you got the right people on the team to help everybody move forward?

Alahna Lark: You know, I attribute especially the key team members like Nina Villani, um, my head writer, head producer, that connection, you know, it started with friendship. Like this was a long standing friendship. We already had similar values. We already had similar educational backgrounds. And we we saw a lot in each other. Um, in terms of, you know, where I had weaknesses, she had strengths and so, and vice versa. So I look at that as like a divine intervention of just, you know, knowing someone before we actually made it to where we could act on our goals and seeing the progress she made on her own and the progress that I was making and finally deciding, okay, now it’s time for us to bring our unique skills together. Um, I think it takes that kind of magic almost for that kind of partnership. But, you know, as we grow and scale, um, we’re having to trust people that maybe we haven’t worked with in the past, you know, with each project. Thankfully, the budget gets bigger. And so then you’re able to get even more specialized team members. Like on my latest project, we have a composer. I had never worked with a composer before, but, um, a lot of it, when you don’t know that person personally is trusting your intuition, Reviewing their work. Having conversations with them about, um, what your expectations are and how maybe you don’t know everything about what their role is going to contribute, but you trust that based on the work that you’ve seen them do that you know you’re going to learn as you go. And, um, sometimes, you know, then working with that composer was amazing. Um, but sometimes you do find team members that are just not going to work. And it, it’s a learning process. It’s trial and error. It’s, um, learning more about what your needs are as, as a leader and pivoting. You know, we’ve had to let people go at times. Um, just because maybe it wasn’t a match and not I try not to take that personally. It’s just business, you know, it happens. Not everyone is going to be Perfect person for that role.

Lee Kantor: Right? And it’s one of those things, especially when you’re working in that kind of collaborative environment, you have to, um, be able to, um, kind of prune the people that aren’t, um, fully there. Because if you’re not quick about it, then it really can sabotage the whole project.

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. And I think that me as a person, you know, I tend to like everyone I meet and believe in them. And I think that is, um, a strength in many ways. But I think that it also at times has made me not quick enough at those decisions and being like, okay, well, let’s just, you know, keep coaching them on this. And, um, there reaches a point where your time is so valuable that you have to realize like, if this person is not a self-starter and you’re having to manage everything they do, then you know, that can cause a different kind of resentment than just saying, hey, I don’t think this is the right fit and allowing them to go forward and find what is right.

Lee Kantor: And, and you got to really keep in mind the ramifications of letting one person kind of be a slacker, what that’s doing to the rest of the team that’s trying their hardest and, and busting their butt on something. You don’t want that, you know, that can really creep into the whole project. So there are unintended consequences of not, um, you know, there’s an old saying that says hire slow fire fast. And that’s an old saying for a reason. Because that’s an important part of business is you have to, you know, you want your team to be all on the same page of what it looks like to, to work on something. And if you have some people or an individual that is going a different way, it’s hard to keep the team together. I mean, it’s hard enough as it is.

Alahna Lark: Absolutely 100% agreed.

Lee Kantor: So now throughout, like you started, you know, filming individuals, then brands. And now can you talk a little bit about how you’ve expanded even beyond that into a variety of different, um, projects?

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. Um, so my most recent film that was released last year is called The Games in Black and White. Um, it’s a feature length documentary, uh, that really focuses on Ambassador Andrew Young and Billy Payne and how they came together to bring the Olympics to Atlanta before the world knew who Atlanta was. Um, which is kind of crazy to think about now because you can’t go anywhere and say that you’re from Atlanta and them not know where you’re talking about. But that wasn’t always the case. So that film, um, I produced and we took home four Emmys at the Southeast Emmy Awards a couple weeks ago. So we’re still like, riding that wave of victory. It was a project we started before Covid, so we’re talking five years in the making, and now we’re finally able to see the fruits of that labor. It released on, um, delta in flight, as well as on GPB, uh, Georgia public, Georgia Public Broadcasting and has subsequently been picked up by, uh, PBS nationwide. So we’re really excited about that. Funny story. Um, I went to Georgia State to study film and journalism, and the professor I had while at Georgia State, um, in what we call practicum, where you get to kind of get hands on experience in journalism. Um, he hired me on to be a producer of the games in black and white. And so that just goes to show, you know, I graduated a while ago. I’m not gonna age myself, but it wasn’t yesterday. Um, maintaining those relationships long term can lead to wonderful opportunities, like being able to partner with your former professor and bring home awards together.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, that’s a great advice for young people out there that, you know, building your network is really critical in growing your career and you don’t know, you know, where things are going to lead. And so, you know, it’s a good practice to not burn any bridges and build those relationships early and often.

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. And so other than that, um, Lark Media has, um, been working for about a year and a half on a project with the King Center called when Faith calls. It’s a six episode mini docu series about Doctor King’s faith and how it impacted and drove him to be the icon that he is today. But more than that, what I love about the project is that it really humanizes King and shows. You know, there was a lot of fear he had to work through. And I think young people today need that message to, you know, take people like King off of a pedestal so they can look inside themselves and say, maybe I can be like King. You know, he he was a family man. He was a minister. He was a human who made all of these sacrifices that have literally changed the world that we live in. Um, so that is releasing, um, next month. Well, not releasing that’s premiering next month. And then information about when it will be released to the public is soon to come. But I’m really excited about this one. I think it might be some of the best work I’ve ever done.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you finding that you’re enjoying documentaries as the the way to tell the stories that you want to tell?

Alahna Lark: I think, and that’s a great question. I think that documentaries come very naturally for me. Um, I don’t know what it is about putting a camera in front of someone and asking the right questions and just allowing them to tell their own story. That just lights me up. And I’ve done narrative films. I’ve done a couple of short films that are narrative. I’m writing a narrative script at the moment. Um, and I see the value in, in that experience as well. It’s very creative. Um, and it feels less like work and more like, you know, a kid painting with paint brushes. I can’t explain it. Whereas documentary filmmaking is what I’ve done for so long that it’s like, it’s just what I do, you know? It’s what brings in the money. It’s what allows me to tell stories that I find to be important for the world to hear. But, um, I hope to continue to do both narrative and documentary work just because they affect people in different ways, you know? And all we want to do as creatives is tell stories that impact people. And so I never want to limit myself creatively on what that could look like. So I’m going to just keep trying it all. And, um, I’ll continue to get better at both.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, how have you seen kind of your work, um, in terms of, of building community? Are you seeing that when you’re working on a project like the King project or the Olympic project that when you create something like you did that now there’s like kind of a touchstone to build community around.

Alahna Lark: Absolutely. Um, you know, I think about my first feature documentary, um, that I did with Shonda Harper and Nina Villani called Sweet Auburn Blues. Um, it’s a documentary about, uh, Auburn Avenue, which was once the richest black neighborhood in North America. It’s right here in Atlanta, Georgia. And we sought out to tell a story about how gentrification was essentially going to be the downfall of this historically rich neighborhood. And what I didn’t anticipate when creating this film was how much we would get to know the people as we were making the film. You know, even the the script that I mentioned, I’m in the middle of writing, um, is inspired by a man who was experiencing homelessness on Auburn Avenue. And I think about how we were able to then release this project and do so many community screenings where we then open the floor to conversations with community members, with business owners, with city leaders to talk about, you know, how can we preserve this history? Um, what problems is, is everyone experiencing and is there anything that can be done about it? And so, you know, I think personally, I love to create films and, and allow the audience to just take from it what they will. But, um, you know, we do have an impact element to our business that focuses on creating opportunities for these conversations to happen around what the themes of each project we’re doing focuses on. And we’ve been able to really build bridges, um, and, and start conversations that I think without that film, without those films wouldn’t necessarily, um, an opportunity wouldn’t necessarily present itself to do so. Um, with games in black and white, we do have a, an event coming up at Tara theater.

Alahna Lark: So if anyone’s interested in seeing that, I definitely recommend going. It’s next month. Um, my favorite thing about every time someone watches that film is they all come to me with their unique stories about where they were during the 96 Atlanta Olympics and what they were doing. And they’re like, oh, you know, I was a kid. I was selling t shirts and, oh, you know, I got tickets with my mom. I’ll never forget that day. So sometimes it’s not always about sparking up, you know, life changing conversations. Sometimes it’s just about bringing about nostalgia and connection where people can see themselves reflected in the work that they’re watching. And then lastly, I do feel like I should wrap this one up, but community is such a big part of what we do. Um, with the King Center project, I know we have the intention of, um, having educational, um, sessions where we’ll show an episode, you know, maybe there’s a curriculum attached to that episode. Like what is the theme that we want to talk about? We want to travel it around to different universities, different high schools, because we have to remember that in this moment, as we sit here, history is being rewritten and we have the power to preserve it, to capture it, to share it in its truest form, so that the next generation doesn’t forget where we came from. And they can learn from our past on how to build a better future. So those are just some of the ways that I think community is so important in documentary storytelling and, and filmmaking in general.

Lee Kantor: So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Alahna Lark: Well, funding is always is always a challenge. Um, you know, we’re constantly submitting to grants, but, um, you know, I think more than anything, I would love to know that people are interested in seeing what we’re doing, so check us out at Lark Media. Reach out, subscribe to our newsletter so you can be part of our community. Um, and if you have a nonprofit or what you would consider a socially conscious organization or, or brand, and you want to tell your brand mission and vision through the medium of film, reach out. We’re always looking to collaborate. Um, we’re always looking to tell people’s stories, tell company stories. Um, you don’t have to even understand film to collaborate with us and tell your story. We’ll always hold the mission and vision of our clients, um, with great honor and care.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned that if there’s a nonprofit, maybe that’s the impetus or the, the kind of spark for the storytelling itself. But if there’s any corporate leaders listening who want to get involved and maybe sponsor or support financially some of your work. Do you have kind of a, a, an elevator pitch for those kind of folks who want to put their money towards some of these projects that might really make a difference and create a legacy for themselves and the groups that they that are important to them.

Alahna Lark: Yes. I think, you know, my elevator pitch would just be we need people with deep pockets who believe in a better future. And if you believe that this world could be better, supporting the arts and supporting authentic, honest storytelling is the best way you can try to make the world a better place is how you can connect with and capture the hearts of others. And there’s just nothing that translates as deeply as the medium of film. So you don’t have to know much about it to dip your toes in and learn how we can help you tell authentic, important stories that matter to you.

Lee Kantor: So one more time before we wrap the website, the best way to connect.

Alahna Lark: Is larkmedia.co.

Lee Kantor: Well, Alana, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Alahna Lark: Thank you. Lee, it’s been a pleasure.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.