Tre’Sean Durham wanted to give creatives an outlet to showcase positivity. After continuously meeting talented individuals from all walks of life who he wanted to highlight, Durham created Supply Lab Media to do just that.
Supply Lab Media offers photography and videography services for individuals and groups in entertainment, media, and sports. Durham, who started the business six years ago after the passing of his mother, operates the one-man shop and strives to provide his clients with the best product available.
“It’s been a blessing to create something,” Durham said. “I used to walk around with a notebook and just write my ideas down. I would chat with my mom and just share information, and she encouraged me to put some action behind it. I do it all. Originally, it was just going to be videos, interviews with people I was meeting. I started taking pictures and people liked my photos. It switched and focused more on photography.”
A Louisville native, Durham has a deep passion for photography and videography. A former college basketball player at Berea College and Thomas More University, Durham always had an aspiration to do something behind the camera.
“My entire life I was an athlete, but I always loved cameras,” Durham said. “If you ask any of my teammates, I was always recording and filming behind-the-scenes stuff. I knew I wanted to do something with a camera, I just didn’t know what.”
Durham tries to stay well-rounded, working with a variety of different clients, including the Speed Art Museum, the University of Louisville Cultural Center, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Other clients include friends and family, or those who come across his work on social media.
“It’s a wide range of folks,” Durham said. “I don’t focus on one area of photography or one lane. I’ll shoot anything. That’s the beauty of Supply Lab: If they have demand, we have supply. Typically, it’s a lot of random people who book me through my website. Most people say they found me on Instagram or word of mouth. People love my work, and they let me know that by displaying it. It’s very heartwarming.”
Starting a company from scratch has had its ups and downs for Durham, but recent years have seen a lot of success, thanks to the high quality of his work. He hopes to continue growing the business, potentially adding help so he can reach more people.
“We’re starting to see enough growth that I can’t do it all by myself anymore,” Durham said. “The biggest thing is noticing I need a team. That’s been the biggest challenge, to delegate. I’ve been a one-man team all this time, but I can’t be in two places at once. I don’t want to lose out on opportunities, but I need people who can execute the vision. I had to learn that I couldn’t do it all on my own if I want to be successful.”
No matter what, Durham wants his clients to know how passionate he is about his projects.
“I love photography,” Durham said. “I love telling a story with visuals. Money is nice, but I’d do this for free. I am super passionate about photography.”
