We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig Garmany and Jason Kelly Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig Garmany and Jason Kelly Lee, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Our passion is in narrative filmmaking and while we would both love to make a living making movies, success in the film industry doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years. In the meantime, we decided to start King Snake Media, a full-service production company, offering services such as videography and video editing. This allows us to utilize our respective skill sets in new and exciting ways, bringing a cinematic flair to our clients’ advertisements, promotional pieces, and wedding videos, just to name a few examples.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Since King Snake Media became an official LLC in May of 2023, the majority of our clientele has been local businesses and nonprofit organizations, such as Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, Coweta Community Foundation, Haynie’s Pressure Washing, and most recently More Music Foundation. We’ve also filmed and edited a vow renewal ceremony and gender reveal party, with several weddings on the books for later this year.

The first project we worked on together was our final student film, STICKS AND STONES. Jason was the writer/director while Craig was the director of photography. Since it was released in the spring of 2022, it has won many awards at many film festivals. What we are most proud of is that over the course of its festival run, every aspect of the film was recognized, from direction and cinematography to acting and music. It was a dream production followed by dream results. Since filming STICKS and STONES, we filmed a music video, two other short films, served as consultants on several student projects, and both worked on an independent short film, written and directed by a friend and former classmate, with Craig serving as director of photography and Jason taking on an acting role.

While we still intend to write and direct more of our own stories, we are working out growing our business and trying to find our niche, so to speak. We have had tremendous success with the local businesses and nonprofits, especially in the Newnan-Coweta area, so we definitely plan on continuing with that. We’re also hoping to break into the wedding videography arena. We have several weddings booked for later this year and we’re dedicated and determined to make them as special and memorable as possible.

What we bring to the table is a cinematic look that isn’t always seen in these types of ads and videos. We are both artists and creatives and we take every project seriously, whether it be an independent film, a wedding video, or a commercial for a tire shop. At King Snake Media, we aim to please.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area, the first place I would take him would be Georgia Aquarium. I could sit in front of the Ocean Voyager exhibit for hours and get completely lost in that underwater world. It is so peaceful, so calming. I never want to leave. I also could spend another few hours watching the Beluga whales at the Cold Water Quest exhibit. The Belugas are hands down my favorite animal at Georgia Aquarium. After visiting the aquarium, I’d take my buddy next door to World of Coca-Cola and taste some of the different drink flavors from all over the world. For dinner, we’d drive down to Little Five Points and enjoy a good burger and drinks at The Vortex. I’ve always loved their burgers and always have the hardest time deciding just which one to order!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We both would like to recognize Film and Digital Media Center (FDMC), part of Clayton State University’s Continuing and Professional Education program, as a very important part of our journey. We were always encouraged and supported by the program director, Teresa Steppe. She was so good to us, even after we graduated from the program, and remains one of our biggest champions. FDMC provided an amazing network of fellow up-and-coming filmmakers and we often support each other by assisting on one another’s projects. It truly is a family and we are both so very blessed and proud to be a part of it.

Website: www.kingsnakemedia.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/king.snake.media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingsnakemedia

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@kingsnakemedia

Other: www.tiktok.com/@kingsnakemedia

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.