An interview with Tony Carlin
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Tony Carlin is the Managing Director of Little Films and a new resident at our Blick 8081 studios. Here’s a bit about Tony, what he does and what inspires him:
Describe your business in 140 characters
Creative storytellers specialising in wedding cinema, aerial imaging and 360 photography
What inspired you to start a business / work in a creative business
I’ve always wanted to run my own business and have had an interest in filmmaking since I was a kid when my Dad first bought a camcorder. It was obviously supposed to be his but I went in and played it with every opportunity I got – usually when he was out of the house! I actually taped over part of my Granny + Grandads 50th wedding anniversary DVD with a stopmotion film of my He-Man toy attacking a dinasaur – it’s still to this day up there with my finest work…
Are you working on any exciting projects in 2016 and if so tell us a bit about them!
I recently bought myself a 360 degree camera and so am very excited about incorporating that into my business. This is going to be a huge year for virtual reality with the upcoming launch of the Oculus Rift so I hope to link up with an app developer and do something creative in that space sometime soon. I’ve already had talks with some local hotels about providing fully immersive, virtual tours so I’m excited to see where it will lead.
What are the 3 things/people etc that have inspired you the most
My fiance Kayleigh Clarke has been a huge influence on me both personally and professionally. She is a boutique wedding photographer and so I learnt a lot about cameras from her and started out as her 2nd shooter. She’s also put up with me rabbiting on about the latest tech in drones or 360 cameras etc for the last number of years (I love to nerd out on camera gear) which I’m sure hasn’t been easy, she probably deserves some kind of medal for that alone!
Philip Bloom is a Creative Director who I have always admired and really like his style. He followed me on Instagram last week out of the blue and it literally made my day!
I’ve also got a great family around me who’ve helped me every step of the way.
Are there any tips you would give startups in Northern Ireland and in particular the North?
Find out who’s out there, talk to each other and help each other out. We don’t collaborate nearly enough in this country. You would be surprised at what opportunities can come from saying hello to someone and finding out what it is they do
When you’re not at work, what do you enjoy doing the most?
My life outside of work isn’t too dissimilar to my work life. I love going out on road trips with Kayleigh and our dog Flo, finding a good scenic spot and getting the drone out for a fly or my 360 camera out for a bit. Im very lucky to be working in a area that I’m passionate about.
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Follow Tony on:
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Watch this space for Cat + Dog Media – a new venture by Tony Carlin.
