Aces of Trades: Marion's Crampton loves showing the world's beauty
Some careers go in very different directions.
“I wanted to be a professional baseball player for the longest time,” recalled Trey Crampton, “and even won a few city championships at Lincoln Park. I never really, specifically wanted to be a videographer or anything like that, but always loved movies.”
Today, Crampton owns and operates Trey Films Media LLC.
“I think I was 9-years-old, and my mom bought me a VHS camcorder for Christmas,” he said. “That was the point when I really fell in love with film. I would go around with my friends and record everything. We would create funny skits until like 3 a.m.”
Now 29, Crampton grew up in Marion and graduated from Marion Harding High School in 2011.
“I grew up on the west side of Marion on Edwards Street with my grandparents,” he said. “I didn’t attend any colleges. Most of what I know is self-taught.”
Still, Crampton took a different path for a time.
“I was a corrections officer at one of the prisons here in Marion for seven years,” he explained. “I started right when I turned 20 and shortly after that my father passed away. So for a 20-year-old kid, I was dealing with quite a bit.”
It was also a time for the genesis of Trey Films Media.
“I always messed with film as more of a hobby,” Crampton said. “Then I started doing promos for businesses and eventually got asked to do my first wedding. After that first wedding, everything blew up faster than I ever imagined. At that point I realized film could be a full-time thing. I went from working at a job surrounded by negativity to helping couples celebrate the best day of their life. Complete 360.”
“Some people have that ‘it’ factor, and Trey is one of them,” assessed Alex Sheridan, co-owner of The Brickyard on Main.
“He was built with equal parts drive, passion and vision,” Sheridan continued. “He sets his mind to something and will find a way to accomplish it one way or another. There’s no luck in the success he’s having. It’s all hard work and a little humility. We hear nothing but incredible reviews from his clients that have gotten married at The Brickyard.”
“I try to be as diverse as possible, so I’m not sure if I have a specific style,” Crampton responded. "I think as a videographer you have to take any idea someone has and bring it to life, regardless of whether it fits your usual style or not.”
“The world can be an ugly place sometimes,” he concluded. “But with my camera, I can remind people of all the beauty in it, too. I love what I do, and I love helping people.”
For more information, log on treyfilmsmedia.com.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Aces of Trades: Marion's Crampton loves showing the world's beauty
