The idea for Lettuce Media goes back to my father, who passed away in February 2022. When we were coming up with a name for the company, we originally thought about themes related to video, film, or even lighting. While those are nice, it didn’t feel personal or very intentional. So, as I was thinking about how we wanted to approach the business, I was reminded of my dad.
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Growing up, my dad would always tell me, my brothers, and all of my friends about how he ended up in California one time. It was back in the late '70s, and he and his best friend decided to head to California just to check it out. So imagine two hippies from a small town in Minnesota who had never left the state hopped in a brown Pinto intending to make it to San Diego. They made it to northern California, near wine and farm country, before their vehicle needed some help. Obviously, there are several growers in the area, and they wound up next to a lettuce farm.
They didn’t have any money, so my dad’s friend suggested they go up to the homestead and ask if they needed any help. Turns out, they did. My dad and his friend planned to stay and work for about a week, but they ended up being there for like a month and a half. They picked lettuce and tended to the farm while growing close to the elderly couple who owned the land. It was hard work, but they just loved it. Eventually, my dad and his friend made their way to San Diego.
Later on, my dad would always say that his experience in the lettuce fields was the most incredible time of his life. He was in his early 20s, and he learned firsthand about the importance of hard work, taking every opportunity as it comes, and just seeing where life takes you. He turned this into somewhat of a life lesson for all of us.
As my brothers and I got older, and we’d want to do something fun like go hiking or snowboarding when we really needed to study for a test or some other important thing, or we’d go through a problem of some kind, my dad really only had one answer, “You just gotta pick your lettuce, boys.” The idea is you have to take every opportunity to do the hard work and see things through. Ultimately, it results in the things you want. Working hard, having integrity in what you do, and sticking with things is the way to do everything. So, when it came time to decide on a name for the business, “lettuce” was the only thing that made sense to me.
Ever since he was a young, grungy skateboarder from Colorado, Jonah loved photography and filming skate videos with his friends. He took 2 years of education in film processing and learned about composition of an image, as well as falling in love with the artform itself...
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Years later, he moved to Louisiana by way of family ties. At the age of 17, he started interning with local agencies and film productions under the gracious wing of his brother. He had the opportunity to learn the craft of filmmaking, and advertising as well as editing projects. He worked in the film industry for 2 years camera operating and working on his own projects for local businesses.
At 19, Jonah started a new path at a local large church, producing films, testimonials, and high end live production elements for a 10 thousand plus congregation. After a few years he was promoted to the Film Director, overseeing all things production and film, furthering the vision and heartbeat of the church through powerful storytelling and innovative video content.
In 2021, he decided to part ways with his role at the church and go back to his roots being a freelance video creator. He met Jared, a 1 of 1 type of person and Lettuce Media was born.He now operates Lettuce Media creating video content for businesses and creates powerful brand awareness that helps businesses scale through video. Jonah loves spending time with his lovely wife, daughter and rescue dog. He enjoys running, fitness, and good times with his friends.
Many folks define creativity as if it were some sort of exciting cloud that hovers over certain folks with a trendy hat and chunky shoes. This identifier of being different. The definition itself is “using your imagination to create original thoughts and ideas.” Yet, what good is creativity if it doesn’t help anyone? At Lettuce Media, you will not find never-seen-before ideas because, honestly, everything has been done under the sun. What you will find is a dedication to our craft and the use of our fancy hovering clouds to bring awareness to our clients’ businesses through great video content.
It’s good, but it could be better. Ever heard that before? People often settle for good enough, and good enough gets the job done. But what most people miss is the opportunity to achieve excellence in everything they do. Getting excited knowing something we create is good and that we get to make it even better for our clients. Excellence is the unwavering response to our mission as a company to never settle for good enough and always strive to think ahead while constantly improving ourselves and our work.
A watch is no good without all of the tiny little cogs working together to remind us that we are late for a meeting or our spouse reminding us for the fifth time that dinner at their family’s house is, in fact, tonight. Efficiency is key to growing and keeping things operating as they should. The more efficient we are at our daily tasks, the better our outcomes. Efficiency in communication allows our clients to feel confident that the agreed-upon deliverables will hit the inbox on the due date. It keeps us honest and true to our craft. Workflows that make sense and are family-sized to share with our coworkers and clients make us a force to be reckoned with.
Ambition and motivation are fleeting. Some days are harder than others. Having ‘vocation’ is something you must adopt in your life to know your purpose and never settle for anything else. Our vocation is to use our gifts and talents to help businesses grow their tribe and tell their story. Having vocation is the little whisper in your ear that tells you, “Yes, this is hard work, but it’s worth it.” It’s not about money or deals—those are also fleeting. The small voice in our minds never leaves us, and it will tell us whether we did it or didn’t try hard enough. Vocation is our ethos; we breathe it in and allow it to pave the way for our future, creating stability and lifelong relationships along the way.