Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Matt Chirico. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Matt, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
This may sound corny and generic but its 100% the truth and I stand by it. To be successful at something you need to be so passionate about it – obsessed even. In my case, with the career path I’ve chosen, it started as a hobby, grew into a passion, and when I realized I would be able to make this my full time gig I immediately made the jump. While juggling a 9-5 I had put an insane amount of time towards this, not only to hone my craft but to one day be able to make the dream a reality. Plain and simple, you need to do whatever it takes to follow your dream and I encourage anyone and everyone to do so in whatever it is they’re passionate about.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
“how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc”
Lets see, it all started in high school when I was a Sophomore and took over a Seniors role of recording our track and field/cross country meets. I would make a sort of recap – beginning of the race, showing my team in certain sections of the race/course, and then team mates at the finish line. This grew my interest in filming which then translated over to my friend group where we began making silly, nonsense videos with these outrageous storylines (the videos have since been made private on YouTube haha). This is where I began to hone my editing skills within the dinosaur program known as Windows Movie Maker. Later on in college I heavily got into the EDM scene. I just fell so in love with the music, so much that it changed my outlook on life and is honestly the reason I’m at where I’m at today – which we’ll see in a bit. So next, back in 2011-2016 when Vine was big I made an account and I would take already established EDM concert (rave) video content and edit it into 6 second videos with new music I would find. I was really into finding new music and thought of myself as a “new music provider” to the people. Over the 1-2 years I ran the account before Vine shutdown, I accrued 52,000+ followers. I would later decide that I wanted to shoot concerts myself and make my own content. And with a couple years of minor jobs here and there in the concert scene as well as small business videos, weddings, and personal things like vacation/friend-trip recaps – we get to where I’m today – full time freelance videographer/photographer. And yes, I do photo too!
“what type of products/services/creative works you provide”
I provide an array of services. Anything involving videography, photography, or editing is in my realm of work. I do music videos, branded video content, weddings, real estate, all types of photoshoots – you name it. If it needs content, I’m there. But I’d say that my forte is concert content. I’m currently on tour with and do just about all the video content for DJ/Producer Acraze. I’ve been working with him since October 2019 and it’s been an absolute pleasure.
“what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others”
What I believe sets me apart from others is that I will do whatever it takes to grasp and bring the client’s vision to life. That, mixed with how I craft a video and string together the final product is what I think I pride myself on. I, unlike a lot of people, LOVE the editing process. It’s where I can get most creative.
“What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.”
I’m most proud of the work that I do with Acraze (aforementioned). Like I said, I’ve been a part of the team since 2019. It’s been a crazy ride after the success of his 2021 release ‘Do It To It’. Just being able to say that I had a small part showing the world who he is whether it’s a tour recap video or a music video – it gives me meaning. I feel super blessed to have been given the chance to work with his team in 2019 and since then they’ve taken me under their wing. Traveling the world getting to do what I love all because of music and sticking with this hobby is just insane to me. I couldn’t be happier.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
To me, the most rewarding aspect in the creative industry is when you nail the client’s vision and receive that positive feedback. I love that I get to physically create something for someone and then they love it and want to show other people. That makes it all worth it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Back when I was initially trying to get my foot in the door of the EDM scene is when I’d say I was most resilient. Any given weekend in NYC there are multiple concerts at multiple venues. Before the weekend would come I would find out which DJs would be where and then send emails to anyone I could find on the DJ’s team. I would scour Instagram and Soundcloud bios, Facebook ‘About Me’ pages and whatever other socials to get a contact to send an email to. The amount of “we don’t need anyone for this event” or straight up no reply was the majority of my feedback. And then the little amount of green lights I got to come out and shoot for said artist is what paved the way for me to get to where I am. It was slow and small steps that got me in the rooms I needed to be in to network and unbeknownst to be in the moment, take those next steps. So yeah, resilience is KEY!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mattchirico.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattchirico_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChfExWmqUEKKwqTe9v7S88g
Image Credits
1: Thomas Jimenez – IG: @_typicaltom
2. n/a
3. Brandon Densley – IG: @dnz_media
4. Matt Cary – IG: @hxphy
5: Chris Lovado – IG @chrislovado
6. n/a
7. Thomas Jimenez – IG: @_typicaltom
8. Thomas Jimenez – IG: @_typicaltom
9. Thomas Jimenez – IG: @_typicaltom