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

Hi Joseph, thanks for joining us 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?

To start off I lived in a very rural area, not much going on or to do. Where creative dreams sprout, but die if they decide to stay, so I needed out. At 22 years old I saved up enough money from working at the local factories & got myself to Film School in the Big City of Pittsburgh, where after sleeping on random friend of friends couches, I got my very first apartment and put the pedal to the floor. Day in day out was class work and work to survive.

Fast forward, graduating top of the class, I had my first full time job at Seven Springs Mountain Resort as the Full Time Marketing Videographer. I shot, edited, revised, and finalized every media project used for the Resort including commercial, radio, dailies, promotions and highlights. Every department, every restaurant, and every event was covered by my video work. 3 years later hitting the covid season, I parted ways with Seven Springs with a kind farewell as I was off to film my first short snowboard film Called “Accessible” Produced by Kevin Kobasa. The following seasons we premiered the film in September of 2021, where everyone we knew watched this film to gain their stoke for the coming winter season, as we do.

In 2021 I have also started an interesting line of work working as now a 5 year member of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 489 of PGH, as also making it as a member of IATSE Local 3 of PGH Uprigging Stadium Concerts/Events. In this line of work I have met some of the most talented, and most known, workers in the film industry. During down time when there is no movies being made, I take the time to grown my own Video Production Company Class A Motion Pictures LLC, specializing in Music Videos and Film Making in the Action Sports Realm.

From day 1 until now, things have only gotten more clear, and I have become more achievable in every task with more and more ease each time. There is nothing I would look back to and change along my journey simply because everything I have experienced or learned has gotten me to right where I am.

Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Filmmaking started for me probably when I was about 13 years old. My first video camera was a flip open Insignia 5-Megapixel camcorder. My friends and I made skateboard or bmx edits in windows movie maker to songs that were free to use on youtube at the time. Growing up skateboarding in a rural town of NE Ohio, it was what we made of it. Inspired to do tricks from Skateboarding Films like, Fully Flared, Skatemore, Baker 3, and many others, and for me, to figure out how I can be a filmer with a crew like the pros have.
What I am doing now is what I have always dreamed of. Sharing stories of magnificent people or creating great stories for people to experience. Implementing story telling and maintaining creative writing into music videos, and currently breaking into ski documentaries working on my first one this Winter season of 2026 we begin shooting ‘Buzzard Town’.

In my experience of creating all sorts of videos in professionally the last 8 years, creatively exploring, chasing nature phenomenon’s, covering events, having clients, having employees, lighting on movie sets, working amongst other artists, etc.. I truly believe the way you move along on these projects, the pace, allowing space for others to move, lets the work day blossom. with that I mean it allows ease to let things happen. I remain open minded. We need to be flexible in this insane and beautiful line of work. Allow to work to flow, the ideas to flow and arrive with time. There is something great around the corner and it deserves to be explored. If we work too fast and bend the corner, you know, then its ‘What if’ instead of wow. Though I do carefully plan and strategize each shoot in Pre- Production once all ideas are on the table, then we execute the best ideas we have at the best times to accomplish them. Thats the idea anyway.

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

Do good things and good things will happen to you.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I was a janitor, and then created a video 8 years ago that is still used to this day and now every single thing I do for work and support my cat and I’s living is all video, photo, or entertainment related. Being well rounded in all these work opportunities I have, helps me implement my skills and knowledge towards subject matter of my own that I love to create/write.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @joescampin, @classamotionpictures
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassAMotionPictures
• Linkedin: classamotionpictures
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@classamotionpictures

Image Credits

Photographed and Edited by Alyssa Maurer