Dan Hagenow had a full-time job when he started producing commercial videos as a “side hustle” in 2015.
“It was just a hobby for me. It was something I really enjoyed doing,” he says.
But he soon realized he was working two full‑time jobs and decided to dive into starting his own business.
DH Video Creation took off mostly through word of mouth — and Hagenow has built a business providing a wide range of marketing and promotional videos.
He says he had to learn about photo releases, business practices and more but adds that advice from local mentors, such as Jim Brandt of Jim’s Golf Carts in Reedsville, and his experience growing up on a small dairy farm helped him in the early stages.
“I give a lot of credit to my dad. My dad was a small dairy farmer, 50 cows, a stanchion barn, did the chores twice a day…” Hagenow says. “Looking back now, I can say it was pretty cool to watch my dad while growing up working as hard as he did. I like to think a little bit that it inspired me.”
Hagenow admits having his name on the business has caused him to work harder.
“You’re just so excited and motivated when you’re just getting it going,” he says. “When it’s your own name on the business it just means more.”
Hagenow says he realized the business would succeed after he completed an early job and the customers provided a $1,500 bonus.
“I was like, ‘Wow. I really was not charging enough, and maybe that’s the sign that I have an opportunity to do something,’” Hagenow says.
He describes DH Video Creation as offering “any kind of video that would assist a business’ marketing needs or advertising.”
He has worked with businesses, public safety agencies, farms, schools and nonprofit groups. Videos can focus on branding, talent recruitment, training, events and more. He has even produced music videos for Greenleaf musician Hannah Rose.
“It was always my dream to do a music video,” Hagenow says. “We don’t do a ton of it, but it’s just kind of a fun thing.”
Hagenow says the process is always collaborative with the client and starts by determining what story they want to tell. Most of the videos are styled as interviews or feature a scripted voiceover.
A typical five-hour shoot will produce about two hours of raw video footage that takes up to two days to edit and craft into a draft that is ready for a customer to review.
Hagenow says more than 60% of his business is in the agriculture field, which seems appropriate since he runs the business from the farmhouse where he grew up. When he purchased the home in 2017, he was still a little uncertain about the market for a video production company based in rural Manitowoc County.
But he has found a steady customer base in Green Bay, the Fox Valley and the Lakeshore, and he has gone as far afield as Montana — where he produced videos for the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.
The business has expanded services in recent years, adding photography at the request of clients. The business has also expanded into podcast filming and recorded a podcast at the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center near Manitowoc in December.
Hagenow, who has one employee, says he occasionally brings on help for a larger shoot, but he is uncertain about growing the business because it would reduce his time in the field.
“I really love the creative side of it,” he says. “I love being on location and working with people.”
