My media studies began at 6 years old when I wrote a biography of Steven Spielberg for a class project. My report was filled with behind-the-scenes details about the making of Jurassic Park and Jaws that I gathered from reading books at the school library and watching past the credits on VHS tapes.
My next project — a book report on the biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger — kept the ball rolling, and it’s continued rolling for nearly three decades with independent research, college, contract work, and an 8-year career in media where I’ve fulfilled every role from pre-to-post-production, generating over 12,000 hours of raw material to deliver more than 1,000 projects.
Through this experience I’ve learned not only the technical skills required to operate equipment, but the managerial skills required to operate with a team — how to ensure we’re all “making the same movie” by setting clear expectations, navigating creative differences, and giving each crew member room to do their best work.
I’ve also learned that this job is as rigorous as it is fun, that you need to know the rules so you can know the best ways to break them, that you need a detailed plan so you’re free to improvise. But the most important thing I’ve learned since my Spielberg biography is that I want at least another 30 years in this career.
