Our StoryTwo Worlds.
OneVision.
HRZN Media was built at the intersection of real business ownership, street-level law enforcement experience, and hands-on creative production. We're not a typical media company — and that's entirely by design.
Content with purpose.
Built to perform.
Delivered without excuses.
Who We AreBuilt From
Real Experience.
We didn't just start HRZN Media because we liked cameras. We started it because we kept seeing businesses settle for solutions that didn't work.
Most media companies hand you a finished file and disappear. Our background isn’t just being a hobbyist photographer, we are real business owners who’ve built real businesses. When you hire HRZN, we come in with a partner mindset — with a deep understanding of what it takes to grow a business, build a brand, win public trust, and move people to action.
One of us has built and run successful businesses for over 16 years, holds a marketing degree from UAB, and currently operates multiple companies across Alabama. The other is an active law enforcement officer with years of patrol, narcotics, SWAT, and running an entire city department’s media experience — and FAA Part 107 drone certification on top of it.
Together, we bring something no single-background agency can offer: the business strategy to know what content needs to accomplish, and the hands-on production expertise to make it happen at a level that's hard to match in this market.
16+
Years of Business Ownership
Andrew has owned and operated multiple successful businesses since 2010 — he understands what it costs to build something and what content has to do to pay for itself.
BHM
Based in Trussville, Alabama
Local, accessible, and invested in this community. You work directly with us — no account managers, no outsourcing, no middlemen.
25+
Years Combined Experience
Business, marketing, law enforcement, videography, photography, drone, podcast, branding — every service we offer is backed by deep, real-world experience.
The TeamMeet the Founders.
Co-Founder & Lead CreativeJames Mccool
James is the person who actually makes everything happen. He is HRZN Media's lead cinematographer, photographer, drone pilot, podcast producer, tech specialist, and creative director — and he has been doing every one of those things, at a professional level, for years. When you hire HRZN Media, James is the person behind the camera, behind the edit, and behind every deliverable we produce.
He has personally filmed, photographed, and produced content for hundreds of businesses, departments, and organizations across Alabama — from small local businesses to police departments to healthcare providers to churches to real estate professionals. Every service HRZN offers exists because James has done it, refined it, and can do it better than almost anyone in this market.
James is also an active law enforcement officer with years of experience spanning patrol, narcotics, and SWAT assignments. He currently manages his department's official social media presence and UAS drone program — which means he understands public information, operational security, chain-of-command approvals, and community trust at a level that simply cannot be taught in a classroom. For law enforcement and government clients, this isn't a selling point. It's a fundamental difference in how the work gets done.
He is an FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot operating Remote ID-compliant aircraft, cleared for LAANC authorization and night operations. His technical range covers cinematic video, drone cinematography, professional photography and headshots, podcast recording and production, studio and mobile tech setup, livestream and event coverage, and social media content creation — all under one roof, all executed personally.
Active Law Enforcement Officer · Patrol · Narcotics · SWAT · FAA Part 107 Certified · Dept. Social Media Lead · Dept. UAS Program Lead · Cinematographer · Podcast Producer · 100s of Clients Filmed
Co-Founder & Chief Executive OfficerAndrew Rape
Andrew Rape has been building businesses since 2010 — and he's never stopped. With a Marketing degree from UAB's Collat School of Business, where he earned the prestigious MIDE Award and served as Executive Vice President of one of the Top 20 AMA chapters in the country, Andrew entered the business world with the tools to build brands that last.
What followed was over 16 years of active entrepreneurship. Andrew founded CrossFit Trussville in 2008, one of Alabama's most established fitness businesses, and never looked back. He is currently the CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of Drip IV Therapy, owner of The PHNX Collective, and owner of CrossFit Trussville — running multiple businesses simultaneously with the operational discipline of someone who has been doing it for a decade and a half.
At HRZN Media, Andrew brings the marketing mind. He knows what content has to accomplish because he's lived on the other side of it — as a business owner watching campaigns succeed and fail, as a marketer who has built brands from the ground up, and as an entrepreneur who understands that media is an investment that has to return. When Andrew shapes strategy for a client, it's not theoretical. It's built from real-world results.
UAB Marketing Degree · UAB MIDE Award · Owner/CEO — Drip IV Therapy · Owner/CEO — The PHNX Collective · Owner/CEO — CrossFit Trussville · 16+ Years Business Ownership · EVP — UAB AMA Top 20 Chapter
How We WorkWhat We
Believe In.
These aren't values we put on a wall. They're the standards we hold ourselves to on every single project, for every single client — regardless of budget, scope, or industry.
01
Strategy first
We don't pick up a camera until we understand what you're trying to accomplish. Goals drive everything — the concept, the format, the edit, the delivery.
02
No bare minimum
We don't do "good enough." Every project gets the same level of craft and intentionality whether it's a $500 headshot session or a multi-day production.
03
Honest and direct
We'll tell you if something won't work. We'd rather give you a hard truth upfront than a polished result that doesn't move the needle.
04
Operationally serious
We show up prepared, communicate clearly, hit deadlines, and don't create chaos on set. You hired professionals — we act like it.
05
Local and invested
We live and work in this community. The businesses and organizations we serve are our neighbors. That matters to how we approach every project.
06
Built for results
Content that doesn't perform isn't content — it's an expense. Everything we produce is built to drive a specific outcome: leads, trust, applications, sales.
Who We've Worked WithTrusted Across
Alabama.
Hoover Police Department
Law Enforcement
UAB Dance Marathon
Nonprofit / University
Vestavia Hills PD
Law Enforcement
Ferus Artisan Ales
Bar & Restaurant
Kimberly Farr for City Council
Political Campaign
Sargent McDonald Realty
Real Estate
Hometown Orthodontics
Healthcare
Eighteen South
High-End Apparel
Valley Dental
Healthcare
Hot Worx Trussville
Fitness & Wellness
The Dojang Trussville
Martial Arts & Fitness
CrossFit Trussville
Fitness & Athletics
Work With UsReady to Work With a Team That Gets It?
Tell us what you're working on. We'll be straight with you about whether we're the right fit — and if we are, we'll get to work fast.