Monthly Creatives Highlight: HAUS PVD "WHERE Creativity Lives."

How well do you know your local creative scene? The thing about Rhode Island is that it doesn’t lack creativity, and it certainly doesn’t lack diversity. Our little state offers you music, art, and culture. Anything from painting, architecture, food, music, performing, film, etc. It’s basically our specialty, and HAUS lets you appreciate it through their visual storytelling.

HAUS is a multidisciplinary creative studio specializing in video production, photography, social media, and digital marketing. Founded five years ago by Austin Delin and Henry Kerstgens, HAUS is still run by the two content creators to this day. After working on several freelance projects in the past, Delin and Kerstgens said it just made sense to work together.

Austin Delin (on the left) and Henry Kerstgens (on the right)

The pair is fairly open-minded with the work they choose to create and promote. For them, video is the ideal medium to connect and reach out to their community. Although they’ve come to find a niche working with top artists from the Rhode Island scene, HAUS has also found a market in documentary filmmaking, branded content, and corporate video.

“We always strive to create something that feels like the client,” said Kerstgens. “The goal is to reinforce their brand. We want to amplify them, their mission, their values and their voice.”

“One huge piece of having impactful marketing is making sure your content is original or unique,” said Delin. “I think if you build a repertoire of work that is a cut above the rest or just a different style, you are ultimately going to portray their brand in a new light.”

HAUS has directed and shot videos for RI based brands and events such as The Avenue Concept, Culture Shock, Divine Souls Management, DayTrill, Providence River Boat, and even independent artists like Tye Cooper, Nino Francis, AGONZA and designer for Bodega, Drew White.

The pair operate out of their new studio in Pawtucket. Whether it's a shoot day or an editing day, their studio is usually the home base of it all, with the exception of on-location productions. Within this studio is The Warehaus, a separate space available for local creatives to rent for their own personal endeavors. Like most small businesses, Delin said they look to sustain their enterprise, so their upcoming projects are based on what inquiries are coming in.

“We're just trying to adapt and make sure that we're providing a great experience for the people we work with,” said Kerstgens. “With COVID-19 still at the forefront of everything, safety remains a top priority while we continue to grow as a business.”

When it comes to a typical day of shooting, the HAUS boys said the preparation is always different. It usually consists of assessing the environment, making creative decisions, filming, and bringing back the footage to discuss and plan for editing.

“I think shooting and lighting and cinematography itself can be really immersive and creative,” said Delin. Editing and shooting are so intertwined that while I'm shooting, I'm already thinking about what I'm going to do in the edit.”

Thankfully, HAUS is a team of two, so there is always a second set of eyes to help with the creativity. Delin said having that second opinion helps to influence key decisions in the creative process. He also said he and Kerstgens frequently co-direct and edit projects together.

“There are a lot of singular creatives in this community, and one of the advantages we have as a team is each other," said Kerstgens. "Having been a sole proprietor myself, it’s something I’ve come to appreciate these past few years.”

Despite all the craziness and misfortune going on in the world with COVID-19, HAUS was able to tap into RI’s music and art scene, and focus closer to home than ever before. Kerstgens said it has localized them and helped build a brand that people are starting to recognize.

HAUS looks forward to improving their new creative studio and would like to make it a collaborative space where people from all over can come to create their own work. Kerstgens hopes that when things start to open up, more creatives will feel comfortable utilizing The Warehaus. As far as goals for their company, Delin said they want to continue diversifying their portfolio, working with new brands, and most importantly expanding the business.

“We want to keep being able to provide unique and interesting content, and to elevate people in our community as best we can,” said Delin.

For more details, go to hauspvd.com, or follow @hauspvd on Instagram to stay updated with more HAUS content.