1/6
Reagan Studios is an award-winning production company led by internationally-recognized director and cinematographer, Collins Reagan. The studio is known for their up-close and heartwarming approach to documentary filmmaking, educational projects, music videos, and weddings. Reagan Studios uses video strategy to help their commercial clients achieve their goals.
Reagan Studios began as the creative outlet of Keith Collins Reagan, Sr, and Lisa Reagan, a communications professional and owner of Lisa Reagan, Ink, on the birth of their son, Collins. "I was the dad who made the videos at the end of baseball season or summer camp," remembered Keith thinking back on the early years of the business. "In fact, our logo is derived from a photo of Collins on a zip line at Passages Adventure Camp."
Reagan Studios first wedding was April 8, 2010. The business steadily expanded adding commercial projects including music videos. In July of 2014, "Flowers Ain't Gonna Fix This" by Lindsey Highlander reached #1 on Country Music Television's (CMT) Pure 12-Pack Country Music Video Countdown.
The growing vision and reach of Reagan Studios was halted in October of 2014 when Keith was diagnosed with cancer. But Collins, a frequent assistant camera operator by now, stepped in to run the business while Lisa drove Keith to Duke Cancer Center for two years. With some initial assistance from the generous Kirby Martin of Kirby Martin Cinematography in Charlottesville, Collins was able to maintain the complete wedding schedule until Keith's recovery. (Keith hasn't cut his hair or beard since his last chemo treatment at Duke.)
Throughout his high school and college years, Collins continued his work behind the camera, building Keith's part-time hobby into a full-time career. After VCU, Collins took the lead as primary cinematographer, drone pilot, and on-site director. "I love capturing the raw emotion present at weddings. It's the best day of these people's lives, and we get to experience that every weekend," notes Collins.
As the new President and co-owner of Reagan Studios, Collins reflects on his passion: "Finding the right composition and lighting is something I truly enjoy. I appreciate live shoots and time on set with talent. And while we have expanded a great deal on the commercial side, I'll always love filming weddings and it will remain a core part of our business. For Keith, editing is still his favorite. When I was younger, he told me the only reason he bothered filming was to have something to edit; and he is very active in that role. He didn't just start the studio, he's a valuable part of the team."
Keith continues to run Reagan Holloway, a wealth advisor on the Fidelity platform. His education hails from an undergraduate degree at the College of William & Mary, and advanced Portfolio Management at The Wharton School of Business through their Merrill Lynch program.
Keith and Lisa have been married for 36 years, and Lisa still brings her 30 years of professional communications strategies and support to the Reagan Studios family team. Her story editing led to the Ministry of Surf's international recognition at film festivals in 2023 and the Dan Eldon Activist Award for the short film in November 2023. You can read about Lisa's award-winning nonprofit activism, also inspired by Collins, here.
Due to the natural growth of the business, Reagan Studios employs photographers and other cinematographers for various projects as needed. But a Reagan is still at the helm. The second generation of Reagan Studios plans to stay small and focus on quality. "We have no plans to use rookie camera crews to flood the market," Collins observed. "We would rather remain serious artists, and deliver superior film to our clients than become a big video production company."
Copyright © 2023 Reagan Studios - All Rights Reserved.