Denver Filmmaker Rapidly Growing his Business

By Jay McKinney

When it comes to content marketing, video has become a dominant medium. With modern advancements in camera technology and the prevalence of screens dominating our lives, it’s not surprising that businesses are turning to video content to connect with customers. One Colorado entrepreneur saw this trend building years ago and took a leap of faith.

In 2012, Daniel Fickle dropped out of college and launched his own company, Bosho Creative Co. With the help of fellow artists, Fickle initially offered multiple creative services such as photography, graphic design and video under his company. He built his business from the ground up landing client after client because of his friendly attitude, professionalism and passion for promoting small businesses with his creative talent.

With limited formal education, you could say Fickle is self-made, but he does not lack experience. After abandoning the pursuit of a college degree, he had the opportunity to work for Hallmark Films in Los Angeles, where he helped out in various departments such as camera, production, electrical, grip and sound.

“Working on a legitimate film crew is what I consider my education,” he said. “Ironically, that experience also inspired me to leave it behind. I loved the process, but I didn’t love the final product. I wanted to take that process and bring it back to Colorado to create meaningful films.”

Nine years later, Fickle has narrowed his focus on video production and now operates under the name of his new company VOCA Films. Working alongside his longtime friend and production partner, David Chang, the duo consistently creates amazing films. With improved equipment (Blackmagic cameras and a Zeiss lens kit worth a small fortune) and years of experience under his belt, the difference in quality from his first projects is vastly improved.

Watch any of the films VOCA has created (vocafilms.com) and it’s easy to be captivated by the incredible imagery and seamless cinematography. While the technical filmmaking is a major part of the process, Fickle puts just as much emphasis on the storytelling aspect of his job. No matter the brand or scope of the project, every film tells a story.

For example, VOCA produced a branded content video for a motorcycle magazine called META where they collaborated with Atwyld, a women’s motorcycle apparel company. In the video, they draw a metaphorical connection between the unknown perplexities of the Covid-19 virus and the unknown world of alien life outside this planet. (https://vimeo.com/460495839)

Currently his portfolio of work includes a variety of brands, promoting everything from clothing and motorcycle brands to documenting trips for First Descents, a Colorado-based non-profit that provides outdoor adventures for young adults who’ve been impacted by cancer and other serious health conditions.

And while the growth of his business has landed him new clients outside of Colorado, Fickle still loves working with local brands. Just this past year, VOCA was fortunate to work on multiple short videos for one of Colorado’s most established breweries, New Belgium Brewing Company.

Fickle has worked with New Belgium in the past but in his latest collaboration with the brewery he produced four commercials that can be seen during Avalanche games. He noted that one has already begun being broadcast while the other three will be released in the next few months.

“An ad agency came to us with the concept, then we handled all the production,” Fickle said. “We also produced a short video about one of the co-founders of New Belgium, Kim Jordan. Her story is great because she started in Colorado before the microbrewing industry was so big and she helped grow New Belgium to a national level.”

As a filmmaking entrepreneur, Fickle’s business can sometimes fall into a feast-or-famine cycle of work. When he does find a lull in his hectic schedule, he gets creative and puts his energy into his passion projects, making short films of his choosing.

In 2019 he wrote, directed and produced a short film titled Terra that received recognition at the Denver and Seoul Film festivals. While these low-budget short films may not pay the bills, they are an integral part of Fickle’s growth as a filmmaker and provide him an opportunity to explore his artistic creativity with complete freedom.

In the future Fickle sees himself directing full-length feature films. When that day comes, Coloradans can be proud that one of their own worked their way to the top and made their dreams come true.

Jay McKinney is a Colorado native who recently graduated from Metro State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He loves spending time outdoors, playing golf and hiking.