W2hen Isaac Davis ’20 started his first job at a local Chick-fil-A, he was a 15-year-old who had a much greater dream. What he brought to that job was a passion for filmmaking, not expecting to find a co-worker who shared his passions and a knowledge of entrepreneurship. In 2011, during these shifts, the idea behind Identity Production Studios was born.
Now, Davis is the founder and president of Motion Picture Art & Sciences Organization, a student organization at the College of William and Mary, and the founder and president of Identity Production Studios, a company that received its local business license in September 2017.
What started in a hometown Chick-fil-A turned into a news show, WCA Weekly, at Davis’ high school. Over time, Davis recruited other interested friends and turned his pet project into a local business.
“I had this interest in film from my high school days. I had this whole group of guys that would make videos for the school,” Davis said. “At one point we had a news show for the school. [I thought] it would be really cool if we had an official company where people could come get videos made, something that we owned 100 percent and had 100 percent creative control over.”
In the last year, Davis has worked with Identity Production Studios to produce approximately eight films. He works with the marketing department at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business to produce content, as well as other local clients that pay the company to produce requested videos. Identity Production Studios is also now represented by a public relations firm, Percepture, which also represents Colonial Williamsburg and the Greater Williamsburg area.
“The goal is to become
amajor production studio, like Paramount Picture or Universal Studios,” Davis said. “We’d love to get to the point where we are no longer doing works for clients but creating our own scripts and stories and making money doing that. But the goal is to become a major production that solely focuses on the development and art of cinematic filmmaking.”
Now, Davis has five full-time employees that work with Identity Production Studios, and also has a study group of 15-20 crew members that receive money and experience for the work they do on videos. MPASO primarily focuses on creative short films, but when Identity Production Studios needs help producing a client-focused video, Davis will recruit from the student organization.
Anderson Barr ’20 works as the vice president of MPASO and as an executive producer for Identity Production Studios. He said he sees himself primarily as Davis’s right-hand man, and he regularly meets with Davis to discuss ongoing projects and also knows how to operate equipment.
“I handle the work with Isaac when we have a certain project, storyboarding, how the shots are going to look,” Barr said. “I know a lot of the things he’s looking for. I dabble in screenwriting and film; I am good at the creative aspect. I handle a lot of the crew work.”
Another of Davis’s co-workers, Alexander Brinkley ’19, is an executive producer for both MPASO and Identity Production Studios. He said that he views his main duty as making sure all the work the company does is in alignment with the company’s goals.
“I handle logistics … I make sure our creative vision aligns with the goals we are seeking to implement more largely,” Brinkley said. “For example, if we have an initiative that is dealing with, say we’re trying to spread mental health awareness, he’ll come to me with an idea or a creative vision, and I act as a filter to make sure it’s right for what we’re trying to do as an organization.”
Davis said his post-graduation goals revolve around expanding his company and taking it to the level of a major production studio. He hopes to move the company to either New York City, New York or Los Angeles, California.
looking for. I dabble in screenwriting and film; I am good at the creative aspect. I handle a lot of the crew work.”
Another of Davis’s co-workers, Alexander Brinkley ’19, is an executive producer for both MPASO and Identity Production Studios. He said that he views his main duty as making sure all the work the company does is in alignment with the company’s goals.
“I handle logistics … I make sure our creative vision aligns with the goals we are seeking to implement more largely,” Brinkley said. “For example, if we have an initiative that is dealing with, say we’re trying to spread mental health awareness, he’ll come to me with an idea or a creative vision, and I act as a filter to make sure it’s right for what we’re trying to do as an organization.”
Davis said his post-graduation goals revolve around expanding his company and taking it to the level of a major production studio. He hopes to move the company to either New York City, New York or Los Angeles, California.
