Meet Andrea Palombella, award-winning Producer and the Founder of Doxology Media
With more than a decade of experience writing, directing, and producing videos under her belt, Andrea started the company in 2016 as she was preparing to film her first independent documentary about toxins in personal products and cosmetics called PRETTY UGLY. Doxology Media is a full-service film and video production company with the mission of telling meaningful stories, shining a light on significant topics, inspiring viewers to act, and giving glory to God.
What communities does Doxology Media serve?
Doxology Media often works with mission-driven businesses and nonprofit organizations, highlighting the impacts of the work they do. We help companies expand their reach and engage new audiences by creating story-driven, high-quality content. Some clients include healthcare organizations, social justice nonprofits, federal government agencies, human trafficking advocacy nonprofits, and educational institutions.
What drove you to start this business? Was there a specific problem you were looking to solve?
I have always had a big imagination and a love of storytelling, these two characteristics were major motivators for me as I launched my business. My affinity for storytelling stems from my family’s nightly dinners together. The dinner table was where I connected with my family through funny narratives, it was where we expressed our frustrations and found support, and where we collectively celebrated each other’s achievements. My drive to become an entrepreneur further developed in college. I studied at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit university that stressed social justice, ethics, faith, and philosophy in ways I had never been exposed to. It was there that my heart came alive with a passion to help and serve others. The problem I wanted to solve was helping organizations tell a compelling story using high-quality production techniques and strategies.
I believe that every organization has an important story that is worth telling. What they need is someone who can understand their mission, translate that into powerful messaging, and gather beautiful visuals that bring their narrative to life.
Through my business, I want to illuminate those who are doing great things to improve the world. I see my job as an interpreter and artist, creating a medium for individuals and organizations to showcase their amazing work in a way that draws others in and excites them to join in.
What did you do prior to starting your business?
Prior to launching my company, I worked at a nonprofit that produced documentary-style videos around a variety of social justice issues. In 2018, I began looking for a new job but the positions I was offered didn’t feel right and I began considering other options. Ultimately, I decided to expand on the freelance work I had started years earlier and launched a full-service production company.
What sets your business apart from others addressing similar issues?
We stand out among our competitors in several ways.
First, many mission-driven media production companies structured as nonprofit organizations mostly work with other nonprofits. While incredibly noble, the challenge with this strategy is there are almost always limited resources. When I started Doxology Media, I wanted our company to be free to work with a variety of clients across diverse industries as long as their mission is making a positive impact.
Next, two core values of Doxology Media are understanding our clients’ stories fully and how best to tell them, and providing the highest quality product we can. Many production companies can create flashy graphics or use drones for beautiful shots but struggle with how to tell a great story. Conversely, other companies are very gifted at writing powerful scripts but lack the ability to gather and incorporate high-quality visuals for enhanced storytelling. For my company, both powerful messaging that achieves our clients’ goals and beautiful cinematography are essential to our productions.
Lastly, we are a woman-owned and operated production company. Last year, women filled only 21% of leading production roles, including writers, producers, executive producers, directors, editors, and cinematographers. I don’t believe that is the way the industry should be operating. It is important to collaborate with people from all backgrounds and experiences and to be as inclusive as possible. I hire women in leading positions to provide more opportunities for women working in production as often as I can.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to face in business?
When I decided to take the business full-time, I was terrified to branch out on my own with no business plan in place or angel investors supporting my mission. However, God opened door after door to provide clients, wonderful mentors, and opportunities to grow from a freelance producer to a true business owner.
He carried me each day as I asked for guidance, prayed for meaningful business relationships, and sought his help in breaking off any insecurities I had about my abilities to do what I believed the Lord had called me to. It was my job to obey and keep walking forward. As I did so, God moved in ways I could never have manifested through my own strengths and abilities. As someone who has a hard time trusting and likes to have a plan in place, launching the business was a major stretch of my faith in many ways, but it helped show me just how much God loves me and truly wants me to succeed.
What was a business-related book, podcast, or other resources that really helped you get perspective and see your way through the obstacle? (Tell us what it was, how it helped, and how you found it.)
Finding a SCORE Mentor was an incredibly helpful resource for receiving counsel on how to run a business. I found out about the program through the Small Business Association’s website. I can’t recommend this free service enough! When I started my company, I didn’t have much knowledge about the day-to-day financials, administration, and marketing outreach required to grow a business. My mentor was incredibly helpful and provided me with practical tools to navigate the financial landscape of business ownership.
A few books that I would recommend are “Mind Your Business,” which is a workbook to help transform a passion into a full-time business, “The 80/20 Principle,” and “The 4-Hour Work Week.” Industry-specific books I’ve read recently include “On Directing Film” and “Commercial Directing VooDoo.”
One podcast that helped me was the Wall Street Journal’s “Secrets of Wealthy Women” series.
What one piece of encouragement can you offer an entrepreneur facing similar challenges?
Here are a couple of things to remember:
If something has been put on your heart, chase after it. Don’t quit, because your next big step is just on the other side of your current obstacle.
Take on one task at a time and begin chipping away at it. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the unknowns, just work off of what you know today: God truly does have a special plan for your life. He has put a calling on your heart and He WILL show you how to get there. And, lastly, give yourself grace. You will make mistakes, and you will learn many new lessons from trial and error.
I once saw a great cartoon of a man with a pickaxe digging in a tunnel with treasure just on the other side of where he worked. However, he had given up and started walking back the other way even though he was so close to success. It was a poignant illustration and a good reminder not to give up on something even when our hard work has yet to bear any fruit.
Is there anything specific that God has done through your journey that you can remember that you’d like to give him thanks for?
The whole purpose of my business is to give thanks to God, which is why I named my company Doxology Media.
A doxology is an expression of praise to God, and I want my work to be exactly that.
My desire is for my business to reflect back thanks to God for his gift of storytelling and to use it to the best of my ability to bring Him glory and celebrate those doing meaningful work, being salt and light in the world.
One very memorable story I’d like to share started one early morning in 2018. During that season, I was incredibly stressed about whether or not to take the business full-time. I had been praying and listening to God for guidance and confirmation about what to do. One early morning as I awoke, I heard the word Ararat. I thought that was odd and looked it up once I was fully awake. I learned that this was the name of the mountain where Noah’s Ark landed after the flood. During my morning prayer time, I asked God to show me what it meant. As I read the scriptures that included Mount Ararat, I tuned to the verse that told the story of the ark landing on the seventeen-day of the seventh month. In the Hebrew calendar, the seventeenth day of the seventh month is actually in September. Why does all of this matter? Because on September 17th I got a phone call from my first big client for my business beyond freelance work. For the next two months, I ended up serving two new clients concurrently while I was employed full-time.
Moving forward, Andrea is working to continue to facilitate relationships in her local community, and beyond, in hopes of landing jobs with larger-scale businesses that have the means to partner with smaller organizations. You can see films from Doxology Media at thisisdoxology.com.
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