Forrest Tuff is the CEO and Founder of One Vision Productions based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2004, One Vision Productions specializes in media and production, as well as branding. Their area of specialty include visually dynamic and innovative multimedia production, and video marketing strategies for commercial and governmental purposes. Over the years, One Vision Productions has received multiple awards including the prestigious Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® that speak to their excellence and quality of service. The Edge, A Leader’s Magazine spoke with Mr. Tuff on his vision for the media industry, and his involvement in community projects that empower the youth to redefine their destinies.
- What inspired One Vision Productions? Take us a bit on your journey to this very moment.
One Vision Productions is a media and branding agency, and what we do is we handle multimedia production, graphic design, web design, any type of video and aerial drone services, and any type of production work. And how that started for me was, as a kid, I always had a camera or camcorder. My mom always was recording things. And so, growing up in grade school and high school, I always recorded events. It was just a great way of, you know, capturing moments. And it was always good when friends got together after five or 10 years and we watched these videos from the past, and that’s how it started. It was really just something I loved to do, to capture these stories of my life and other people’s lives. Then, one day someone asked me to record an event and that they would pay me.
- Your services at One Vision are all about production including video and film. What is that one fulfilling production you’re most proud of content-wise?
If I could name just one project that I think had the most impact or most meaning, I would say this would be in my community. I did a film with the US Department of Justice here, and it focused on the topic of recidivism, or people that were coming out of the criminal justice system and coming back into society, reacclimating back into society. Well, this was a project that I worked closely with the government on. I produced a documentary, and this documentary was shown throughout the country. And one of the things that was so impactful is that it talked about opportunities for people to get back and involved into society, to become productive. Because if someone commits a crime or they do something and they serve their time, but then they have to come back to society. And if they come back to society, there has to be an opportunity for them to be a part of society, or they’ll go back to what put them in prison or jail in the first place.
- One Vision Productions emerged as one of “Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®” for the ninth year in a row. In the same vein, you’ve been named among Atlanta’s Most Powerful Leaders for the third year in a row; can you tell us what stands you out from the rest, plus what these awards mean to you and for the growth of One Vision?
I believe what makes me stand out is my individuality and just being authentic. I think just being who I am, like the things that matter to me, which stories matter to me, ethics. Having a name that means something. My word means something to people, and those are the things that really stand out to me as a person. And I think that’s some of the things that make me, I would say, stand out to individuals. For those that know me, they would say, hey, this is somebody I can trust. If he says he’s gonna do it, he’ll do it. And I think that goes a long way in this society. That’s an old school type of thing that people, as they would say in New York, my word is bond. You know, and that means when you say it, you mean it.
- In your own words, what does the future hold for you and One Vision Productions?
I would say legacy. You know, I hope that whether I’m still with this company or whether it’s taken over from one of my children, or it’s bought out by another company; that the legacy of One Vision Productions continues and lasts. That legacy of treating people fair and giving great service, that to me is an important legacy. You know, you think about some of the major brands and it’s the consistency of doing something good. So, for me, however it turns out, that’s what I want. One Vision Productions to be known as a company that has been consistent and delivering great productions and treating people well.
Chinenye Emezie | Assistant Editor
