Today we’d like to introduce you to Ransome Ndikum.
Hi Ransome, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began my photography journey in 2018 as a hobby, driven purely by my love for capturing meaningful moments. I purchased my first professional gear and would often take it with me to events, photographing guests and celebrants simply because I enjoyed shooting. Afterward, I would share the photos with them at no cost.
Over time, I began receiving comments such as, “You took better pictures than the professional photographer we hired and paid so much for.” Hearing this repeatedly made me realize that what I considered a passion was also a valuable skill. That realization encouraged me to commercialize my photography and begin offering professional photography services.
However, the foundation of my photography business has always remained the same: ‘passion before profit’. I genuinely love photography, and I believe that passion is reflected in the attention, creativity, and dedication I bring to every project. It is also one of the qualities that continues to distinguish my work and craftsmanship.
As the photography business grew, I gradually expanded into ‘event production’ I recognized that event production was another area in which I was naturally proficient and, more importantly, one that complemented photography extremely well. This allowed me to provide clients with a more comprehensive event experience rather than limiting my services to capturing the finished celebration.
In 2024, I officially expanded into event production, offering services that include ‘event drapery, professional lighting, custom floor wraps, large-format printing, custom backdrop fabrication and rentals, stage design, and full event production and execution’.
The growth since then has been remarkable. In 2025 alone, we handled the production of 22 weddings, excluding birthdays and the many other celebrations and private events we produced throughout the year. Based on our current growth and demand, there is a strong possibility that our wedding production volume could double in 2026.
What began in 2018 as simply carrying a camera to events because I loved taking pictures has evolved into a growing photography and event-production business. Yet, despite that growth, the principle behind the business remains unchanged: a genuine passion for creating beautiful experiences, capturing meaningful moments, and delivering work that leaves a lasting impression.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The event industry is incredibly demanding. I would not say the journey has always been smooth, but I can confidently say that it has been worthwhile. What makes this industry particularly challenging is the level of responsibility that comes with every commitment. Once you agree to photograph a wedding or handle the production of an event, you have to deliver. These are once-in-a-lifetime moments that cannot simply be recreated or rescheduled. There is very little room for excuses because if you fail to show up or execute what was promised, there may never be an opportunity to make it right.
That sense of responsibility has shaped the way I approach my business. I am proud to say that, throughout the years and across the numerous clients I have had the privilege of serving, I have never failed to show up and deliver for a client. That commitment is reflected in the detailed five-star reviews on our Google page from clients who have taken the time to share their experiences. For me, those reviews represent more than ratings; they are a reflection of the trust our clients place in us and our commitment to honoring that trust.
One of the challenges I have consistently faced, however, has been scaling the photography side of the business. Over the years, I became the face of the photography brand. Even though I have talented photographers who work alongside me, clients who book our company often specifically request that I personally photograph their events. While I deeply appreciate that level of trust and confidence in my work, it creates a natural limitation on how much the photography business can scale because there is only one of me.
This became one of the major reasons I expanded into event production. Unlike photography, event production does not necessarily require the client to see me personally executing every aspect of the project. What matters most is that we deliver exactly what was promised and, whenever possible, exceed those expectations.
That transition has given me the flexibility to build and empower a team that understands my standards, attention to detail, and creative vision. Instead of the business depending entirely on my physical presence, I can develop systems, delegate responsibilities, and allow talented members of my team to execute that vision. This has created a much more scalable business model while maintaining the quality and accountability our clients expect from us.
Most importantly, I have been fortunate to build a team that understands the vision behind our brand and consistently rises to the occasion. Our goal is not simply to complete an event; it is to deliver an experience that meets and ultimately exceeds the expectations we set when the client trusted us with one of the most important days of their lives.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
About BAL Events & Media Group
My professional journey has taken me through law, technology, photography, and entrepreneurship, and each of those experiences has contributed to the business I am building today.
I earned my Bachelor of Laws degree with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Buea, Cameroon, in 2012. I later attended the Gambia Law School in Banjul, graduating in 2015, after which I was called to the Gambian Bar and subsequently the Cameroon Bar. I also hold a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Transitioning to the United States became a defining moment in my entrepreneurial journey. I was able to leverage my background in Computer Science to build a career in technology, and since 2019, I have worked remotely in the corporate technology sector Monday through Friday. At the same time, I have continued building my creative business, dedicating my evenings and weekends to photography and event production.
The name Baratlaw actually originated as a nickname given to me by my legal colleagues. It became so popular that when I started my business, it felt natural to build the brand around it. As the company has grown beyond photography into a comprehensive event-production company, we are transitioning the brand to BAL Events & Media Group. The new name preserves the BAL identity and history while giving the company a more neutral, versatile identity that better represents where we are today and where we intend to go.
BAL Events & Media Group is essentially a one-stop destination for event production and visual media. Our services include event photography and videography, drapery, floral design, professional event lighting, custom floor wraps, large-format printing, custom backdrop fabrication and rentals, stage design and execution, and special effects. Beyond events, our photography division also provides studio photography, engagement sessions, maternity photography, portraits, and other creative sessions.
What sets us apart is our ability to bring many of these services together under one brand. Planning an event can quickly become overwhelming when a client has to coordinate a photographer, videographer, decorator, lighting company, florist, printer, fabricator, and other vendors separately. It can also increase costs and create inconsistencies in communication and creative direction. Our goal is to simplify that process by giving clients one trusted team capable of managing the majority of their event-production and media needs.
Another important part of what distinguishes our brand is how it began. I started photography in 2018 purely out of passion. I would take my camera to events, photograph people simply because I enjoyed capturing moments, and later share those photographs with them. Guests and celebrants frequently told me that some of my images were better than photographs they had received from professionals they had hired. Those comments eventually encouraged me to commercialize the skill, but the foundation of the business has always remained passion before profit.
That passion continues to influence how we approach our work today. We understand that weddings, milestone birthdays, and other major celebrations are not ordinary assignments. Once we commit to an event, we understand the responsibility that comes with that commitment. A wedding cannot simply be repeated the following weekend because a vendor failed to deliver. Our clients are trusting us with moments that may happen only once in their lifetime, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
As the photography business grew, I recognized an opportunity to expand into event production in 2024. This also allowed me to build a more scalable company around a team rather than a business dependent solely on my individual presence. Photography is very personal, and because I became the face of that side of the brand, clients often specifically request me even when I have other talented photographers available. Event production is different: the client’s primary concern is not necessarily who physically installs every element—it is whether the team delivers the vision and fulfills what was promised. That has allowed me to build a team that understands my creative direction, standards, and attention to detail while giving the company greater capacity to grow.
I am particularly proud of how quickly that expansion has progressed. In 2025 alone, we handled event production for 22 weddings, not including birthdays, private celebrations, and other events. Based on our growth and demand, we believe our wedding production volume has the potential to nearly double in 2026. That growth is especially meaningful considering that event production only became an official part of our business in 2024.
What I am most proud of, however, is not simply the number of events we have completed—it is the trust we have built with our clients. Throughout this journey, I am proud to say that we have remained committed to showing up and delivering for the people who entrust their important occasions to us. The detailed five-star reviews clients have taken the time to leave on our Google page are particularly meaningful because they tell the story of their experiences in their own words.
Ultimately, BAL Events & Media Group is about more than creating beautiful events or beautiful photographs. We are building a brand around creativity, reliability, convenience, and execution. We want clients to know that they can bring us an idea and have one team help transform that vision into an experience—from the environment in which the celebration takes place to the photographs and videos that preserve it afterward.
Our ambition is to continue developing BAL Events & Media Group into a truly comprehensive creative and event-production company where design, production, media, and memorable experiences come together under one trusted brand.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Interestingly, my favorite childhood memories are deeply connected to the work I do today. What makes that especially meaningful is that much of what I do creatively today was self-taught. I never received formal training or apprenticed under a mentor to learn photography, fabrication, or event design. Instead, creativity has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.
Growing up, I loved building and creating things with my hands. Some of my favorite memories involve making different crafts and even selling some of my creations to my peers. I remember designing and building toy cars from bamboo and other materials I could find. I enjoyed taking an idea from my imagination and figuring out how to physically bring it to life.
My interest in photography also started quite early. I began taking pictures in my teenage years, long before I ever imagined photography becoming a business. Unfortunately, much of that early creative work was never documented, but the memories have remained with me.
Looking back now, I realize that those childhood experiences were actually the foundation of my entrepreneurial journey. The child who enjoyed building things, experimenting with ideas, taking photographs, and occasionally selling his creations eventually became the adult who turned those same instincts into a business.
Today, whether I am behind the camera, designing a stage, fabricating a custom backdrop, creating a floor design, or developing an entire event concept, I am essentially doing a more sophisticated version of what I loved doing as a child: creating something from an idea and bringing it to life.
That is why those childhood memories remain some of my favorites. At the time, I was simply having fun and exploring my creativity. I never imagined that years later, I would be able to turn those childhood passions into skills, commercialize them, build a team around them, and ultimately create a growing brand from something I genuinely love doing.
Contact Info:
- Website: In progress
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bar_at_law_events?igsh=MWx1eDRndGs0MDExMw== AND https://www.instagram.com/bar_at_law?igsh=aGhsNHp1dXJlZHFr&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaratlawMedia/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bar-at-lawmediaproduction3832
- Other: https://share.google/SoX64CAPAC7pdMfO0
