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

Sam, 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?

Like many, I moved to LA unemployed with a dream of working in the film industry. My full time job that summer was to look for a full time job. I spent 8-10 hours a day applying to every single position that I could find. It didn’t really matter what it was, if it was film related: I applied. Maybe a month and 150 applications/cold emails into this process I was beginning to get a bit discouraged. “These hiring managers would know I was right for the job, if only I could get an interview”. I know now that I was not right for many of the jobs that I was applying for. Not because I was incapable of doing those jobs but because those jobs didn’t speak to my true passion. They were just tangential.

The tides eventually turned and I got a gig as an assistant at a below-the-line talent agency. It was a great introduction to the
“Hollywood” and although I had no intention of being an agent I really love the two agents I worked with: Miranda Roseman and Julia Kole. It was also amazing to be a small part of what would become some incredible projects: Challengers, Different Man and Winning Time. However, since I didn’t have and end goal of being an agent I felt unfulfilled.

After a year or so of job apps I landing a role overseeing the social media video production at the NFL. It was great. I thought I had made it… until the carpet got pulled out from under me. Going into my first contract at the NFL I thought I was on a “prove me” deal. Kinda like a late round draft pick. I was seasonal, meaning I had a job for fall-summer and then was unemployed until the next fall. At first I didn’t really mind this. I would work my tail off and earn a full time position, have a steady paycheck through summer and all would be right. Hey, if that didn’t work at least I could have summers off, kinda like when I was in school. As it turns out, a large majority of employees at the NFL are seasonal or part time and getting approved headcount for full time employees is a dime a dozen.

So, I completed my first contract at the NFL and began life as a freelance producer. then the strikes happened. Not to fret because one of my most frequent collaborators tapped me to produce a documentary in a very “adventure filmmaking” nature, which was right up my alley. I dove into the project head first and spent most of my summer following an ultra endurance athlete in Colorado’s 58 14ers. We filmed nearly 24 hours a day and slept in our camera van. It was awesome. Filming in the mountains however, didn’t provide much income. In fact our whole crew was there on a passion project basis and were donating money to the cause… so I got a job as a barista.

Coffee is one of my favorite things on this planet and it was an honor to learn how to make it at a professional level. Only drawback is now I’m kinda a coffee snob haha. However, as much as I look back at this experience fondly, I was quite embarrassed at the time to have been serving coffee. I remember thinking, “a few months ago I was overseeing video production for the Super Bowl and now I mopping floors?”. It was humbling and I needed it. As much as life gives, it can take away. Lean into life’s ebbs and flows, be appreciate for all of it, and never stop trying to improve your craft.

Once fall came back around I was back at the NFL. Two days in and I realized it was more of the same, no room for the growth that I required. I often think of the big fish theory: fish can only grow to be as big as the bowl that they are in. That’s how it felt going back to the NFL. It was a privilege to have been invited back but it wasn’t where I needed to be. So, about a month in, I started up my job hunt gain. (If you’re keeping track, I’m about 3 years into LA and have only taken a few months off job hunting). Nearly every day I was applying to jobs or trying to set up coffees around town. The amount of money I lost during the previous summer was almost enough to bankrupt me and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to survive another summer like that. My second year at the NFL was filled with new friends and taking on a bigger role within the company. It was a blast and I have so many fond memories of those times. Life has a great way of working out, if only you’re patient enough to let it.

As my contract at the NFL was coming to a close I met my future collaborators at Aether Films over coffee. We instantly hit it off and I knew that these were the guys I wanted to make films with. Not only did we see filmmaking the same way but we had a lot of common interest. Filmmaking is like going to battle and it synergy matters the most in the trenches. I can gladly say that at Aether I am making a “full-time living from my creative work” however you can’t ever let your employer be the start and stop of your creative work. Part of the reason I was hired was because of the documentary I made as a passion project the summer prior and as a result I am constantly investing in personal passion projects. Some I bring to Aether, some are just for me. If you love to create, create what you love and don’t let compensation hold you back from bringing something you’re passionate about to life.

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?

Hi I’m Sam Persall! Professionally, I’m a filmmaker and producer however I have many other artistic passions that I don’t earn any money from haha. I currently produce at Aether Films and work on anything from documentary, television, commercials, music videos, branded content and films. I feel like I went pretty deep into my journey in the last answer but I think what sets myself apart from other producers is that I care so much about storytelling. A lot of producing can be logistics however I love working with directors to build out the heartbeat of our pieces. Everything should be in service to the story and as we define exactly what we are aiming to tell, then I can find the best solutions to make that vision come to life.

Something that I am incredibly proud of about working with my team at Aether is seeing everyone rally together. It truly feels like everyday I get to go hang with my friends and make movies. You can’t ask for much else. A lot of magic happens when you have a team that is filled with incredibly talented people all working towards the same goal. Additionally, having coworkers as friends allows us to help empower each other as well as push each other to be our best selves. If you’re interested in learning more about our work please check out our website or reach out! I’d love to have you by our office for a coffee.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met the EP of Aether through a cold email. They work. Keep sending them.

I had known some DPs who had worked with Aether Films in the past so they were on my radar as a boutique production company to keep an eye on. As I began to re-up my job search I checked out their website to see some of their recent work and was pretty blown away by the production quality as well as the clients they were working with. After cold emailing with a brief into as to who I was and my previous credits I was invited to grab coffee and check out the production offices. Instantly I had a ton of synergy with the team and kept coming back to meet more people and grab more coffees. As I got to know my future coworkers we decided that we would love to find a way to work together. The universes timing is always right and as I was nearing the last few months of my contract at the NFL, Aether was looking to bring on another in house producer and the rest was history.

Any advice for managing a team?

Communicate. Everyone wants to feel heard, so listen to them. I love making sure my team feels confident going into a shoot and much of that has to do with communication. They need to know the game plan so they can get mentally and physically prepared for what the shoot looks like. It also nice to know that production cares about the end piece and is doing everything in their power to make sure it is a great as it can be. Keep people in the loop and listen to their feedback. Everyone on your team is a professional who was hired because they are an expert in their field. I always hope to be surrounded by people who are smarter than me. I love to learn and grow and how else can I if I’m not learning from others?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aetherflms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sampersall/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampersall/