Meet Maggie Iribarren

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maggie Iribarren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
“Risk is the price you pay for opportunity….” is a line I often get told by my Dad who is a lifelong entrepreneur. He too built a business from the ground up. Hearing the tone of my voice, he must have known I wasn’t feeling like I was on top of the world, I value that insight. I’m a very positive person and in business, there are times of uncertainty. Those times are the ones you have to decide on taking a chance and betting on yourself. Without risk, life feels comfortable. No one changed the world sitting around feeling fine, being comfortable. Eight years ago my husband Dorian and I decided to leave South Florida to design our life together and have a new adventure. My dream was to live in Italy, so we packed up our condo in Deerfield Beach, and our two cats and lived in Lake Como for the summer. It was an incredible phase of my life. To prepare and work so hard leading up to that break was intense. Being able to step away from day-to-day work to enjoy a different culture was a dream come true. In the fall of 2016, we relocate to Charleston, SC. Little did we know, we’d have to start building our business almost from scratch. Everything was different in Charleston, everything we loved about it turned out to be a challenge. We had to rebrand our production company, focus on a new market of customers we wanted to reach and make connections. We realized it was imperative to build strong personal relationships from the ground up here. It took years. The beauty of that was when you meet people willing to take a risk on you and invest in your skill set and product, you discover so much more about everything in life. I’ll never forget that small group of professionals on the waterfront who saw our vision and took a risk in hiring us. The key to life is taking risks when you are young, getting uncomfortable with discomfort, and seeing how far you can move towards your dreams.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m a visual storyteller who’s passionate about discovering meaningful stories. I’m the co-owner of Motion Filmworks a video production company based in Charleston, SC. Today, I serve as the creative director and photographer, working alongside my filmmaker husband, Dorian. He grew up on a sailboat in the Florida Keys. I became captivated by the stories he tells about his life and travels around the world. We started Motion Filmworks over 15 years ago, during a time when the music industry was changing. He decided that video production would be his career; it allowed him to combine his skills in music, sound, camera operations, and editing into a creative suite. Dorian wanted to create films that made a difference and that’s when I became excited about the future.

Primarily we work with customers interested in innovating their brand. Our approach is unique because we combine creative visual elements and storytelling narratives to produce engaging films. Dorian is very process driven making his goals for each client results-focused. This is not typical in our field, focusing on results over creativity, but we have the power to do both. This attracts business-centric people and companies who think outside the box and understand that well-crafted videos will drive results for them.

Our niche is supply chain, manufacturing, and logistics here in Charleston. In addition, we have a handful of clients who own small to medium-sized businesses and an additional few who are artists. We love variety because no day is ever the same. We take pride in discovering our clients’ mission to help them formulate ideas that will result in a video that people will emotionally connect with. I’m passionate most about the films we produce around Women’s Empowerment, an initiative that is important to our clients who represent large companies and organizations that value talent retention, leadership development, and corporate social responsibility. Our first job in Charleston was for a woman, at the time, the first female president of a large trade association. She had a challenge and we created a solution, together we had a vision. Having a seat at the table built trust and we all walked away empowered after that meeting. The day that video debuted, we met our next biggest client who had a vision to create a film about the first female crane operator. A job not yet performed by women in his organization. We produced a concept film using local talent in Charleston including the talented Venita Aspen who is now known on Southern Charm, a serious businesswoman and creative. We also featured the voice of Toby Smith who ran for Congress in 2018. She’s a tremendous advocate for women, empowerment and who’s deeply rooted in our community and the Charleston culture. This crew of women was hard-working, talented and resilient. It felt good to be on the film set where the women outnumbered the men for a change.

Our ability to elevate positive change in a visually creative way gives Dorian and me tremendous pride that transforms lives beyond our camera.

What’s next for me is to continue to focus on building our business and working with companies we can produce videos for to help grow. I’m hoping (fingers crossed I’m accepted) to go back to Lake Como in 2025 for a month in Bellagio at the Rockefeller Foundation residency to focus on my women’s empowerment initiative project about visual storytelling. My goal is to help carry on my Mom’s legacy of empowering other women to find their confidence and self-worth to thrive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friends visiting we are my neighborhood restaurant La Bonne Franquette for a martini and a cheese plate w/ a side of fries. I love taking a drive to Sullivans Island, stopping at the Co-Op for a Froze. Then I’d stop to smell the roses and read their hilarious instagram posts to remember that every good business owner has a story to tell. Life is to short not to live!

Because I love Italy, I dream about a simple plate of pasta at La Pizzaria in Mt Pleasant. But first I’d stop at Patriots Point to brainstorm more business ideas while hitting a bucket of large range balls. People always compliment my golf swing and then I dream about going pro on the Senior Tour one day, my Dad as my caddy. A girl can dream!

My favorite place to park is a the CHS Airport because with that spot you can go anywhere.

Best view is at the Citrus Club atop the Dewberry. The MCM furniture in the lobby makes me feel old and in style while the upstairs view reminds me of the beautiful city we get to celebrate.

We frequent concerts at the newly renovated Riviera Theatre with a late night pizza at D’Allesandro’s

When business calls, I love a good cocktail meeting at Little Palm coupled with a walk through the Art Gallery at the Grand Bohemian Hotel next door – time for a fine Italian Red at FIG? Their Piedmont wine section is a small taste of my past and hopefully my future.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate a shoutout to the women who made me see that anything you put your mind to is possible. My Mom was a fearless educator and mentor. The ways in which she motivated me to create my own success and encourage me to show up even it I was the only women in the room. Because of the empowerment she demonstrated, I am able to recognize that light in other women. Through my efforts of women’s empowerment and passion for education, her legacy lives on.

Website: https://motionfilmworks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiestolzberg/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-iribarren-27b5445/

Image Credits
Photo credit for Headshot Portraits: Chrisman Studios chrismanstudios.com