When it comes to creating visual work that uplifts Richmond’s music scene, The Sunroom has quickly become a trusted name. I caught up with Michael Thibodeau, the founder, creative director and producer at The Sunroom, to talk about how they started, their growing body of work with local artists, and what’s coming next.
“So I’m Michael Thibodeau. I’m creative director and producer at The Sunroom, which is a video production company in Richmond, Virginia,” Mike told me simply. “We specialize in music videos, live sessions, commercial work, event coverage, and documentary.”
If you’re tapped into Richmond’s music community, you’ve probably seen their work—whether it’s behind-the-scenes footage, stylized music videos, or intimate live sessions. The Sunroom’s focus on local musicians goes back to 2020, when Mike returned to Richmond and started collaborating with his sister, the artist Deau Eyes (Ali Thibodeau).
“Her and I started working together on visual components for her art project and doing music videos together—super DIY,” he said. “After that, her and I decided to kind of take it to the next level and hire a cinematographer, which is how I connected with Alec Gary.”
That collaboration with Alec sparked something. Together, they expanded their work beyond Deau Eyes, producing videos for other Richmond artists like Landon Elliott and Post Six Five. Then came Alec’s brother, Ryan Gary, and eventually, filmmaker Colin White joined the team. The Sunroom was born out of this creative collision.
“It kind of was a little bit of both,” Mike said when asked whether his sister inspired him or vice versa. “It was during the pandemic… her tour got canceled and we were just itching to be creative. I was really interested in getting more into film at the time… so her and I just really bonded over that as part of each other’s bubble during 2020.”
Since then, The Sunroom has become a go-to for musicians wanting to bring their music to life without breaking the bank. “As artists who know what it’s like to sort of try to make things and be creative, it’s really important to have the resources to do so,” Mike explained. “We realized that we had a skill… and we could provide something that was on this medium level that we didn’t feel like any production company in the area was really serving.”
That mindset—to be a resource for their peers—has helped them thrive. “A lot of these artists, in return, inspire us so much,” he said. “We just kind of felt lucky to be working with so many of them.”
When asked about Richmond’s music scene, Mike didn’t hesitate. “The music scene in Richmond is super rich,” he said. “There’s so much to offer in whatever genre you’re into… so many great, inspiring artists in the city. I feel like everybody knows that by now, but if they don’t, then they should definitely go out and figure that out.”
And yes, in 2024, having a music video still matters. “It definitely enhances the professionalism for an artist, no matter what level they’re at,” Mike said. “Music is an incredibly impactful art form, and if we can bring visuals to it—whether we collaborate or the artist says ‘I have no idea what I want to do, I trust you guys’—it’s really special that people in Richmond believe in us to visually capture their song.”
So what are some of his favorite projects so far?
Mike lit up talking about working with Prabir Trio on the video for “Brahma Vishnu and Shiva.” “He came to us with an idea… basically these three gods, so we wanted three different scenes to really capture the trio aspect of it,” Mike said. “They’re playing a game of UNO—but it was called ‘Trio’—and it shows a competitive game but a fun party scene. We used green screen and some fun animation effects. It just came out to be a really well-rounded video.”
And then there’s Butcher Brown. “We’ve been lucky to be working with Butcher Brown,” he said. “We’ve been shooting behind-the-scenes videos with them as they’ve been on the road—NPR Tiny Desk concert, performing the halftime show at a college basketball game in DC—and also filmed some live sessions at High Point Barbershop. It’s been amazing. We’ve looked up to them for years. To be their go-to guys has been one of our big goals.”
Looking ahead, The Sunroom is expanding. “We’re kind of in development with a couple local screenwriters, doing more work in the short film and narrative scene in Richmond and beyond,” Mike shared. “And we’re excited for more music videos to come out—branching out into different corners of Richmond’s music scene.”
For now, The Sunroom’s mission remains the same: create with intention, support the community, and keep pushing the visual language of Richmond’s sound forward.
Find more from The Sunroom HERE
Photos by Joey Wharton
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