We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jason Lyzniak. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jason below.

Jason, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

In the video industry, learning is best by doing. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a cell phone with a built in camera, but I had a mini DV (tape) camcorder that I would use to make short films with my friends. That was all I needed in order to teach myself the technical basics of videography. Learning by doing. Trial and error.

The most essential skill that I still advocate for today is efficiency. Efficiency in the video industry is gained by a combination of knowledge and experience. On a basic level, knowing things like aperture, ISO and shutter speed (and how they relate to capturing an image) is key to being efficient when shooting. Or learning keyboard shortcuts when it comes to post-production. It may sound trivial, but learning keyboard shortcuts is honestly the most important skill that I tell new editors to harness. With knowing keyboard shortcuts comes efficiency, and with efficiency comes productivity.

In my opinion, efficiency goes hand in hand with quality (or else it’d just be rushing). And quality comes with experience, but sometimes also through mimicry. For example, I once saw a video that tracked a basketball in the center of the screen, so I watched a tutorial on how to do that myself in order to implement the same effect in an edit that I was working on. That knowledge opened up a whole new avenue of skills that I was able to refine and put my own original spin on. So don’t ever be afraid to try and recreate your favorite effects or styles. Doing so will grow your toolbox and improve the quality of your videos.

Besides needing to digitize tapes, the biggest hurdle that I faced was the lack of readily available (and free) tutorials on the internet. So again, there was a lot of self-teaching. Of course now everyone has access to a camera, to YouTube, and to free editing software… so it’s easier than ever to learn the basics of videography.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am the sole proprietor of Samurai Snacks Productions LLC. Samurai Snacks is a micro video production company. I call it “micro” because it’s mainly just me and a few contractors I hire, but the quality of what we produce is anything but micro. We offer a wide range of video services—brand marketing, commercials, social media content, event recaps, corporate videos, you name it. What makes Samurai Snacks different from other production companies is not only the variety of projects we take on, but also the network of industry pros I can rely on for support. I’m especially proud of the brands, celebrities, and causes I’ve created videos for, and I think that experience gives me an edge over my competition. It hasn’t been easy getting to where I am now. Even today, I put in plenty of long hours and sleepless nights to hit deadlines. But the biggest lesson I can share is: it’s not just about who you know, but who knows you.

I was in theater a lot as a kid (I was always drawn to the arts), and after receiving my first camera I started making short films. In high school I produced (and anchored) my high school’s television news program. I later studied at UCF and graduated with a BA in Television Production with a minor in Film Studies. Out of college and after moving back to Miami, I reached out to an acquaintance (now friend) who had his own production company, and asked if he needed any extra help with his projects. After freelancing for only a few months, he was happy with the quality and efficiency of my work and recommended me to be a freelance editor at HBO Latin America (where he was freelancing). Long story short, I spent 8 years at HBO Latin America as a full time video editor. But after a deadly combo of the pandemic and acquisitions, they laid off pretty much the entire company. For me it was a blessing in disguise. I was getting complacent and too comfortable. Being laid off forced my hand to start Samurai Snacks and work for myself, and I’m not looking back.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The main mission driving my creative journey is to work on feature length films. In any capacity really, but ideally as a director. If I can work on one to two feature length films per year and keep myself afloat financially, then my life will be complete.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

It all goes back to efficiency and quality. I have been fortunate enough to stay profitable solely through word of mouth since starting Samurai Snacks in 2022. Clients new and old have found their way to my inbox because of my ability to efficiently produce quality videos that they are happy with, and then recommend me to someone else. It has led to numerous brand partnerships and opportunities. A big part of that has always been putting myself out there and reaching out to people myself. In this industry it’s not about who you know, but who knows you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samuraisnacks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samuraisnacks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyzniak/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/samuraisnacks/demo