We recently connected with Matthew Salley and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I’ve always wanted to work in the creative industry. I honestly didn’t care if it was with films, music, or even photography. I just wanted to do something creative. To get some practice, my brother and I bought our first camera ever. I instantly fell in love with trying to figure out how to use this new tool and make cool art with it. Soon after that I started dipping my toe in the video world. I quickly realized how difficult yet enjoyable the whole creative process was.

I reach out to some friends who either worked in the creative industry or even owned their own creative company to ask them for advice on what to do. All of them told me to skip college and to just start learning on my own because creative companies were looking for skill and talent, not a degree that would hang on a wall. So that’s what I did. Little by little after countless YouTube videos I learned the basics of VFX, photography, and videography. I was by no means ready to be hired by a company or start my own bussiness so I started reaching out to people who would want free vfx work so I could practice on their footage. Those same people that let me practice, soon became my first paying clients. I was able to prove myself and gain their trust that I would bring value to their projects.

I felt comfortable enough to start asking them for a monthly retainer and most them agreed. That gave me the confidence I needed to realize this could actually become a real thing. In the midsts of all that I was also getting clients for photography and being hired to make wedding films. With all of that happening I decided it would be wise to open an LLC. to help me have a legit business to work through. I had no idea what I had to do so I reached out for help.I wasn’t afraid to seek out the knowledge and wisdom of those who had gone through this same process. So with their help, I started Matthew Salley Productions. I didn’t have everything figured out but it was start. My first few months were amazing, I had a consistent amount of money coming in and new clients wanting to hire me. I thought everything was going perfectly until I was quickly brought back to reality when I learned how to pay taxes, how to keep track of invoices, how to keep up with a crazy workload, and how to do all of this while making time for my wife.

I decided to put a quick pause on everything and decide what really mattered. I needed to find a way of how I could balance everything while also prioritizing the things that mattered most. So for a while I would work all day, make time for my wife when she got home from work, and then I would keep working through the night once she went to sleep. This wasn’t the best workflow but it is what worked for a while. I slowly started cutting back on work to focus on my mental health and relationships. I still haven’t found the best work-life balance but I am finding what works best for me and those around me. I absolutely love what I do and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Matthew, 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?

When I was like 13 I came across these behind the scenes videos for movies on YouTube. I was fascinated with how companies were able to make amazing action scenes out of simple green screen footage. I then discovered that I could make simple effects myself at home. So I started learning VFX through YouTube and fell in love with it. Editing videos was my hobby, so I looked forward to learning and improving everyday.

I am now a full-time freelance VFX Artist working for companies across the globe. I’ve worked on simple social media edits to more complex VFX for Netflix. I started editing at a young age and haven’t stopped because I love the entire process. Most clients are looking for a fun way to show their product or just want a cool video, that’s what Im here for. I am usually pretty good at coming up with fun concepts that don’t feel like your typical ad. I like to aim for something that will be eye catching to the viewer that will make them want to watch more.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“You always have to say yes”

For some reason this was how I thought I had to go around accepting projects. Any project that came around I would say yes to because I didn’t want to miss out of the opportunity. Although that may sometimes be a good mindset, it can be damaging at times. Early on, one of my mistakes was saying yes to projects I didn’t agree with or even to people who would change the deal mid project. This led to either not getting paid or not being proud of something I worked on.

My advice would be to not be afraid to say no to clients that you know won’t respect you or your time. Not associating yourself with people that will bring you down is how you will grow.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Honestly its been instagram. Every single client I have today is because I posted a fun vfx video, they liked it and reached out to me. If you’re afraid to put your work out there no one will ever know how good you are. I was lucky enough to have a few viral posts which allowed me to be found by people looking to hire.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://matthewsalleyproductions715.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmatthewsalley/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJgwaCDNTJvU0CrzWUJREw

Image Credits
Trevor Moody