Members of DFK UK & Ireland a leading association of independent accounting firms have been talking to their clients and contacts in order to understand how businesses are repurposing through the COVID-19 lock-down.
In the fifth in a series of articles, Caroline Cassidy, Executive Officer for DFK UK & Ireland spoke to Holly Cassidy about her videography company.
Holly Cassidy Videography is a business based in the UK & Ireland, primarily shooting wedding videos, promotional films, music videos and mini-documentaries.
Holly has been making videos for as long as she can remember, even as a young child, ‘playtimes’ would be filmed and directed by Holly. By the age of 21, she had founded her own wedding videography business, and has since shot and edited 60+ videos in many different locations, both home and away.
Alongside running her business, she is regularly hired for freelance film work. Just before Covid-19 took over our lives, Holly was in the midst of creating two documentaries for different music groups, one focusing on music therapy for people suffering with dementia, and the other was a group of professional musicians visiting schools encouraging young people to carry on with music education.
In her line of work, so much of it relies on group gatherings and events, Holly realised straight away with the restrictions brought in by Government regarding Covid-19 that things needed to change. She first noticed this in mid-March and it was a very quick decline.
Sadly all weddings have had to be postponed, without a definite date yet. I feel terrible for all the couples who can’t celebrate their marriage when they had planned, but I am trying to be as flexible as possible, ensuring those who have already booked with me have the team of people they wanted with them on their day, whenever that can happen. For couples who haven’t yet booked, I am offering a 20% discount to anyone who’s wedding has been affected by Covid-19.
As for her other work, the amazing music therapy groups have managed to carry on happening as they have adapted and moved their sessions onto Zoom! Holly is currently editing the footage she had of their face-to-face sessions, and is now incorporating screen recordings of their new format, showing just how adaptable some businesses are.
It’s incredibly heart-warming to hear how thankful the elderly participants are to still have something regular and familiar in their schedule.
Holly comments;
“What’s been amazing is the feeling of free time, and what I’ve been able to do with it. I have been editing show reels of my work to hopefully increase work on the other side of all this. I have made myself a website for all my creative work (whereas before I only had one for weddings). I have been hired for more web design which is of course perfect work at the moment as it can all be done remotely.”
Holly is most proud of her recent creative project. This project emerged from the endless amount of thinking one has time for during this Covid-19 pandemic. She was inspired by a poem, allegedly written by Kathleen O’Meara in 1869, which later was reprinted during the Spanish Flu in 1919. This poem has been circulating social media over the last few weeks as it is so apt for our current situation. As a filmmaker, Holly wanted to make a video response to this piece of writing, and decided to ask friends and family to get involved, so they could all make a film ‘together’, whilst stuck in their individual homes. Together they created a sense of solidarity in solitary. Holly believes this time has taught us to appreciate the simpler things life has to offer, and she hopes that comes across in this film.
Holly’s tip to other business owners surviving lockdown is
I believe now is the time for us all to get creative, and to rethink what we have always thought of as ‘the norm’. I knew of so many business owners and freelancers that were absolutely coming to the end of their tether around February/early March. Though these are very scary and uncertain times, I’m hoping it will allow us to take a step back from our fast paced and hectic lifestyles, and perhaps rethink these old fashioned, outdated ways of life.
I would also love to urge people to support their local businesses now more than ever! You’ll be thankful you did, when we all return to ‘normal’ and our high streets still have all the beautiful independent shops.
You can follow Holly on instagram @hollycassidyweddings
