Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashtyn Salazar.
Hi Ashtyn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I’ve always loved telling stories. I think we all do if I’m being honest. The story of Planted Media is one that’s spanned for quite a few years. I grew up in a sports-heavy household. I always had a love for sports and because my dad made a living in the industry, I thought I would too. After graduating high school, I was quick to apply for a job at BYUtv in their sports department, and lucky for me, the stars aligned and I landed a position!
Over the next four years, I’d work as a production assistant on multiple projects, primarily their live sports talk show and special athlete features. Over time I realized the thing I loved most about the job was the chance to sit down and tell someone’s story. As I’m sure many people know, sports is a breeding ground for heartwarming and inspirational stories. The problem was, the schedule was not it. I love the sports industry, but you are often required to work nights and weekends and after I got married, those precious hours with my husband were just not something I was willing to give up. After BYUtv I picked up a few different social media coordinating jobs but kept coming back to an idea that sparked years prior.
Let’s rewind to August 2017. I was 17 at the time and looking for internships in my senior year of high school. I was introduced to a video software company and told since broadcast and video software were basically one and the same (they’re definitely not) it would be a good fit for me. It was paid and I was running out of time to decide on something so I took the position. Imagine my shock when on the first day I discovered the primary audience of the software was funeral directors. Shocking is an understatement. It took only a few weeks for me to realize what a special place the funeral industry is. I was amazed at the kind and selfless service each person has in that space and grew such admiration for anyone who pursued a career in that path. I ended up working there for four years and still look back on those times with only the very fondest of memories and gratitude for that opportunity.
Having worked in the funeral industry for four years and then transferring to broadcast, I feel like I was really able to dial in on what made each of the two jobs enjoyable to me. The software sold at the previously mentioned company was used to create tribute videos using family photos provided by the family, often used at a funeral. I loved that our services were something the family could cherish forever and provided something the families could remember their loved ones with. With BYUtv, as I mentioned, I loved the chance to share people’s stories. To listen to them, hear what they learned in certain experiences, and what made them excited about life.
Time passed and while I knew what I wanted in a career, I really didn’t do anything about it. I continued with school, met a boy a really liked, and just went about day-to-day life, ignoring the small idea that had come into my head about merging my two passions. About a month prior to getting engaged to my now husband, my grandma passed away after a 15-year battle with MS. A week after our marriage, while on our honeymoon, my husband’s grandma passed away. I feel incredibly lucky we were both able to meet each other’s grandmas at least once before their passing but to have so much happen in a matter of months really gave me a new perspective. It was a wide range of emotions over that year or so time span. Happy, sad, excited, and reflective.
Stepping into a new stage of life with my husband (who has always been incredibly supportive) I was now in a space where I started to really question what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go in life. I found two things I love, creating and preserving memories and producing video content that made people feel something. Couple that with the wide range of emotions and experiences we had in recent months and the idea of Planted was born. When I expressed the idea to my husband we quickly responded, “YES! Why haven’t we started?!”
It took a while to get going. I had a lot of imposter syndrome and worried that I was just romanticizing this idea in my head. But every time I would tell someone about “my little idea” they would rave about how wonderful it was. How they wished they had done it for their loved ones before they passed. With all that encouragement around me, I knew it was time to get to work.
I purchased all the equipment, set up a website, started my social media, and began sharing my business with just about anyone who would listen. We’ve only been in business since November but man the response has been wonderful.
One particular client comes to mind. It was my first official inquiry from someone other than a family member and I was STOKED. When the day to record came, I remember having a little chuckle as the very first thing I noticed about the home was the BYU sign planted in the front yard. Just a few weeks prior, my dad had accepted a new job position as the defensive coordinator for BYU Football. In a way, the BYU football sign felt like a good omen, little did I know…
Josh was incredibly kind and very prepared. The interview went smoothly as we made sure to record individual messages to each of his children, as well as his wife. Messages his family could have to remember him, his voice, and his experiences. To be frank, I was pretty naive and simply assumed this guy was really on top of his family history. It wasn’t until after we had finished the recordings that I connected the dots. Josh started explaining how he’d already got some other things written down, and other videos recorded. I think he could see my confusion because it was then that he said, “I should give you some background. I’m currently battling stage four colon cancer.”
I called my mom the moment I left his house and broke into tears. I told her, “Even if this was all to help that one family preserve their memories, I will be happy I did this.” Luckily, I have had the opportunity to work with multiple clients since then and each time I get the same sentiment. They might not be dealing with a life-threatening illness, but the chance to hear and learn from them is something I cherish deeply.
I keep saying it but truly, each day I feel so insanely grateful. Honestly, I have a lot of hopes and dreams for this business of mine but when it comes down to it, I want to help families create something they’ll cherish forever. Life has so many big moments and I want to help document them so they can be remembered for a lifetime and beyond.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, man. I think any road worth traveling is going to have its bumps. As I said, I felt some SERIOUS imposter syndrome at first starting. I was so concerned about if it would be successful fast enough or if what I was doing was even a good idea at all. I think that’s been another amazing part of this whole process.
I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself. Things aren’t always going to be perfect. Issues will arise, problems will have to be solved, and disappointments are going to come. However, that doesn’t make what you’re doing a failure. It’s cliche but life really is what we make it. When we focus on the negatives, things will tend to trend that way. However, when we look for the good things in life, the sun tends to shine just a little bit brighter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a media company based out of Utah with the primary goal of helping families preserve their memories. We specialize in personal life history documentaries where a client will hire us to interview them or their loved ones and then put a 45-60 minute video together recounting their life stories.
Over the top of the interview, we place family photos/videos to really bring each story to life.
While we generally work with people 55 and older, it’s a gift that is amazing for all ages. Kids record messages to their parents/grandparents. A new mother telling retelling her birth story in her own words. A grandparent leaving behind words of love and advice to their posterity. We help document it all with professional quality!
Pricing:
- $500 for a 30-minute life history video
- $700 for a 45-minute life history video
- $800 for a 60-minute life history video
Contact Info:
- Website: plantedmediaco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planted.media/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantedmediaco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4FRQ2a0yg5yw9clPllk8w
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrWvcb0A0hb/?hl=en
Image Credits
Lauren Jones Photography
