Photography by Jamison Mosley & Meredith Mashburn
The city of Conway has ushered in a new wave of development that makes it unrecognizable to those who have not visited in some time. Additional shopping spots at each exit and a new restaurant on virtually every corner are helping to make the “City of Colleges” an Arkansas city on the rise each and every year.
But new shopping centers are not the only things being “created” in Conway. Enter Colby Thompson, a 14-year-old at Conway Junior High School, and founder of Colby’s Creations.
It all started about six years ago. When Colby was just eight years old, he attended a camp at the Apple Store, which provided him with not only the knowledge of video editing but the increased passion for it. In 2016, he launched Colby’s Creations and has been working diligently to help it take off ever since.
Perhaps even more impressive than his entrepreneurial spirit is the fact that he is mostly self-taught. Apart from that first Apple Store camp and a few tips and tricks picked up from others along the way, Colby has learned just about everything he knows teaching himself.
The services Colby’s Creations provides include video editing, photography and website design. He markets through his Facebook page, multiple YouTube channels and his website.
Since opening for business, Colby has created promotional videos for U Storage of Conway and Lenderman Dental. Apart from the marketing material for businesses, Colby has also filmed and edited videos for vacations, gender reveals and sports highlight videos.
He also was selected to go to nationals in a video editing competition for a documentary he made on the Berlin Wall, which features insightful narration, an interview with an expert and edits so smooth that it is more akin to something you would expect to see on the History Channel.
As far as how he got the taste for being an entrepreneur, Colby comes by it honestly. Colby’s father runs U Storage and Moving U of Conway, and his mother runs Storybook Homes.
In the short term, Colby is looking to continue to grow his customer base for Colby’s Creations and has his sights set on creating a messaging web app. Down the road, he aspires to get into the film industry.