Joel Holland has been sharing his vision of the world since he started filming scenes of D.C. as a teenager, selling the CDs on eBay as a precursor to founding VideoBlocks in 2009. The Reston-based stock media company now offers more than 2.5 million clips encompassing every variety of audio and visual media including 360 degree videos and virtual reality. With more than a million downloads a month, the company is bringing in enough revenue that it hasn't needed a funding round since raising $8 million in 2015. Holland shifted from CEO to executive chairman at the beginning of the year to help focus on bringing on more enterprise clients and to travel to gather more of the footage that attracts the biggest companies to partner with his company.
What does it mean to be creative when your company is built around encouraging others to use what you make in their own creative projects?
The simplest answer is that we have this philosophy at VideoBlocks that people are creative and that most people have this deep-seated desire to create and share with the world. We connect those creative people with the means to share their creativity. And the Internet has made creating and sharing content accessible to everyone, especially as video has finally started becoming pervasive. The more people that get into creating content, the better.
"People are creative and that most people have this deep-seated desire to create and share with the world."
Your role has shifted after being CEO from the beginning, what led to the change?
VideoBlocks was born out of my personal need for [stock footage] for projects and grew from there. I was getting burned out running a business, even though I loved it. I wanted to find my passion again so I've gone full circle to looking for [pictures and video]. I'm actually at a bachelor party at Lake Tahoe and brought a drone, 4K camera lenses...about $75,000 of video production equipment.
What's your trick for finding inspiration even when you're not at Lake Tahoe?
I bought an RV and when I really need to reconnect with my creative soul, I get in my RV and just take off. The licenese plate literally says VIDEORV. I'll go with my girlfriend Mary Ashley, two cats and a ferret and go along creating content, sometimes picking people up along the way. I think everyone should own an RV.
What makes the D.C. area the right spot for VideoBlocks?
When I tell people we are in D.C., they are like 'why are you not in Los Angeles?' In this day and age, you can be anywhere and there are lots of reasons to be in D.C. There are a lot of very intelligent people who went to great local schools, but who are also very creative. They're hyperintelligent but outdoorsy. D.C. is unique in that balance. And there's stability. Our employees come to VideoBlocks and pretty much never leave. People ask why D.C. but I like that D.C. isn't winning a trendy popularity contest.
When did you know what kind of path your career would take?
I've known since I was kid, maybe eight years old, that I loved selling. I worked [on a golf course] collecting golf balls, and the thrill of watching people give me money in exchange for a product was addictive. At 12 years old I was a power seller on eBay, making $12,000. There was also when I tried working at an investment bank. What that experience taught me is that I can't work for somebody else. The idea that I was, was crushing.
What sort of evolution in video and media do you see coming next?
I'm 100 percent confident in this, that 4k is an actual evolution in resolution. In a couple years no one will shoot in HD anymore. Pretty soon everyone will own a 4k television. But, in no world will 90 percent of people be into this VR thing, period. Maybe 25 percent, but I think VR is a little overhyped and I always thought 3D was a fad. VR does have a larger audience than Google Glass, the worst $1,300 dollars I ever spent. Just kidding, I bought it as a collectible.
What's your favorite video you've produced?
I have this weird personal connection to autumn. When the air gets crisp and leaves start changing, that's my favorite time to shoot. Somewhere with autumn splendor like Aspen in Colorado. Literally, a monkey could get great footage then. But I also like getting footage that's technically complex to get. I filmed a New York sunrise from Hoboken that was very tricky to get right.
What memorable places have you seen your footage appear?
Seeing something I filmed in a hit Hollywood movie surprised me. I was at home watching the movie The Other Guys with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell and there's a scene where Will Ferrell is going crazy and peeing everywhere, and it cuts to a sunrise in Boston that was a shot I had shot. To see it in the wild was pretty cool. There's a warm, bubbly feeling when something I shot appears.
"I like that D.C. isn't winning a trendy popularity contest."
Who in D.C. do you admire?
I admire the other entrepreneurs that have stayed in D.C. to build a company instead of running off to New York or San Francisco, like [Optoro founders] Tobin Moore and Adam Vitarello. And [TrackMaven founder] Allen Gannett, I admire him personally and what he's built. [Advantia Healthy CEO] Sean Glass is another great guy. I tend to respect peers like them.
What would you change about D.C. if you could?
I wish D.C. had better sushi restaurants. I love sushi and D.C. is a culturally diverse area and you'd think it would have the best sushi but it just doesn't. It's still a great place to live though.
