Have you ever dreamed of jumping from the roof of a house into a 15-foot-tall pile of leaves? Johnny Murdock had so he decided to do something about it. And then, he recorded himself and others doing it. That video went viral!
Murdock calls his time at Ensign College refining, both professionally and spiritually. Every aspect of his life, personal and business, was elevated because of his experiences at Ensign College. Today, among his many clients, are cola giant Pepsi and Utah unicorn TaxBit.
Murdock was recently on campus to discuss the deep feelings he has for Ensign College and why he is such a big ambassador.
Talk about what drew you to Ensign College. Did you start out with an interest in leading a business or was that an opportunity that evolved over time?
I wanted to come to a school where the Spirit would be present. I had just returned from my mission to Mexico City. I was already involved in a business so it made sense to attend Ensign College (LDSBC at the time) where the lessons I learned could be implemented immediately in the business I was already operating.
Were there any instructors, campus events, or activities at Ensign College that were particularly impactful?
As a student, I loved attending the devotionals. To me, the devotionals felt like having a mini General Conference every week instead of needing to wait another six months for the next General Conference. Going to school felt almost like going to the MTC every day. I found myself much more thoughtful and outward thinking because the Holy Ghost was prevalent in every interaction with faculty, staff, and co-students. Everyone just seemed really approachable – lots of good men and women willing to help.
One particular Adjunct Faculty instructor, Jared Zemp, really stretched me. We had multiple out-of-class activities that put me well out of my comfort zone. One of those out-of-class activities involved approaching strangers and trying to sell them a random product like a pencil. It was amazing how much I grew, from being uncomfortable to feeling confident when approaching strangers. This one skill has really helped me grow my business.
Talk about the inspiration for you to start VIDARMY. Do you have a specific niche you are targeting? Where do you hope the business takes you? Do you see the business expanding in the future or is that getting too far ahead?
I’ve been creating and editing videos since my childhood. In high school I created videos for assemblies and other activities. Soon that spread to doing weddings and other celebratory events. We would create a video on just about anything. A few of those videos went viral! Our most popular video has more than 3.4 Million views!
As our business matured, we spent more time reaching out to businesses to help them with their videography needs. Initially, we tried to be the low-cost provider so we could penetrate the market. The result of that strategy has been that almost every job we do now has come via a referral from an existing client. That means our marketing costs are very low. We’ve also introduced an innovative subscription revenue model which has been well received. Businesses can now have access to our professional video creation and editing services for as low as $500/month for a few hours per month.
Above all, we want to be viewed as professional and affordable. We feel like we can create quality videos more affordably than just about anyone else in our market.
We've completed projects for large, national clients like Pepsi to local clients like TaxBit. We've also done some work for the Church.
What is your current relationship with Ensign College now that you are no longer a student? In your opinion, how prepared are Ensign College students for the rigors of the workplace? Do you have some career advice you can share to inspire students to pursue their professional passions?
As for Ensign College, its unique learning signature of Prepare, Act, and Demonstrate. The campus is in tune with what is needed in the “real world”. When hiring, I would look here first for the hard and soft skills taught here at Ensign College.
My message to students is that it’s vitally important that each of them realize they are children of a God who loves them and cares about their success. Magnify your God-given talents to help make the world a better place at home, at church, and in business. Believe in yourself and have faith in yourself. Work like it all depends on you and live like it all depends on Him.
Learn more about Johnny here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-murdock/