January AOTM Winner

Jamieson Murphy

- @J_M_Visuals -
- @whiteout -

1) Q: Give us an introduction about yourself?

A: I’m a 24 year old filmmaker/ photographer/ entrepreneur based out of Miami, Florida.

2) Q: Where are you from?

A: I am from a small town in Connecticut, USA. 

2) Q: Where do you live now?

A: I live in Miami, Florida & I have been here just over two years.

3) Q: How did you get to where you are today?

A: Staying true to myself. Staying original. Never giving up on my dreams & ambitions. Going after everything I always wanted since the start of switching this from a hobby to a full-time career. When I was in school I got a couple job offers. One was in LA for this production house, and one was this photo agency in Miami. So I just had that setup on the side as guaranteed income because moving to a new city without a job is difficult. I moved down to Miami with that in my back pocket, and started shooting nightlife. I was shooting the biggest artists in the music industry, and also A-list celebrities. Did that for just about two years, and left that in April of 2019 to start my own thing. 

4) Q: Is there anything notable that happened while growing up that shaped you into the person you are today?

A: Yes, absolutely. I grew up with my mother battling cancer for the first 6 years of my life. I was super young, and don’t remember it that much. Kinda remember it, but it doesn’t greatly affect me now since I was so young at the time. Ended up losing my father as well when I was 13 years old back in 2009. I lost my mother as well when I was 21 back in 2017. Going through that situation put me in a deep hole mentally & physically. Had to learn to keep my head up, and keep my blinders on. Taught me how to stay true to  myself, and my end goal I always envisioned. 100 % made me stronger & more independent. 

5) Q: If you could live anywhere in the world for free, where would you choose?

A: Vancouver or Toronto.

6) Q: What are your talents?

A: Big people person, so communication is definitely one of my strong suits. I’m pretty business savvy with my entrepreneur mindset. I’ve got the eye for photo & video. Photographer, videographer, editor, director, producer. Produce music as well. Not too book smart, but I’m street smart. Definitely wise.

7) Q: Are you naturally talented, or did you acquire your skills?

A: I would say I’m a natural, and I have always been very creative. 

8) Q: How do you develop your skillset & improve your talents?

A: I’ll just give my route, and let people see how I developed. Start out with small promotional stuff for small businesses. Started producing music videos for up & coming hip-hop artists around my hometown. I kept doing more & more work, and I was doing it all for free when I first started out. Then got to doing work for small budgets like $100 - $200 here & there. Started building a brand name for myself. Having a personal brand nowadays is one of the biggest things to capitalize on in this industry I’m in. You wanna get as many eyes on you, your company, and your work. I think just shooting photo + video as much as possible until you get to the point where you can hop on any project or set & know exactly what you’re doing. There’s no point you get to where you know everything because it is an industry you are always learning in. There is no perfect photographer, or perfect videographer. Everyone is a perfectionist, especially nowadays in 2020, but really there is no such thing as perfection. You can always  learn, and increase your knowledge. Especially in this industry.

9) Q: How do you leverage your talents in your professional career?

A: One word, networking. I know it is a word that is used a lot, but it’s true. Going to events and shaking that one person’s hand can be huge. Gives you a chance to give them a rundown of what you do, and talk to them about what they do. Every person you meet is a potential client, and a potential new opportunity knocking at the door. If you don’t end up working with them then 9/10 they have a network that you can tap into. Say you go to an event, and you meet a guy named Carlos that owns a real estate business or something. You talk to him a little bit, and have a nice conversation about what you do. This Carlos fella has a huge network on social media, and you stay connected after the event. You don’t end up working with Carlos, but one day say he hits you up for work saying he has someone that could benefit from your services; all because of that conversation. Basically what I’m trying to say is that one connection can lead to ten new ones, or ten new clients which is even better. Networking is the biggest thing, so when you go out be sure to always communicate. Talk to the waiter, or the bartender. Having a big network grows your net worth. 

10) Q: What are some opportunities you have gained because of your talents?

A: That’s actually a great question, because everything I have done in my life has come directly from this. I wouldn’t be in the situation I am IN now for sure. I wouldn’t be able to travel to the places I have been to. I wouldn’t have been able to work with the people I have worked with. I have worked with some of the biggest music artists, and A-list celebrities because of my talents. ON the travel end of filmmaking & photography, I have been able to travel to Mexico multiple times. I have been to Bali before which is an absolute amazing place. I got flown out there for a whole week to shoot content for a bunch of social media entrepreneurs. I have been able to live in Miami the past two years. Basically my talent has given me the opportunity to live a unique lifestyle, and I am grateful for that.  

11) Q: What do you do for work in the industries you are experienced in?

A: I get paid for promotional photo + video work for small businesses, large businesses, nightclubs, entrepreneurs, music artists, real estate, car companies, lifestyle brands, models, agencies, etc. Personally, my company handles every route you can go with photo + video.  

12) Q: Who, or what, inspired you to get started in your career?

A: Definitely my dad. He was an entrepreneur since day 1. He had multiple businesses that he ran at a time when he was growing up. He had a leasing company out of Germany for coach buses. Then he went into a bunch of other different business ventures, so his mindset & work ethic definitely inspired me. When I was starting to get into this industry I would be up until 2am-3am watching music videos. This is right when I started in like 8th grade, and I would be up late as hell when I had school at 7AM. I would watch these two directors out of LA. One was Matt Alonzo & the other was Colin Tilly. If you look these guys up on google you will find that they are the most elite guys to work with. Absolute OG legends. Hands down the best two music video directors in the world in my book. Obviously there is more, but these two were a huge inspiration for me growing up. These guys inspired me big time on a day to day basis. 

13) Q: Do you enjoy the work you do?

A: Absolutely. They say its not work if you love what you do. Obviously there is some projects I get where it gets annoying because of a picky client. Theres always that one picky client. I’m actually dealing with one right now for a real-estate video. There is always a few clients that want to change certain things up hen you’re spending late nights making projects for them. Thats just how t is. There is no perfect gig, and there is np perfect client. Although, 99.9% of the time, yeah, I absolute love what I do. I get to travel, hangout with cool people, and live my life to the fullest.  

14) Q: What is something you have failed at, and did you learn from it?

A: I probably failed at this job industry three times. I definitely learned. The way I was creating when I first started out, starting a business at a young age, and building a personal brand. There is definitely ways to fail with marketing and creating content. Not knowing how to do taxes, or handling the business side of things. Reaching out to clients, or maintaining client relationships. You’re definitely gonna fail at some of that easy stuff you wouldn’t even think of. Being afraid to fail doesn’t get you very far. The people who don’t fail are going to crumble quicker then they came up because they’ll never learn how to pick themselves back up from their failures when things get tough.

15) Q: What are some of the biggest myths about the work you do?

A: There is no overnight success in this industry. There is but there isn’t. Don’t go into this industry just to make money because the people that do end up working a job they don’t like since they went into it for the wrong reason. Being a content creator doesn’t mean you get to travel the world for free, and make insane amounts of money. Selling lightroom presets isn’t going to make you a millionaire. Unless you’re Kolder. In that situation you can because you’ve built a brand around yourself.

16) Q: What are some recommendations for others just getting started in your field of work?

A: Go into the adult film indust- no I’m kidding. Don’t give up. Reach out to people that inspire you, and talk to them. Find a good group of friends that are in the industry, and get your hands on as much work as possible. Start with small projects & work your way up to the big projects. Cut out people that are in your life that really don’t need to be in your life that bring you down, and aren’t supportive of your goals. I’ve cut out probably 30 people in my life. My circle was very large, and I have cut it down to about 20 people that I talk to on a day-day basis. You don’t want to be hanging out with people that give you negative energy and don’t support what you do. Obviously you’re going to have haters no matter what, but there is a difference between a hater & a person who is really just being unsupportive.  

17) Q: What is your opinion on social media?

A: Under the good parts of social media there is a few things. Making lifelong relationships with new friends. Building your brand or company. Getting awareness to your business. You can find your forever wife or girlfriend on social media, so thats a plus. I used to be the shyest kid growing up, but social media made me get out of my shell. Talking to a camera, and posting photos of myself. Posting stories about my parents, and issues I have always faced. Social media became a great outlet for mento share my story. It helped me mature, and stop hiding. It can make you money, and even a full-time income. There is really so much that it can do. Then there is the dark side… I think social media is the biggest cause for mental health issues. It’s sad to say that, but there are so many people that get caught up using it. They try living an unattainable lifestyle by copying someone else’s life. Trying to show they have some crazy lifestyle when they really don’t. They end up going down this road that leads them being stressed out, and disappointed with their actual reality. They go on social, and see these epic lifestyles that people are living. While you CAN do that, there is a way to do it, and a way not to do it. The pathway to the top is not what it seems. Many people don’t see the late nights, missed payments on bills, etc. There is a side of social media that hides the actuality of someones real life. I think that’s a big reason why people struggle with mental health issues because of it. Another bad part is definitely getting sidetracked with all these models posting there all the time. I love all the models I work with, but come on lets be real. it’s a crazy world we live in. It’s not the same as it was ten years ago.

18) Q: What are you most passionate about?

A: Honestly, from the heart? My quality of living, and the career I have built. I am passionate about my career for sure. I have a reason behind that. I get to wake up in a beautiful city like this, and have a roof over my head with my dog by my side.

19) Q: Whats your top 3 goals in life?

A: Change as many lives as I can. Live with complete freedom. Continue to become the best version of myself. Fill up as many pages of my passport as I can. Own some properties I can create memories at. 

20) Q: What motivates you daily to achieve your goals?

A: Seeing how much work & heart my father put into his career. His mindset definitely motivates me. 

21) Q: Best advice for increasing productivity?:

A: Music. 

22) Q: What is your philosophy on life?

A: Be true to yourself, and don’t mind what people think. Do whatever you want, and do it for the right reasons. 

23) Q: If you could be any animal, what would you choose?

A: Snow tiger

24) Q: What is a fun fact that no one knows about you? // or // a fun story that you would like to share?

A: Ok so this is one story, but back to back nights working in nightclubs. I was shooting for this photo agency at LIV Miami which is one of the most iconic clubs in the world. I was shooting for the club, and Lil Jon was djing. He gets a bottle parade to the booth because he had a bunch of friends with him. He was just starting a song out, so he had a minute or two to talk. Me and him were just talking, and he hands me five shots. He says they were all for me, and I just told him like look man I shouldn’t be drinking on the job. It was getting late anyway, so I ended up doing it. He started getting these girls in the booth to chant my name, and basically forced me to do it. Me being me, I just did it. One of the photos I took that night was my hand in front making a cheers to Lil Jon, and it actually got picked up by some media publications. The photo has been all over the internet by now. It was just a crazy night, and definitely one of my favorite memories. Then, the next night we had Dillon Francis at a club called Story, and it was the same sort of concept. Introduced myself, and then next thing you know I was obliterated with Dillon Francis in the green room. I actually took the best photos I have ever taken that night. Blessed to have that cheers with Dillon, cheers to the Patron, and cheers to my nightlife career. That was one hell of a night.