There's a lot of talk about how to achieve the all-coveted work-life balance—that is, the seemingly impossible ability to spend enough time at work to succeed and enough time outside of work to maintain a happy home life and all of the relationships, friendships, and self-care that come with it. For some couples, however, the line between personal and professional is pretty blurred because they are partners in love and business.
While spending 24 hours a day with your significant other may sound like a recipe for disaster for most folks, many who've done it say it's strengthened their work and relationships. Over the coming weeks, we'll meet 6 Wilmington couples who work together to balance business and life.
Allow us to introduce Andrea & Brad Walker, Co-Owners of Lighthouse Films.
Tell us a little about your background and how you met.
Brad knew he wanted to make movies from a young age. He has a B.A. in Film Studies and over 30 years of experience in the film industry. Starting in Dallas, Texas, he bought a truck full of film equipment and formed "Lighthouse." Brad has worked as a Director/D.P. on numerous features, short films, commercials, and documentaries for clients such as Chase, Kevin Hart, Twisted Tea, Getty Images, Netflix, and Amazon; he is known for his tireless energy and determination to capture inspiring imagery in the film.
I participated in the AmeriCorps program in Dallas, Texas and later worked at UNCW's University College department, advising freshmen and sophomores as they transitioned to university life. I have always been passionate about helping my community, working in food pantries, after-school programs, and medical centers to provide quality resources for children and families.
We met in high school, and even though Brad was from Texas, he decided to attend a post-graduate year at Hargrave Military Academy in my hometown of Chatham, VA. We were set up on a blind date and immediately hit it off. We went our separate ways for college, me to the University of Mary Washington outside of D.C. and Brad to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. When my AmeriCorps position took me to Dallas, I looked Brad up to see if he was, in fact, making movies like he had dreamed of years before. We met for dinner, and it was no surprise that Brad was doing exactly what he had set out to do. He was a cinematographer on an independent B-horror movie, working 18-hour days and loving every second. Within 6 months, we were engaged, and within a year, we were married.
How did Lighthouse Films evolve?
We knew we both wanted to end up on the East Coast and began searching for the perfect location to call home, raise a family, and continue Lighthouse Films. We searched as far north as Boston and as far south as Wilmington, NC. In 2001, we made the leap from Dallas to Wilmington with 0 clients and 1000 dreams and began running our company from a guest room apartment, paying $425 a month. Brad would drive his grip truck back and forth to Dallas to make ends meet until we transitioned to something unexpected.
After we married, we merged our talents and created high-end promotional marketing videos for New England summer camps. They became so popular that we were booked three summer seasons in advance. This became Lighthouse Films 2.0. What Lighthouse Films became later was beyond our wildest dreams. I transitioned to the company full-time in 2005, and we purchased a house with a 1st floor "studio" where Lighthouse grew from 2005 – 2014. We quickly realized we could not handle the work and clients we accumulated alone, so we hired employees. In 2012, Brad dreamt of transitioning back into narrative and commercial filmmaking, and we received a considerable bank loan to purchase camera equipment with no clients to hire them or rent the gear we bought. But the risk paid off, and we grew, and when the Lighthouse team of 5 violated our neighborhood HOA and could no longer fit into our house, it was time to move the business.
From 2014 to 2019, we rented an old, converted coffee shop on Carolina Beach Road, allowing us to hire more employees, increase our gear inventory for rental, and serve more clients. 2017, a beautiful historic building from 1903 in Wilmington's North 4th community went on the market. While the 5800-square-foot building needed complete rehabilitation, it had space for parking and deliveries and met all of Lighthouse's needs. The Walkers, along with Uhl, Inc., M.W. Williard, Architect, and McKenzie Baker Interiors, began the two-year journey of a total reconstruction. In 2020, we received the Gertrude Carraway Award of Merit and the Historic Wilmington Foundation Preservation Award for the historic rehabilitation of the 1903 building.
Even though we never set out to own and operate a film production company larger than ourselves, we cannot imagine Lighthouse any other way. The multi-talented 10-person team at Lighthouse feels like family. Many of them, like us, have hand-picked Wilmington as their home and are transplants from all over the United States (Chicago, Oregon, Wisconsin, Brooklyn, etc.) When you walk through the walls of Lighthouse, creativity flows through the walls. You hear and feel the collaboration, creativity, and positive energy of a group of people who genuinely love what they do and enjoy accomplishing big things together.
What is the hardest part of building a business together?
The reason our relationship works is the same; it is sometimes a challenge. Our family's nickname for Brad is "Lightning", and mine is "Turtle". My approach to business decisions aligns with the theme "slow and steady wins the race." I steer with research, observations, discussions, and strategic planning. Brad often navigates with intuition and calculated risk. We discovered there is a balanced approach, and Lighthouse's business planning is usually a blend.
Being married for 28 years and working together for 26 years has given us a lot of time to navigate these different approaches and have faith in each other's instincts. When a business decision arises, we pause and hear each other's perspective, determining a course of action. Whether the direction is Brad's "go with your gut" approach, my research method, or a blend of both, we trust the process and have faith that the right decision will be made together, along with our team.
How do you get the balance of work & life, right?
We stressed over this for years on how to separate work and family. We would set guidelines like no business talk while eating dinner, zero-work date nights, etc. We quickly realized that was impossible - family businesses involve the entire family. Owning your own company can never be that black and white. So, why add the additional stress of trying to separate everything? Instead, we decided to embrace the grey. When you believe in what your company is accomplishing, love what you do, and love the people you are with, escape no longer becomes the goal.
What does success look like for you?
The work/life balance success means being ever-present wherever you are. As a creative, Brad has found a way to have a counter-balanced approach. He believes being "balanced" is being half good at 2 things. In his case, being a father and a creative. So when he is in his creative zone, he is all in. When he is not, he is an all-in Dad.
We each carve alone time out of the day to reconnect with ourselves. For Brad, this is 1 hour of meditation and prayer. I incorporate a wind-down routine at night to relax my mind and body for rest. We also value quality time with family - from pizza movie nights to boat rides to camping trips. We have crisscrossed the U.S. camping almost every summer with our children since they were toddlers. This time away from Lighthouse has allowed our family to unplug from the business and the Lighthouse team to shine bright while we are away.
Do you have clear and defined roles in the business?
It is very helpful that we have such different backgrounds and interests. Brad is passionate about all the creative and technical aspects of film. I focus on working with people. Brad oversees all things creative and equipment-related, while I oversee human resources and operations. We both have a deep passion for the Lighthouse team, community and creating inspiring work.
What advice do you have for couples thinking about going into business together?
Our advice…go on a camping trip and see how you do as a team. Why camping? Every camping trip has little disasters you must overcome as a team. Were you able to navigate it together? Were you able to laugh at your mistakes? Did you each take a turn leading the troop? Did you still enjoy the journey? If so, you might be up for the beautiful challenge of having a family-owned business where your relationship as a couple and business owners has blurred lines and limitless possibilities.
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