FROM CAMERA TO CLASSROOM

Dr. Justin Kavlie and Dr. Ryan Martin get into something pretty simple: you figure out what you want by trying things and paying attention to what actually feels right.

Justin started in psychology, then drifted into video and teaching - not because of some grand epiphany, but because it made him happy. He picked up a camera just to mess around, and that was enough. No calling, no destiny, just something fun.

He had to defend that for a long time. People close to him didn’t think video was a real path - some thought it was a waste of time, and a few tried to talk him out of it. He kept going anyway. Learned as he went. Shot weddings, competition films, client work, and documentary pieces. Eventually, he and his friend Preston built Grassfire Studios, and for a while they were one of the top production teams in North Dakota. They hustled, made connections, told stories, and actually made money doing it.

After years of co‑owning Grassfire, Justin moved into teaching.

But he still comes back to the same idea: start small, learn your tools, make things because it’s fun - not because it has to mean something.

Never let other people’s small dreams shrink your own. You can’t reach the stars if you’re weighed down by negativity.

-Madeline

Free speech encouraged. Bad comments deleted.