We recently connected with Matthew Chung and have shared our conversation below.
Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Becoming successful isn’t how great the idea is. It’s not even all about the execution. Becoming successful is about the grit and the grind you’re willing to do to achieve what you want. Having the guts to weather through the storm and most importantly, never giving up on your dreams. I used to take it hard whenever I got rejections and failed at closing a deal until I started to change my perspective.
I look back on the past couple of years and appreciate the failures I’ve endured. It’s not easy experiencing failure and most people hate the feeling so much that they give up. Giving up accomplishes nothing. Being successful is about how you find opportunities. Each time you failed at closing a deal, losing a client, or even your business, you have to take accountability and ask yourself why it didn’t turn out and what could you have done differently. Our egos tend to hold us back and it’s important to acknowledge that no matter who you are and how great you are at what you do, you will always be a student in your craft. Never give up on your dreams and embrace the chaos, it’s so cliche but that’s what it takes to be successful.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an unexplainable love for video. Making videos with whatever camera I had that was capable of recording video. About 13 years ago, the Centers for Disease Control held a national video contest for who can submit a video about being prepared for a disaster. However what got my attention was that it was themed around a zombie apocalypse. Long story short, my submission is what kicked off my video journey turning it into a business.
I filmed weddings on the side while working a full time job as a project manager in the tech sector. I was building my career for almost the same amount of time filming weddings as a side hustle. Until I lost my job a couple of years ago. Having never been in this situation, I decided to give my video business a shot full time.
I decided to stop filming weddings because my passion for video was so strong that I felt there was more I can contribute. I really wanted to preach the power of video, especially as our world shifts towards video being more prominent in our lives than ever before. That’s where my mission and values today were born. To help businesses of all sizes leverage the power of video and start thinking about a video strategy.
Today, most of my clients that I work with are businesses. Whether they need social media reels, commercials, testimonials, or a brand story video, I’m there with my gear ready. However, what I make clear with my clients when working with me is that I’m not just here to press record then hand you a video. I’m here to get them to think about why they are even producing this video. Knowing the intention makes a greater impact.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
I’ve done cold outreach, ads, and even in person pitches but where I’ve found the most success are referrals. To get a referral, it’s not just about doing great work. If creating awesome videos was your only focus, you’d be lost in a pretty saturated market. Most of it is about how good you are to work with and the value you provide. The problem with a lot of creatives is their ego can make them someone who just isn’t pleasant to work with and that can be damaging.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think it’s underestimating the amount of work that goes into a creative’s work. The time, the expensive equipment, and the vision of a creative gets overlooked by non creatives. This impacts creatives especially those with businesses on the financial side. A lot of creatives and even myself included can get intimated by our own worth. Too afraid to charge or ask a number we think we’re worth in fear of being rejected and so we bend to the client’s budget just to not lose the deal. It’s a lot of time and work that goes into our craft for an income that isn’t guaranteed. Full time creatives shouldn’t just be seen as struggling artists but instead, entrepreneurs who love their craft so much that they’re willing to weather rough storms just to do what they love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bymchung.com
- Instagram: @bymchung
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-chung-97a36052
Image Credits
Jason Chih