Hello!
I'm Billie Jo.
Welcome to my website! It's nice to meet you! My name is Billie Jo Laitinen I own B.J. Laits Productions. I started this company in July of 2023 as a creative outlet for myself. I’m based out of Duluth, MN but originally from Barnum, MN. I currently live with my three cats, Finley, Phoenix and Iris (who you’ll see often on my social media), my turtle Larida and my lovely fianće, Katie. We love to hike, camp, fish, listen to music at breweries (Ursa’s my favorite) and play games. Photography isn’t just a career for me, it’s my passion, my hobby. Whether it’s a tiktok, youtube or business video, I put my all into whatever I’m working on.
This whole journey of mine started in 2021 when I reached out to a post-production company, Quatre-Vent. With them I got to work on many cool projects such as the movie ‘Boundary Waters’, Pinterest, Netflix and more. I was able to build my skills and knowledge when it comes to video editing (sound design, color grading, animations, ect). I’m very grateful for the experience and the time I got to work with them but it was time for a change. I needed to expand my wings and try something new, something more.
So in July of 2023 I started B.J. Laits Productions, I’ve always loved making videos and running my equipment and now I had all this knowledge of video editing, I was comfortable enough to break out on my own! I purchased more equipment and started advertising and before I knew it, I booked my first wedding in September 2023! But this wasn’t enough income, I was struggling financially, I needed to find another avenue. In comes Story North Productions.
I’ve been working for Story North for 2 years now as a videographer/editor. Working for them I was able to become a sponge and learn everything I need to know about cameras. I now have all this knowledge and I can continue to learn more, but now it reflects in my own company.
These steps, this whole journey has led me to where I am today. I now have over 100 clients in just this year alone (2025)! I know how to properly compose and expose an image, I know how to run cinema cameras, I know how to light a subject, how to boom audio, how to fly a drone, how to edit a video, how to sound mix, animate, run a gimbal, I have worked HARD to develop all these skills. And with these skills I’m able to produce beautiful content for my clients.
I love what I do with a passion, whether it’s weddings, portraits, pets, engagements you name it, I will be there to capture it all.
My hopes for the future as I grow my business is to create a fun, relaxing and organized working environment for everyone.
Ice Climbing | Duluth, MN | 2024
Sky Diving | Phoenix, AZ | 2023
Cave Tubing | Belize | 2023
Me and Katie | 2025
Me and Finely | 2024
From the beginning
When I graduated Barnum High-School in 2020 during the pandemic, I had a lot of drive and excitement for what the future had in store for me. I attended Minnesota State University, Mankato in the fall to pursue Mechanical Engineering, which was so much fun, however due to classes being online I moved home as it was a smarter financial decision. From there I transferred to UMD and as they promised all my credits would transfer... none of them did. So losing motivation I decided to drop out and pursue what I was passionate about, film. I got in contact with an editor who was willing to teach me everything. This was a start, a foot in the door. Building confidence I decided to start my own business.
Creating powerful imagery
for you.
B.J. Laits Productions is a small business dedicated to producing the highest quality content for its clients. I specialize in video editing, wedding photography, videography and drone videography. Based out of Duluth provides a lot of opportunities for some beautiful moments.
Equipment I use:
Sony, for photography my main camera body is the Sony A7RV and for videography its the Sony A7SIII. For lenses, the two main ones I use are the Sony 24-70GMii and the Sony 70-200mm. Audio I use the Zoom H6, and for lighting I use the Amaran 200x. DJI Air 3s for drone (FAA Part 107 Licensed). With this equipment and more I am able to produce high quality content for my clients.
