For the past few years, Drew Kromer has been known as the “tech guy.”

Whether it is a question about shooting video or one relating to computers, Drew seems to be the go-to guy when it comes to tech-savvy inquiries, said his father, Andrew Kromer.

“Whenever Drew meets someone, he starts talking to them, and with Drew, it usually becomes technical,” Andrew Kromer said.

About nine months ago, Drew, a 14-year-old South Mecklenburg High freshman, created his own videography company – Black Moon Productions.

His interest in videography dates back to a sixth-grade drama class, he said. When the teacher asked the class to create a video, “we needed someone to edit,” Drew said. “I didn’t know the slightest thing about editing.”

So he bought Magix editing software and learned how to operate the basic tools by reading the manual.

As his skills progressed, Drew built his own computer last year, tailored to editing video. He went on to purchase the Adobe Creative Suite. Drew said building a computer isn’t time-consuming, but collecting the parts is. “It takes about 20 minutes to build a computer and about an hour to install the operating system.”

He tested his business on his church, Sharon Presbyterian. Drew filmed services and created a video to help the church publicize its worship service. He also introduced the church to live video streaming.

“Drew has been really trying to move the church forward in live video streaming,” said Doug Dawson, church member. “His excitement is just so real and he won’t take no for an answer.”

Dawson has been working with Drew for about 18 months to help him cultivate ideas for video. Dawson said his role has been making Drew’s “grand ideas” more feasible with the church’s budget. Drew has also produced videos for Covenant Presbyterian, vacation Bible school and Carmel Middle.

One of Drew’s videography mentors has been Jason Talley, a member at Sharon Presbyterian and owner of Blue Bear Productions. “The key to learning a craft is to do the craft,” Talley said. “Over the last year, his learning curve has really grown.”

One of his greatest challenges, Drew said, is not having enough equipment. “Every time something goes wrong, I call a help hotline…and take notes,” he said.

“One of the fascinating things about Drew,” said his father, “is that he doesn’t focus on limitations. He focuses on possibilities.”

Tips for entrepreneurs

Where to start: “Write a business plan to help organize your thoughts.”

How to keep going: “If I’ve been working a really long time, I will take a 20-minute break and clear my head… I can’t say I’ve had that problem with filming or editing because as they say, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’”

Best aid: “My parents’ support has allowed me to develop the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.”