Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Miller.
C&I started out as a side project in 2006. Joshua had a full-time job at the moment, but with a new family in tow, he was looking for a creative outlet that could also contribute to the household income.
But where there’s talent, there’s also a way and things started to pick up quickly. A professional opportunity brought Joshua and his family in Fort Lauderdale in 2008. This seaside town, still reeling under its spring-break reputation, quickly transformed into the perfect setting for Joshua to expand C&I. Opportunity was aplenty and supply for arts, crafts and ideas were sparse.
But Joshua didn’t want to confine into strict industry definitions. C&I may have started as an abstemious and rather supplementary photography and videography enterprise, but the vision was and still is bigger. In the next couple of years, clients list and business partners are onboarding. A team of one, now a team of three is starting to make waves in Fort Lauderdale, by bringing exceptional craftsmanship in clients’ visual representation and campaign work.
The vision is still there; In a world were definitions and boundaries are blurred, C&I’s mission is more relevant than ever.
Fast forward to 2018. C&I is settled in the FAT district of Fort Lauderdale and is now a multidisciplinary collective of craftsmen, covering a broad range of interests and executions. Video and photography are always there, the ever-shining starting points. Only now C&I is extending into branding, graphic design, wordsmithing, events, steering the spotlight to local brands, acts, artists.
During the past couple of years, more creative businesses have moved in the FAT area, putting the once ransacked warehouses into the art map. C&I serves as the beacon for the broader region. Joshua reckons that it has actively helped rebrand what Fort Lauderdale stands for, redrawing it using the most colorful crayons.
Has it been a smooth road?
A smooth road is a utopian notion which claims that stars alignment and luck is all you need to succeed and have a compelling rags to riches story. Yet C&I is the story of perseverance and vision amidst challenges and changes of personal and geographical circumstances.
I could name a few; Sourcing talent is one of them, although the influx of creative and artworkers has really been key to tackling this. Standing our ground and defending our expertise, vision, and values in an ever-changing, automated world is another one.
For once, not all is rosy, but C&I has such an abundance of talent and curiosity that we can face difficulties and challenges in a natural way; by evolving and learning down the way.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’d love to think that what sets us apart is our unique approach to our clients’ problems and our “come as you are” attitude towards our employees or, fellow craftsmen if you like.
This all may sound a bit too hippie, but the truth is that although we operate within the structure, we strive to preserve an independent spirit. This is out of respect for our team. Each member is characterized by singular talents, that need room to grow and flourish.
Bottom line, I think that this is our distinctive trait. We’re all different when it comes to skills and interests, but similar in terms of seeking perfection and growth. Therefore, we are able to come up with exceptional and a bit peculiar ideas for our clients, always trying to pursue innovative paths from concept to execution.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The city is definitely a better place to start out now, it has improved in immeasurable ways since the turn of the decade. There is creative unrest, there are facilities, and what’s more Fort Lauderdale is starving for a new point of views and new paths to be carved.
There are still a lot of things to be improved, but we’re striving to make Fort Lauderdale the case study of a city associated with not so favorable connotations, transubstantiated into a beaming epicenter of culture and craft.
We’re involved with local authorities, charities and organizations to bring our city to the spotlight and we’re keen supporters and hosts of Art Walks and Music Festivals. There’s a strange energy in town and we’re ready to yield it and transform it into force of and for good.
Contact Info:
- Address: 541 NW 1st Ave,
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301 - Website: https://c-istudios.com
- Phone: (954) 357-3934
- Email: contact@c-istudios.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cistudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cistudios/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/c_istudios
- Other: https://vimeo.com/cistudios
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