Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raj Dave. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Raj, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been very blessed to be able to earn a full-time earning while following my passion in filmmaking and video producing. The process to get there was, at times, very stressful, but what kept me going was knowing that I really did love filming videos and producing content.

From the beginning, I wanted to do make movies. As I grew up, I decided to get a consistent job that I could do that would be similar to that. I got a degree in marketing and a minor in film studies to pursue a professional career as a video producer for companies marketing teams. I knew the only way to get a job as a creative was to have as much content as possible to showcase on my portfolio. I started filming for anyone that would let me, from my barber, to a few of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte, NC. From there, I kept building my portfolio with work and got a few gigs with my college to film some videos for the athletic dept. All this experience helped me gain attraction from more corporate style companies and I was able to get a job as a Lead Creative Video Producer on a marketing team. I still do my filmmaking on the side, but knowing I have a consistent paycheck coming in, my mind is at ease.

I think the biggest thing is to go out and contact anyone / everyone that is nearby that potentially needs a video. Talk to them and most people will realize that they do need a video and thats your chance.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

From a young age, I was obsessed with films. My grandfather used to create hand paintings for new movie releases back in the early 1900s in Mumbai, India. I began my film journey by creating gaming videos and wanting to show people how much fun it was to play these games. As I grew up, that passion for creating videos turned into an interest in making short films. Creating and capturing memories with friends was the best part. I decided to go to school for Marketing and pursued a minor in film studies which included a certificate in video production so I could have some documented proof I knew what I was talking about with video producing.

Ever since graduation, Ive spent most of my time networking and building my connections, especially in the community. Ive had the opportunity to create content for many clients in my community. I think the most important thing is to never give up and always talk to people.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew more about community groups and networking event, especially for creatives. This would have helped me broaden my network and meet more people just like me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

my goal / mission thats the main driver for my creative journey is knowing the fact I love what i do. As long as I am happy with what I am doing, thats the only driving factor I need.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rajdave.myportfolio.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/