Media company offers photography and videography to social media management
{Johnson Coe Phillips, owner of Bumbles and Beans Media located at 18-A West First Ave. in uptown Lexington, stands next to the catchy company logo that often brings smiles to passersby. Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Johnson Coe Phillips, owner of Bumbles and Beans Media, located at 18-A W. First Ave. in uptown Lexington, said he didn’t plan to become a professional photographer but that talent runs in his blood.
“I was always around photography growing up,” Phillips said, noting his grandfather had a dark room in his home and worked in photography as a side job.
In fact, a great-uncle was the White House photographer for three administrations — Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Those photographs are archived in the library at East Carolina University.
“The tools have changed but I guess that creativity is passed along,” Phillips said, noting he had access to cameras as a youth growing up in Clemmons and Kernersville and often took photos for school projects.
While he never studied photography formally and is largely self-taught, Phillips said he pursued it as a hobby while he worked for nearly nine years as the “right-hand man” to an eye surgeon in the doctor’s practice, where he picked up videography skills.
In 2015, he started his own business, Johnson Coe Photography in Winston-Salem, where he specialized in wedding and lifestyle photography. He said because he has a first name that is typically a last name, or three last names, he has always been known as Johnson Coe. “It’s not because I’m in a witness protection program,” he explained with a laugh. “It’s just how most people have always known me.”
Phillips said his business has evolved since then and, about a year ago, he rebranded as Bumbles and Beans Media to reflect the broader range of services offered — videography, photography, drone video and photos, content creation, social media management and website management. He opened the office in uptown Lexington this past May.
The company logo, which shows two raccoons paddling in a canoe with a sunburst behind them, was inspired by a wood carving he purchased years ago. But the raccoons are not named Bumbles and Beans — those names belong to two beloved dogs that have since died. He said the company name is a way to remember his two four-legged buddies that accompanied him on numerous hiking trips where he got interested in nature photography.
A large logo is painted on the front window of his office and Phillips said he gets a kick out of seeing passersby stop to look at it and eventually grin before moving on.
“It’s a lot more fun than something like Johnson Media Company,” he noted.
Bumbles and Beans has a varied client list, ranging from small businesses and nonprofits to a major building contractor, Bermuda Run-based Davie Construction. Phillips noted he has supplied that firm with photography, videography, drone photography and more for their website and social media platforms, which they often share with their clients to show off their new buildings, such as the Truliant Operations Center in Winston-Salem and the new Lexington branch office of Truliant on Lowes Boulevard. Their other clients include medical and veterinary practices, among others.
Small businesses are a growing part of the company’s clientele, including The District Group/EXP Realty in Lexington and the 2nd & Main bar in uptown Lexington. For example, the bar has him shoot videos to announce live music acts or karaoke nights on Reels on their Facebook page.
Phillips said he and his wife, Meredith Phillips, an administrator with Davidson County Schools who is originally from Midway, moved to Lexington about a year and a half ago and have enjoyed getting to know the community.
“I enjoy seeing Lexington grow but retain its small-town feel and roots,” he said. “One of the best things here is the camaraderie of the local business owners. One of my personal goals is to help small businesses succeed and thrive.”
The company has also done work for local nonprofits, including Hospice of Davidson County, the Lexington Tourism Authority and Uptown Lexington Inc., where Phillips serves on the promotions and design committees as well as executive committee.
As the business has grown he has added employees as well, including Chase Gilliatt, a video editor who is a 2022 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in film production. Veronica Weisner works on social media management and schedules assignments.
While Phillips still offers lifestyle photography and videography, such as weddings and family “mini-documentaries,” it’s no longer a focus of the company. But he still shoots some senior portraits for graduating high schoolers and maternity sessions for mothers-to-be.
“Those are interesting stepping stones and important snapshots in that chapter of their lives,” he noted.
Bumbles and Beans Media has a website and is on Facebook and Instagram. The telephone number is (336) 300-8247.
