Mike: Guide us through the past few months of your life

Bella: I was stressed out in November thinking, ” omg you need a job, what are you going to do with your life?” I told myself, “Bitch RELAX, finish school, you’ll figure it out.” I graduated in December and began working for Rutgers Marketing in January. By end of January my friend Tyler Ajamian approached me with a few of his housemates and we decided to start Artifax Digital.

Mike: Describe Artifax Digital

Bella: We are a blockchain focused, media marketing agency doing everything from content creation to content distribution.

Mike: What type of clients do you work with?

Bella: Initially, we worked with anyone who needed our services in content creation and digital marketing. Our focus has now shifted to the blockchain sector. Our largest client, F8 Network helped us realize that there are so many industries around the world that are incorporating blockchain into their businesses. This is a new niche that can use our services.

Mike: Your organization is very, very young but you already have a decent following. Tell us a story about how you forced yourselves to cultivate an audience.

Bella: We started without a clue of where we wanted to go as a company. Our first potential client lit a fire under our asses. It was a music festival in Florida called “Dirty Bird”. We were like,

” Oh my god, are you guys down to go to Florida and do this live production?”

We rapidly had to get our LLC and bank account forms drawn up, figure out equipment/transport logistics and so much more…. Turns out, the festival didn’t pan out but the experience forced us to fast track our website creation and social channels. For our following, we mixed our personal networks, from two different sides of the United States, with a global marketing plan.

Mike: Along similar lines, what methods do you use to expand a client’s audience?

Bella: The big thing for us is to build a client’s brand in a visual way. We love taking your brand’s “Why” and translating it into a visual narrative. We start with the why so that everyone understands what follows. You need to have a problem to come up with a solution. I think everyone has a “why” and showcasing that is our bread and butter.

Along the Video Production Pathway

Mike: Take us down memory lane and walk us through your growth in video production and content creation

Bella: It began at 14 with Mrs. Moore’s TV production class. She opened up what would eventually be my career. By highschool, I was putting together annual “last-day-of school” video montages for my girlfriends. It felt so good to create something that allowed my friends to laugh and relive experiences. Flash forward– to Mercer County Community College. There, I found an incredible film program which taught me screen-writing, broadcasting, directing and cinematography. I soon transferred to Rutgers to study communication and Latino & Caribbean studies. At this point I wanted to merge my love for documentaries with my interest on issues in Latin America. There aren’t many Latina film makers out there — I can fill that gap. 

Mike: Talk about an experience that taught you a lesson in videography

Bella: In college I worked with a friend who agreed to do 50% of a project but ended up contributing very little. After completing the project alone, I realized that A) working with friends is not always the best approach and B) it is hard to complete a full production on your own. Without my current team at Artifax Digital I know the company would not be where it is now. Teamwork furthers your personal growth and your collective growth as an organization.

Instagram

Bella: That’s Tyler, myself, Matt and Mike. The Movi stabilizing robot’s name is Tars. We are a little weird but we have fun so we name all of our equipment. Our drones are named Terry and Tuck, we also have a crane named Ninja. Tars is our first baby. Anytime Tars is in that case, we all do this robot voice to bring him to life.

Advice + Animal

Mike: Do you have any advice for people starting out, people who are trying to build a brand?

Bella: Yes, two pieces of advice that I would give to anyone about from my experience.

1. If you put in 100% into something that you want to do, you will be successful. What I often see is people say what they want to and don’t put their all towards their goal. I’m not gonna lie, there’s a lot of work involved and nobody holds us accountable aside from ourselves. Don’t make excuses. People ask me how I do what I am doing and I tell them, ” if there is a will there is a way.”
2. For those trying to build a brand, be authentic, be yourself. When you do that, it shines through in the work that you produce and the connections and relationships that you build. People fuck with us because we are ourselves. People like authenticity and they respect you when you are being genuine.

Mike: Funky question time, what is your spirit animal and why?

Bella: I am a GOAL DRIVEN SLOTH, here’s why: my parents are immigrants who worked super hard to give their kids every opportunity that they could. My father especially, taught me to do what I love and put my all into what I do. Now, I’m a sloth because I love to sleep, hang and have a good time. I can be very chill and low key.

Mike: Lets wrap this up with the future for Artifax Digital and a closing statement

Bella: For the next year it is really hard to say, but what I can tell you is that we’ll continue diving into this blockchain realm. We want to develop Artifax Digital into a key leader in the blockchain media industry and we want to be known as a creative group. We are also going to continue traveling while incorporating our work with our lifestyle. My weeks my get super busy, my days super hectic but at the end of the day I’m having so much fun–I feel super grateful.

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Photo Credits: Artifax Digital & Isabella Sehringer

Bella – “My name is Isabella Sehringer, I am an American-Argentine media producer based out of New Jersey. I enjoy creating pieces related to identity, culture, and community building. I use film to inspire people, change normality, and encourage society to evolve. My work with Artifax Digital, however, is a whole different monster.”