A young man with an ambitious plan, Ian Palmer has built a business that takes him from churches to beaches to horse arenas. Armed with a video camera, he shoots weddings, sports events and lively Internet spots, as well as short films fueled by his wide-ranging imagination.
An accomplished videographer, Palmer founded Palmer Creative Productions six months ago and already serves an array of clients, including vitamin companies, beverage makers and a growing number of equestrians eager to document their horses.
“I’m pretty busy for just getting started” Palmer says, “but I could always be busier. I want to make it to the next financial level and this is a step toward that, learning how to run a business.”
Palmer went to Santa Ynez Valley High School, where he first started “messing around with a camera.”
Encouraged to go to college by his mother, Liz Rubel, he decided to turn his hobby into a profession by earning a B.A. in Media Arts.
“I took a trip to Chico with friends and loved it,” he says. “Last May, I got my degree at Chico State University.”
While in school, Palmer’s work won two Smash Awards, presented at the university’s Video Festival: one for editing and the other for concept and execution.
“It felt good to win,” he admits. “Seeing my films against all the other videos in the whole school, and knowing they were better, was pretty cool. “I want to win more,” he declares. “That’s why I’m making a documentary.”
Currently in the storyboard stage, the documentary will explore the life of local sculptor John Cody. “John is one of my dad’s best friends,” Palmer says, “and he’s led an interesting life. They did a video on him when he was 20 and he answers all these questions. I want to ask him the same questions to see where he’s come from.
“I want to show the film around the valley,” he continues. “I think a lot of people would come to see it, and I plan to enter it in competitions.”
A native of Los Olivos, Palmer returned to the Santa Ynez Valley shortly after he graduated from college.
“I like being around family,” he explains, “and there’s more opportunity, because I’m pretty well networked here.”
Palmer hails from the Stonebarger clan, one of Los Olivos’s oldest families. His great-grandfather, a water witcher who moved here from the Midwest and helped locate many area well sites, erected the iconic flagpole at Grand Avenue and Alamo Pintado.
“The house I grew up in has been there forever,” Palmer smiles. “My grandma was born in it and my dad bought it from her.
“My grandma moved to Solvang with her husband and had seven kids,” he adds, “and most of them stuck around, so I have lots of cousins here.”
Palmer, who also handles the media needs of the Ten22 active wear apparel line he has partnered with Bryan Petersen to promote, may have inherited his creative streak from his father, a heavy equipment operator who plays electric bass in a local band, runs his own saw mill and builds “natural furniture,” a hobby that Palmer shares.
His diverse interests and can-do spirit serve Palmer well as he expands his video business to include the filming of snowboard contests, underwater scenes and thoroughbreds in action.
“I’m very optimistic and up for anything,” Palmer says. “From a little commercial to a full feature film, I know the people and have the resources to get it done.
“I’m open minded,” he adds, “and I welcome any ideas people might have. Bring them to me and we’ll make it a reality.”
About TEN22
In addition to his videography business, Ian Palmer has partnered with designer and screen printer Bryan Petersen, a Solvang native, to promote a creative new line of clothing. Their company, TEN22, currently offers a variety of T-shirts online at www.ten22ride.com. Their five year plan is to be in a 1000 stores with full cut and sew capabilities. Petersen says the basis of their company is the belief that “clothing is a media of expression that’s influenced by art, music, various cultures and social trend. The ambition of TEN22 designs is “to promote all cultures, connecting surf, skate, snow, and motocross iconography.” “We create quality garments for curious individuals indulging in creative, artistic, original, ambitious lifestyles,” he says. “We believe in comfort, quality, and durability, giving tribute to hot trends while striving to set them.” All products are manufactured in their own “Deuce Warehouse,” a place they call home, where the pair can keep creative control over all the products.