Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Parmentier.
Hi Bill, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’ve always loved movies, TV, and just good storytelling. Of course, I used to make dumb/great videos with my friends, and after a video production class with Mr. Bucheit in high school at St. Francis Borgia in Washington, MO opened my eyes to the possibility that I just might be able to have a career making dumb/great videos, I enrolled in the Film Production program at Webster University.
In 2003, while still enrolled at Webster, I landed my first ever gig on a movie set. “The Game of Their Lives” was shooting in St. Louis and I got a job as a Locations Assistant. It was a tough job with long hours and little fanfare, but it showed me where I could go in the industry. I graduated from Webster in 2004 and worked on more commercials, movies, and reality TV shows in Missouri.
After working as the Assistant to the Directors and having the role of “Sargent’s Shopper” (I had lines!) on another film shot in STL called “Meet Bill,” I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my career in the movie business. Life in LA was hard, but I got to work on all sorts of TV shows, movies, and commercials. Then the Great Recession hit and I moved back home to rebuild, and start a family.
Back in STL, work eventually came back and I continued working behind the camera on lots of productions. But I had always thought I could make it in front of the camera, so I started auditioning for commercials and landed a few, then got signed by Now Talent Management and started getting even more roles, the most famous of which is probably a Missouri Lottery commercial where I drive a Cardinals-themed van into a mailbox. For other roles I got to fight bugs, grill brats in slow motion, appease a Budweiser Clydesdale, argue with a talking car, deliver Amazon boxes, and yell at Ozzie Smith, among many other odd tasks.
I’ve continued to work behind and in front of the camera and microphone, but most recently I started my own creative video agency, Oldstorm Studios. In my eyes, most branded videos are not that exciting or memorable, so I started Oldstorm as an outlet for my comedic and cinematic creativity in hopes of getting brands to throw caution to the wind and make motion media that is a lot more fun, and unlike most other branded videos out there.
Currently, I live with my wife, two young boys, and our dog in West County.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I imagine I’ve had many of the same struggles that most creative entrepreneurs face: a recession, self-doubt, inspirational vs. practical needs, a pandemic. There were many points along the way when things didn’t go my way and I questioned whether I could reach the heights I wanted to or even just make it in the business at all. At least a couple of times, I explored other fields and considered leaving it all behind.
For a long time, I struggled to take advantage of opportunities that came my way. Not sure if I didn’t know what to do or if I was just scared of taking leaps, but I definitely passed on a few moments that could have taken me in new directions. Those are regrets I think about often. Where could they have led me? I’ll never know.
Nowadays, I try to take every opportunity no matter how small. I’m still not perfect, but I’m working on it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I carry a lot of titles currently: Producer, director, production designer, actor, and voice artist. I’ve needed to be multifaceted to keep my career going. Most recently I’ve become more focused on running my studio and concept ideas and writing for brands that want something different. The goal is to pitch a concept, write a script, direct the production, then supervise the edit. I’m getting to do that more and more as brands see the potential in the fun videos I create.
Until we can bring film and TV production back to Missouri (that’s another discussion), I inject as much comedy and as many filmmaking techniques as I can into the motion media I create for clients. The product, filled with jokes and emotional beats, is better and more effective than most traditional branded videos.
I’m probably best known for my work in front of the camera, but I’m most proud of the work I’ve done behind it. Probably my proudest achievement has been producing an entire branded short film for my client, Pinckney Bend Distillery.
Creativity is something I try to incorporate into every aspect of my work. A lot of people are OK with just punching the clock every day, and that’s fine, but why do the same things everyone else is doing or has done? Challenge yourself and the people paying for your work. You’ll be glad you did.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
An issue I’ve run into a lot over the years is the fact that people don’t know I do all of these different jobs and do them well. Some people know me only as an actor and are amazed to hear I’ve been working in production since 2003.
Others only know me as another guy on the crew and have no idea that I’ve acted in dozens and dozens of commercials and short films. People tend to think of you as only the thing they know you as. I like to surprise them.
Pricing:
- Everything is negotiable, but I generally start at $100/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: bill@oldstormstudios.com
- Website: https://www.oldstormstudios.com/
- Instagram: @oldstorm_studios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldstormStudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCakt_ib3q93nwMxaTaNAvzw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bill-parmentier-298439889
Image Credits
Myself, Bruton Stroube
