What are you currently doing for work and how did you get to where you are today?
I co-own a corporate video production company. I've been working in this industry in various freelance capacities for about six years now, mostly shooting corporate work, editing, and making wedding films — I still shoot a handful of weddings each year — and recently I joined up with a colleague and good friend of mine to run a production company together, Media Anthem.
What do you love about the work you’re currently doing?
Like many, I love solving problems. And, being in video production, we get to solve problems all the time. The vast majority of challenges that our clients face in business boil down to communication, and, in my humble opinion, video is the best tool for communication.
What are some of your goals for the next few years?
I'm just hoping to keep a trajectory of steady growth. I love the client-side of the business so, personally, I'm hoping to spend more time focusing on account management and the client-facing aspects of the business, and less time on the technical. I'm confident that staying consistent and doing the little things to take care of our clients will lead to long, mutually beneficial relationships — and attract more clients.
How does Catch help you to meet your career goals or manage your finances?
I've always been pretty good about allocating money for upcoming taxes and expenses. For years, I did it manually and it was such a pain. Every time I got paid, I would do the math and transfer different percentages into separate accounts for taxes, retirement, etc. Now that I use Catch, I never even think about it and my money is always where it needs to be when I need it.
What does a typical day look like for you -- has it changed with the pandemic?
Typically, we're either out on a shoot or my business partner and I spend the day in our office near downtown Portland, mostly working on edits and managing projects. Neither of us likes working from home so we've chosen to get an office. It makes for easier, faster collaboration and a nice place to store our gear. But for the last few months it's been sitting empty. I'd say that's definitely the biggest change since the pandemic struck — I work from home now.
It was a tough transition for the first few weeks. I found myself very distracted wondering what's going to happen, and it was hard to focus on work. But I've settled into a groove and gotten pretty used to it now. Most of our shoots were either canceled or postponed too, so it's definitely been a quieter, simpler life as of late — which on one hand, it's nice to have the break, but I'm very eager to get back to "normal" when it's safe to do so.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out in your field?
It's simple, but, work hard and be nice. That's pretty much all there is to it. Beyond that, connect with some good people in your industry and stay in touch. Good relationships will pay huge dividends over time.