A nonprofit wing exposes area youth to video and photography arts.

Martez Nalls turned a lifelong passion for photography and videography into a second career. Now, he has a studio to fulfill his company’s ambitious name.

Bold as a Lion Studios recently held a ribbon-cutting for the grand opening of its new location in Bessemer.

“At first we thought about naming the company Bold as a Lion Photography, but I didn’t want to limit us,” Nalls said. “When I suggested studio, the response was, ‘but we don’t have a studio.’ And I said, ‘But we will.’”

The Bessemer studio is a one-stop shop for all things visual, and its auspicious start hasn’t waned.

“When we first decided that this is something we wanted to do, the market was oversaturated, so we wanted to be strategic about our name,” Nalls said. “Bold stands out, even as a font. We thought about lions being the king of the jungle with a regal and royal feel. We wanted to set the precedent that we’re here and you’re gonna have to show us that you’re better than us. Not that we’re better than anyone, but we want to be the best at what we do.”

That meant raising the bar in terms of what traditional photography and videography companies provide.

“We wanted to be unique and stand apart, so we invested a lot of money into things people weren’t investing in,” Nalls said. “Drones, gimble stabilizers, and the software necessary to do a lot of the effects we have on our projects.”

The result: Bold as a Lion’s services are in-demand, with photography and video projects for companies including Shipt, Alabama Power and Verizon; projects for big-time events, such as the 2022 World Games in Birmingham; a tribute to John Lewis; Brown Sugar Nutcracker; and the  Magic City Classic; as well as the recent weddings of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and NBA legend Dominique Wilkins.

In fact, a wedding is what helped launch the whole venture.

Nalls said his wife of 10 years, Genesis, got bored as a stay-at-home wife and picked up a camera as a hobby. “She fell in love with it,” he said. “A couple at our church was getting married, and they asked her to shoot it. The love offering they gave was a nice amount, and she reinvested it back into the hobby.”

That reignited Nalls’ own passion for the craft.

“I had always been creative and loved the arts,” he said. “Growing up, artists lived painting-to-painting, and I heard a lot about starving artists, so I was afraid to hop into the artistic field because everyone seemed like they were struggling. My mom was very supportive, but I decided to pick something more stable.”

So, after graduating from Bessemer Academy in 2005, Nalls enrolled at Tuskegee University where he majored in architecture.

“I took architecture for two years, but there were no jobs around here for architecture,” he said. He changed his major to civil engineering and transferred to UAB where he graduated in 2010.

Nalls worked for a while in coal mines and made good money before the mines shut down. Then in 2016, his civil engineering degree landed him a position with the Alabama Department of Transportation where he’s worked for the last eight years. That’s right, Nalls has two full-time jobs, but one is admittedly a labor of love.

“The moment that changed everything was, I would work, be exhausted but would still be excited about going to a shoot and being up all night doing the editing,” he said. “I said ‘I really love this. It’s time to make that leap.’”

After going all-in, Nalls said he started making more money with his hobby than with his engineering job, but the payoff has been more than financial.

“Things like getting to go to exclusive events that you normally couldn’t get into unless you’re an elected official or someone important,” he said, also pointing to the possibilities that are now available because of his craft. “I want to continue what we’re doing. I want it to be a large production company. Multifaceted, social media. Shoot, edit, photography, headshots, help grow your company.”

The Bold as a Lion Studios team takes a selfie at the recent ribbon-cutting for its location in Bessemer. (contributed)

Why Bessemer?

It’s where Nalls met Genesis and his best friends from high school, Isaz and Chavez Fuller, who happen to be Genesis’ twin brothers. They all work at Bold as a Lion Studios, along with Christie Fuller, Chavez’s wife, who serves as the company’s scheduling assistant.

“It’s very family-oriented,” Nalls said. “Christie saved our company. We couldn’t have done it without her.”

Another team member is Chris Tanner. “The reason we’ve grown is because it feels like we’re everywhere all the time,” Nalls said. “It’s because Chris was able to learn and study how I do things, and now people can’t tell our work apart. He really helped us establish the name.”

Rounding out the team is Melissa Herbert, another videographer.

“The beautiful thing about what we do is, in the beginning we had to adapt to what people wanted, but then people started to see our work and see the distinction of our style,” Nalls said, pointing to the Woodfin wedding as an example. “The mayor said, ‘Bro, I love what you do. You do you because when you do you, you make magic.’ They’re such a beautiful couple, it was easy.”

The mayor attended the studio’s recent grand opening. It’s an example of the broad support the company receives from the city of Birmingham, Nalls said.

“It’s amazing to have the city back me the way the city has,” he said, “from the City Council to the mayor to Alabama Power to Shipt, to Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the (Shuttlesworth International) Airport … They really got behind me and propelled me forward.”

As a way of giving back to the city, Bold as a Lion has started a nonprofit to help local youth sharpen their skills in photography and videography.

“Whenever we have a shoot that involves the youth, there are always a few kids who are enamored by the camera and want to learn more,” Nalls said. “So, we started a nonprofit called Lions Den Studios where we teach kids the ins and outs of photography and videography. “We’ve been able to partner with many organizations, such as Birmingham Promise, The Flourish, and Leaders of Excellence,” he continued. “We wanted to have a space to also house our students and give them a space with high-end equipment like lights, mics, computers and cameras to better aid them in articulating their creativity.”

Now that a studio is open in Bessemer, Nalls said he’s had calls asking for Bold as a Lion to expand to a location in Birmingham.

“Franchising is next. We want to continue to grow our corporate connections. Pulling people onto the team who are passionate about short films and small movies,” he said. “We’re partnering with E2 Media Group and Brian Pride Photography and others. That way, when Birmingham gets something large like World Games, we don’t have to outsource. We can come together like the Avengers to tackle it. I’m excited about bringing together a coalition of videographers and photographers.”

In the long run, Nalls said he hopes to be to Birmingham what Tyler Perry is to Atlanta.

“I love my city,” he said. “It’s always going to be growing, thriving, unique, and I think people are starting to see the power that has.”

Learn more about Bold as a Lion Studios via their website, on Facebook and Instagram.