About

Hi!

My name is Patrick Stafford (AKA Stafford Visuals) and I founded and run The Visual Crate. My vision is to use this platform to cultivate a community of hard-working, constantly inspired creatives that share a common goal of "making it" in the media space.

Since 2021 I've been a full-time creative, initially in the music industry. In the years I've worked in the music industry as a student as well as an educator, I learned a lot about networking, creating valuable products that benefit the community, how to manage a team, and most importantly, how to navigate the self-employed world.

During late 2021, I created an event that would end up being my most successful business venture that is known today as Underground Retreats. Underground Retreats is an event focused on bringing people together without the relevance of follower count or accolades - it's about the music, content, and connections that the attendees will make during the event. We bring anywhere from 30 to 100 musicians, photographers, videographers, and other creatives to a mansion in various locations to spend the week networking and creating.

In 2022, I launched my first digital product company without any idea of the amazing opportunities it would provide. This company is called The Producer Crate. It's a platform similar to this one (if you couldn't tell by the name) except it's geared towards music producers. Within the first year of launching I was able to pay out over $30,000 to other creators who sold products on my platform, including some that are grammy-winning and multi-platinum musicians, as well as some bedroom producers with no fancy equipment. The most notable part about this platform is that I have found producers with 100 followers that make products just as good, if not better than those with huge names, credits and awards.

In 2023 I entered the media space, and using the foundational knowledge from my history as a full-time producer I was able to quickly grow a platform for myself. This allowed me to have more freedom to spend time working on projects that benefit those that are still trying to find their way in this industry. Due to the success of The Producer Crate not only financially, but also based on the impact it's had on the music community, I decided to build another company with the same blueprint: The Visual Crate.

The Visual Crate is my solution to the massive, confusing world of products for photographers, videographers, and graphic designers. The mission here is simple: to create and co-sign products related to photo and video with a quality-first standard as well as to provide educational and inspirational content from trusted sources. There are tons of products, courses, etc. available online, but not all of them are as valuable as they claim to be.

With The Visual Crate, I hope to earn your trust as a consumer so you never have to question the quality and value of the resources we offer. This means fair pricing, timeless presets, and a constant attention to what is trending in the media space. Part of how we maintain that standard is collaborating with creators who specialize in different niches - the guy who shoots cars 90% of the time probably won't be your go-to person for wedding presets, and vice versa.

If you could only take one thing from this story, it should be that the art will always take priority over the numbers and accomplishments in anything I put out into the world. It is my constant mission to help others find success by monetizing the art that is most true to them, rather than what is the most widely consumed.