We recently connected with Joe Grasso and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Joe thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Earning a full-time living from my creative work was a long and arduous process. I bought my first professional camera while I was still in college with the sole intention of making funny sketches with my friends, in hopes that it would lead to something greater. Perhaps to get a show on TV one day? Once I graduated college, I was having a really hard time finding a full-time job in my field of electronic media, so I began freelancing using the equipment I bought when I wasn’t working at whatever part-time job I had at the time. I’d shoot music videos and small commercials for local businesses, operating as a production company owner. This made me some money, but I always reinvested it back into my business so I could take on bigger jobs or just do a better job on the ones I had. After about 5 years of juggling a non-related but very flexible full-time job and video work on the side, I finally landed a retainer position at a local fitness company for video work. This was great! I could quit my job and do video work full-time! Unfortunately, they decided they didn’t need me anymore after 3 months, which left me with no full-time work and just my freelance hustle. This put me into overdrive since I had no safety net anymore, and continued to reach out to other production companies to see if they needed any DP’s (Directors of Photography) for any projects coming up, and was lucky enough to land a few with some college friends that were working in Philly. This snowballed into more gigs for other companies as my work and my name got out there. Deciding to specialize as a DP instead of trying to do everything myself as a production company owner was the best decision I could have made. I was finally making a full-time living doing what I loved! I just wish I knew to specialize earlier on, and also wish I knew that I didn’t need to spend all that money buying gear I didn’t necessarily need ‘just in case’ I needed it. I’ve been full-time freelance as a DP since 2016, and so far, every new year is better than the last.

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 mostly described how I got started in the previous slide, so I’ll write some more details about what my job entails. I work as a Director of Photography which is the longer phrase for Cinematographer. My job is to support the director’s intention by creating and keeping consistent the visual look and feel of a film. I leverage the camera, grip, and lighting departments along with their many tools to do this. Communication is paramount in this role, as each department can have many people operating under their own sub-hierarchies on the same shared goal. Before the shoot, this can involve many email threads with different departments where we are sharing lighting plots, equipment orders, scheduling, and a number of other logistical problem-solving before we can even get a foot on set. By the time we’re on set, if I did my job correctly, we’ll have all of the right equipment we need and the whole crew knows what the plan is so that I can stay close to the director helping make creative decisions that support the story we’re trying to tell. Whether it’s a film, commercial, documentary or music video, If I did my job correctly, and everyone else does, too, I leave that project feeling great because we did what we set out to do.

I think I’m the most proud of the network I’ve cultivated over the years. I know some incredibly talented filmmakers and crew people who also ended becoming close friends outside of work. It’s a really special feeling when there’s such a high level of kinship and professionalism that you end up being sad when the project is over despite how difficult and stressful it can be mentally and physically. I get so excited when I meet someone new on a project that I work really well with because I know I might get to work with them on something again one day.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I read more about personal finance and how to make and save money as not just a freelancer, but as an adult. Podcasts and Youtube have some great resources, and even ChatGPT if you know what questions to ask. A really good podcast about making money as a freelancer in the film world is “Creative Income with Lars Lindstrom”. And a more general personal finance youtube channel that I think everybody could benefit from is Ramit Sethi’s “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” where he teaches basic fundamentals that can help anyone got on the right track, but in their own way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Consistency. I try to always be the best version of myself, always solve problems before they happen (don’t make it someone else’s problem), be professional, be on -time, respect everyone, BE NICE!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joegrassofilms.com
• Instagram: @joegrasso.dp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joedomgrasso/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-grasso-17318240

Image Credits

Victoria Wilcox