MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ANDREW CROMARTIE USES GRATITUDE TO CREATE HIS DREAM BUSINESS

By Sarah Marques, DLE Communications Intern, Senior at Marist College

The DLE welcomes our first new member of 2024, Andrew Cromartie, an entrepreneur with a unique and compelling view on life. Andrew believes strongly in the power of gratitude. In fact, he attributes his success in business and life to it.

Born and raised on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, Andrew reflects that he grew up as “an introverted person who came from a family of artists. Acting, theatrics and storytelling has always been a part of my life.”

It’s no wonder that “crafting stories” became his passion.

Armed with an associate’s degree from the New York School of Film & Television, he began a career path in video production in diverse business settings and locations, including Nantucket Community Television, NBC Universal and Barrington Stage Company. Each work experience allowed him to “expand” and “open himself up.” “What keeps me involved in video production is not only that technical aspect of frame rate and shutter speeds and all that stuff, but also crafting stories.”

In May 2023, Andrew made the bold move of starting a business, Shire Video, which specializes in wedding videography and promotional projects for organizations in his Berkshire (MA) community, including Williamstown Theatre Festival, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Barrington Stage Company.

“I’ve been passionate about video production my whole life, but I didn’t know I could make a living out of it until I saw it happen to people in my network. By observing them, I learned that it can’t be done alone–collaboration is a must,” he explains.

And collaboration paves the way for gratitude. Andrew continues, “If collaboration is the most important thing, then having an uplifting perspective, like being grateful, is what’s needed to make the process enjoyable and fun. It’s very easy for video production to become NOT fun. The reason why my clients come back to me for my services is because we have fun! I really make it a point for everybody involved to be really relaxed and stress-free.”

Andrew’s DLE connection was sparked by “the biggest support system” in his life. That’s his wife and active DLE member, Janet Forest, whom he met in 2019 while working in community theater in Nantucket. The couple cultivated and still share a daily practice of gratitude.

He explains, “Every night, when we’re having dinner, we talk about three things that we’re grateful for. When we first started, it was really hard every day to come up with three specific things. As we kept going, it became easier to go through the day thinking, ‘I’m so grateful for this thing that happened.’”

Andrew quickly adds, “The more I can evoke an authentic feeling of gratitude in myself, the better my perspective becomes. Everything becomes better.”

Through conversations with Janet, who regularly attends and helps plan DLE programs, he knew the DLE was an ideal organization for making professional and personal connections. “I’m looking forward to meeting people and becoming more involved in the local community.”