Meeting of artistic minds
Aaron Anstett, co-founder of Kootenai Creative, is seen here with his cinema rig.
Two heads are better than one.
Two businesses that recently merged are believers in that philosophy.
"We said, ‘I think we’re stronger together,’” said Dillon Campbell, founder of Creative Soup.
Campbell and his wife, Kaitlyn, are the masterminds behind Creative Soup, a photography, videography and design company that was formed in 2021.
Campbell is the director of hospitality, media services and worship arts at the Kroc Center, where he met tech coordinator Aaron Anstett, founder of Anstett Creative Arts.
The two became fast friends and started playing music together in the Sam Leyde Band. Both have long histories with visual and performing arts.
“When I was 15 I played in a band and we wanted to see what we sounded like, so we started recording ourselves at home, on tape recorders, whatever," said Anstett, who has a sound studio in Rathdrum. "That’s how I got into audio recording. I realized I loved it.”
Campbell's interest in the field began when he was a boy, when his dad worked in media services at a college in California.
“I started plugging in microphones and XLR cables and video, camera setup. It was all broadcasting stuff,” he said. “We would film dance recitals and all kinds of events that happened at the school. I remember the first time I actually operated a camera I was probably 8 or 9. Simple tripod filming, but that’s where it started for me.”
Late in 2021, Anstett and Campbell began discussing the possibility of combining their businesses to offer a greater variety of services to a larger audience.
“For me, I was getting too busy and I couldn’t handle it all by myself,” Anstett said. “I needed to bring someone along to help edit and shoot.”
"I started tagging along with him on some stuff, just on the side," Campbell said.
Anstett Creative Arts, founded 2019, specialized in audio and video, so it made sense to merge with Creative Soup and work together as one entity: Kootenai Creative. The merger officially took place in late February.
"It’s kind of a one-stop shop," Campell said. "That’s the reason why we realized we could serve the community better together."
Sharing community members' stories, crafting legacy pieces for families and helping businesses connect with their clients are a few of the services Kootenai Creative provides. It documents weddings and milestones and tackles big projects for companies and organizations, including a 90-minute documentary on the opioid crisis in the works for for Panhandle Health District.
Kootenai Creative bids by project, keeping in mind a client's goals and funding availability.
“We like to start the discussion with, ‘What are you looking to do first? What’s your budget?’" Campbell said. "We can explain to you what we can do."
Brand design and web design round out the services Kootenai Creative provides. Anstett said the company will most likely expand out of his Rathdrum studio. Hiring staff members may be a step to take in the future.
As a new collaboration, Anstett and Campbell know the sky is the limit.
"I just love being able to do what I would do for fun and be able to feed my family doing it," Anstett said. "I love telling stories. Especially through the Kroc Center Salvation Army, we tell a lot of life change stories. That’s just my favorite, to see someone’s life turned around for the better. For me it's all about the stories."
“It almost resonates the same for me," Campbell added. "I love hearing anybody’s story. I could sit and just listen to people talk and talk and talk and tell me where they came from, who they are and just be fascinated for hours.
“Being able to do that for a living is a dream," he continued. "It’s huge. Being able to do that for a living and actually pay the bills and feed the family is even better.”
Info: www.kootenaicreative.com
