Creative First

Conrad is a Los Angeles based DP and stills photographer who has quite the impressive client list. He shares experiences working with Adidas for the Players Tribune and filming some of the biggest names in sports such as Patrick Mahomes from the NFL, Donovan Mitchell from the NBA and Madison De Rozario from the Paralympics. In addition, his client list includes Neiman Marcus, USAA, San Pellegrino, Audi and Callaway. Conrad also gave some insight to how nearly every job he's landed can be traced back to his first internship.

Kelsey and Conrad discuss Conrad's journey to filmmaking (1:37), finding the "I'm meant to be here" mindset (4:32), the importance of your first big opportunity (7:05), word-of-mouth in the freelance world (8:14), his experience with the Adidas Player's Tribune (11:36), separating your social presence (16:14), creative freedom in your career (17:42), finding a production company vs. jumping into freelancing (20:21).

Duncan is a director and cinematographer based in New York City. He has combined documentary work and commercial filmmaking to develop an impressive portfolio. Some of his most awarded docu-films include Brothers of Climbing and Ten Thousand Bolts which have been featured in multiple film festivals nationwide. Duncan’s commercial clients include REI, Redbull, Hennessy, American Express and Adidas.

Kelsey and Duncan discuss his journey toward cinematography (1:31), being a director vs. being a cinematographer (7:14), who makes a story come to life (8:36), the desire to make both commercial work and documentaries (11:03), how he got backing from REI Co-op (13:53), what skills create a diverse client list (21:50), and Duncan's career inspiration (26:24).

Reggie is a freelance photographer and entrepreneur based out of Washington D.C. Although he has been surrounded by photography his entire life, he spent more of his young adulthood searching for other career paths. He eventually found his passion for the creative industry and has honed in on portrait, event, and music photography. He also is the founder of the brand Be Pure Black.

His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Forbes, Ebony and Cosmopolitan magazine and even the cover of British Vogue.

Kelsey and Reggie discuss growing up with a photographer (1:34), finding his own passion for creativity (3:32), whether he believes he has ever developed a creative style (6:43), marketing for a brand vs. marketing yourself (12:53), achieving desired recognition (14:47), recognizing affirmations and adapting (17:05) and the Black Women Save movement (19:42).

Minji is a natural born creative. She has her time filled with many facets of the industry: comedy, acting, podcasting, producing, and directing a nonprofit called Kollaboration. She has trained at UC Berkeley, the Beverly Hills Playhouse San Francisco, the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles and Upright Citizens Brigade. Minji is also a commercial actor and voiceover artist, and has represented companies such as Toastmasters International, Humanify, Pablo, HP, Intel, OPI, Spotify and Wells Fargo. She hosts a weekly podcast called "First of All" and has created multiple online viral videos that can be found on Buzzfeed.

Kelsey and Mini discuss her decision to return back to a career in the arts (2:04), her experience with the non-profit organization called Kollaboration (4:05), what she’s learned from the growing community of artists she surrounds herself with (6:36), how she measures success (9:05), Minji’s experience finding her place in comedy, acting and content creation (13:48), aspects of a crew that create a smooth production (18:23), the biggest obstacle into infiltrating the narrative industry and how social presence plays a role (22:06), her podcast “First of All,” (28:03) and some amazing final words!

Liam is a childhood friend of mine. He’s always had creativity at his core; his favorite class at our high school put him in front and behind the camera everyday and gave him the freedom to explore his imaginative ideas. He left for Chicago after graduation, studied at Columbia College in the city and found himself working his way through the freelancer community quickly. After landing an internship at Havas Media, an international advertising powerhouse, Liam’s career rapidly accelerated into what it is today. He’s done work for clients such Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Footlocker; filmed artists such as rappers Joey Purp, Chance the Rapper and Vince Staples; and put his innovative work into projects with Yeezy, Complex Con and Volkswagen.

Kelsey and Liam discuss how travel effected his early creativity (2:23), his video work in high school and when he started realizing his passion (5:25), why he started diving into the commercial world (7:39), how Chicago accelerated his career and what he learned by working "too" hard (10:40), higher education versus freelancing to start your career (14:40), the biggest challenge of working with high-end clients (18:33), why he started his own agency venture and his career now (23:14), and his proudest moment (26:17).

Charlotte has always had journalism and photography in her back corner. Growing up with a family full of journalists, she has a true skill for storytelling and capturing people’s most intimate moments. From studying Chinese at Edinburgh University, to working alongside a pop-star in Russia and volunteering at a refugee camp in France, Charlotte has allowed her camera to be her safe space and allow her acquaintances share their journeys with her and her audience. She is also a co-founder of Time Peace, a community that allows refugees and locals come together and create friendships that last a lifetime.

Kelsey and Charlotte discuss the creative industry in the UK and her journey to becoming a photojournalist (time), when she decided to create her base in London to pursue film and photojournalism (9:17), how her past experiences impacted her creative style (12:55), creating the Time Peace community (17:20), how she’s managed the challenges of balancing business and creativity (23:00), how she incorporates positivity into darker documentary topics (27:20), and her proudest moment (30:00).

Megan is SAG-actress, filmmaker, screenwriter, and comedian who has appeared on television shows on TruTV, Amazon, and MTV. She performs stand-up at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. She is witty and outgoing, and commonly known for her comedy sketches and mini series that showcase and comment on the unrealistic standards of beauty that are widely seen in today’s media. She is the creator of Verified, an original short series that has been chosen as an official selection at the Atlanta Comedy Film Awards and won best rom-com at the Los Angeles Film Awards. In addition, she is the co-founder of Wake and Make Media, a creative marketing agency based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she and her team develop targeted online campaigns and help clients achieve digital awareness.

Kelsey and Megan discuss how she found the multiple facets of her career (1:51), when she realized she’s actually very funny (5:49), what motivated her to create content exposing today’s beauty standards (7:40), how she created Verified and what she's learned from writing this narrative (10:15), her predictions on the narrative industry (16:08), why she started Wake and Make Media and the challenges that surprised her (18:02), why they emphasize spreading content for their clients and her advice for young professionals (22:11), and her proudest moment (25:35).

Kurt is a director and videographer based in Detroit, Michigan with a passion for creating. His desire to tell visual stories started early, but his decision to pursue video work as a full-time profession is not like many others. At the end of Kurt’s college career, he paired up with his now co-founder to develop videos for commercial clients. Kurt is now the co-founder of Eightfold, a production agency in the Midwest creating work for Pure Michigan, Porsche, GMC, Dodge and Wells Fargo. Their team has also produced narrative shorts such as Speed, which received a Vimeo Staff Pick.

Kelsey and Kurt discuss how he found his desire to pursue videography (2:10), how he and his partner have been to tap into local Midwest industries (6:35), what opportunities Michigan has provided him (9:40), what being a collaborative group of artists means for his company (13:06), how their clients appreciate their production sets (16:34), why they continue to market their stills photography campaigns (19:14), his prediction for the future of branded campaigns (21:56), their short film “Speed” and his desire to write narrative work (25:12), and his proudest moment (30:50).

Max is a Montana-born photographer and director searching for the unheard stories of humans across the globe. Starting in 2012 with the Young Explorer’s Grant from National Geographic, Max has traveled the globe directing multiple short documentary films and branded films including Adventure Not War which played at Cannes and Tribeca Film Festival. He has done editorial work for Outside Magazine, National Geographic Magazine and Delta Sky Magazine and his client list includes Canada Goose, Mercedes, REI, Redbull and more.

Kelsey and Max discuss his exciting career path starting from the beginning of his childhood (1:49), how he discovered his passion for the outdoor space (7:04), what he means by his statement “always shoot (8:43),” determining your worth as a beginning filmmaker (11:33), how to sell your portfolio (13:37), importance of an online presence (15:04), how to manage times of lull in production (16:37), expensive gear versus your iPhone camera (17:48), niche style versus versatility (19:11), developing confidence in your work (21:44), his favorite locations on Earth (24:00) and what the film industry have provided him in his life (25:16).

Reilly is the Associate Creative Director of Imperfect Foods. For the past four years, Reilly has dedicated his career to making sustainable grocery shopping an aesthetic and creative pursuit for consumers. He is responsible for bringing their brand story to life and spreading their message across a variety of channels from Instagram and Facebook to the Unwasted podcast on streaming platforms. As the company’s main storyteller, he uses his creative writing to ensure an authentic voice. As part of the creative and design team, he keeps Imperfect Foods on brand and effective.

Kelsey and Reilly discuss his vision as a creative individual (2:53), making food facts easily digestible for consumers (6:30), where he pulls inspiration to market food (9:15), how he creatively collaborates in a corporate world (12:35), what media content brands rely on and how they budget for media (16:35), what media styles attract brands’ attention (21:09), difficulties with managing an young brand (24:14), how a creative director’s position impacts a brand (29:39), and the Unwasted podcast (31:56).

Renard is a camera and steadicam operator based in Los Angeles. This South Florida-native began pursuing videography in high school by making highlight tapes for himself and multiple other teammates on the football squad. After suffering from injuries that ended his college football career, Renard turned back to camera work — a skill he had never lost and a passion that had never died. He now works with some of the most talented and noteworthy names in the hip-hop industry making quick movements and action scenes in music videos seem flawless. Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, Travis Scott, Nas and Juice WRLD are just a few artists he has had the opportunity to create with.

Kelsey and Renard discuss steadicam operation versus the norm (2:40), finding his passion for videography by making high school football highlight tapes (4:47), an injury that led to the end of his football career and the start of his creative pursuit (6:46), how to shift into your creative career (7:50), finding his path in the music video industry (9:09), the importance of reaching out and mentorship (10:45), the challenges of niche camera work (13:23), teamwork on set and who brings the energy (15:03),  working on Beyoncé's Black is King (17:51), learning to be confident (20:54), and his craziest experience on set (21:46). 

Sadé is a Caribbean-American filmmaker and photographer born in the Bronx but currently based out of Los Angeles. Her ability to write, direct, shoot and edit have made her an incredible storyteller. Her work, which has a focus on underrepresented groups, has won her the Director’s Guild of America John Frankenheimer Fellowship, features on VICE, Forbes and Rolling Stone, premieres at Tribeca Film Festival, and the opportunity to direct a feature documentary alongside influential artists such as T.I., Quincy Jones, and Common.

Kelsey and Sadé discuss her background growing up in the Bronx (2:32), her journey to Los Angeles and time at USC (6:48), telling the stories of underrepresented groups (9:10), the making of Ponyboi (11:08), producing Spotify’s first narrative short film (15:27), directing the Trap Jazz documentary with T.I and Quincy Jones (20:53), why having community support is so important (23:45), her experience founding Out of Many Media (27:04), and her proudest moment (31:44).

Annie is the Director of Marketing at JuneShine Hard Kombucha. In her role, she has had the opportunity to lean into her own creative approach and assist in the development of this rapidly emerging brand. However, this is not the first time she has used her skills to create an authentic brand look. Her professional journey has taken her from lending her skills at Fortune 500 companies like Birchbox, American Express as well as growing businesses such as Imperfect Foods and JuneShine! Along the way she has stayed true to her adventurous and sustainability- focused roots to build a career she loves.

Kelsey and Annie discuss her vision as a creative (1:48), how rest and the outdoors inspire her (3:26), aligning adventure with a corporate career (4:34), how culture and brand ambassadors attract a loyal audience (7:28), utilizing past jobs to impact your current job (9:20), the ways JuneShine builds relationship with creative individuals (11:02), the difficulties of marketing an emerging brand (14:41), developing campaigns for collaboration marketing (16:38), Annie's favorite aspect of being in a business position (19:22), and first steps to entering commercial work (20:45).

Santino is a Colorado-based photographer and producer at ROAM Media. His story takes him from skateparks in New York City, to the coast of Hawaii and the cobblestone streets of Italy before landing a position at the company of his dreams. Santino's career has taken him to some of the most incredible locations on Earth, including remote areas in the Arctic that can only be represented by numerical coordinates. 

Kelsey and Santino discuss how he discovered his passion for filmmaking through skateboarding (2:46), the ways your home city can impact your creative style (7:39), finding Christopher Jerard and ROAM Media (9:23), the advantages of working within an agency (12:50), learning creative skills from your network (16:34), Santino's work with ROAM's "Boundless" series (19:36), and his proudest moment in his career (23:10).