We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lance Gergar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lance thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

Ever since I was a kid I have always taken inspiration from Bruce Lee. When I was younger I was fascinated with martial arts and the more I learned and practiced, the more those lessons taught by the art and by Bruce Lee began to transition into my every day life. There are so many concepts that I could expand on, but I will pick a few that have helped me in my journey as an artist, musician, and business owner. Going back to the beginning, “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” Although I did do a lot of thinking, no progress was made until I went out and just bought a camera and got started. I saw a local band at a show which I really enjoyed, and afterwards asked them if they needed a Music Video. I had little to no idea what I was doing, but was willing to put all my energy into it and begin my journey. “Choose the positive. You have choice, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.” I have always been what I consider a logical Optimist, not blind that everything will go perfectly, but logically understanding that everything that has happened in my life, has for one reason or another turned out to be a positive, so the scales should naturally weigh in that favor. I treat all my work that way, all my failures and disappointments, all my client interactions, I try to be as optimistic and positive as possible because in the end, I know the product and experience will be something everyone is happy with. The last one, “Be Like Water” this is a more common quote from Bruce Lee, but I feel like it is the most important when working and being in the moment. Being able to flow, improvise, transition, problem solve, and change to what role is needed is essential to being able to really create and have the whole process go smoothly. It’s always good to have a plan, which we have a good grasp on in pre production, but be prepared when hiccups arise and you have to improvise, and don’t let it get you down when they do. Some of the best visual ideas have come from myself and others simply being creative on the spot when seeing an opportunity. Final thought, just be happy have fun and don’t be afraid to be yourself. You will draw others to you and what could just be a job, becomes a good time and a memorable experience for everyone.

Lance, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lance Gergar, I live in Arizona and I am a director, cinematographer, editor, photographer and a bunch of other random things, but I’ll save those for another time. My main focus the past 7 years has been creating Music Videos and doing light commercial work if the opportunity arises. I have always loved movies and music, and have been an avid movie watcher since before I can even remember. I worked at multiple video stores growing up when they existed, and have seen so many movies I can’t even fathom the number. I am also a musician, I play metal, rock, classical, flamenco, and fingerstyle guitar. It was almost a no brainer that I go into this job being it combines my two biggest passions. There are a lot of different aspects to what I do, but I think what helps solve issues, and sets me apart from others is looking at what we want to create differently, and really examining the small details. I have always been intrigued by the subconscious mind, and how even the little things that someone may or may not think they notice, will have a large impact in the final product and representation of the band, their music, and their appeal to the audience. I help clients re work their visions, polish everything out, and add my own ideas and experience into the mix to help create something that everyone is happy with. I have had the opportunity to work with countless musicians, both local Arizona artists and national ones. I have been able to meet and hang out with so many people, work with different creatives and thought processes, and learn so much about people, art and music along the way. I generally enjoy what I do, and I feel that the experience, the friendships, the music and the art is the most important part of everything.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative, is for me the experience of the process. Although I do love when the final product comes out, and everyone involved can share and celebrate, I find that my favorite moments are when we are actually deep in creating and hard at work. I try to make my shoots as comfortable and open as possible, and we can all feel free to express ourselves and just have a good time, while still buckling down and working hard when it is needed. The personal relationships formed, the funny and exciting moments when something just clicks or looks cooler than what you had imagined, the excitement of creating a story, feel or just expressing the music. So many moments and emotions creating that experience that will only happen once, and will be edited down and captured in your Music Video time capsule.

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

I think the thing that has helped me the most build my reputation has been just transparently being myself. Although my OCD attention to detail, finding what works and discarding what doesn’t, and experience has definitely helped the final product a client will receive, I like to think the reason people enjoy working with me is just because I am who I am. I definitely have my flaws as we all do, but my overall viewpoint of what I do is not about the money or the success. It is with the good times and relationships built, and the journey that comes with it all. I found that success comes slowly and naturally, once you stop trying to force it and just give people You.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://LanceGergarProductions.com
• Instagram: @LanceGergarProductions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LanceGergarProductions