We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aloysius “Lo” Ballard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aloysius “Lo”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve always had superpowers? Probably not, but it always felt that way when it came to me being able to learn anything. No matter how much “ability” I had, opening doors to filmmaking and being a working creative wasn’t something that I was able to do.

I attended a high school that praised academic and athletic excellence but struggled to understand the unknown. I’ve always desired to be a filmmaker. My guidance counselor told me that my race rarely succeeded in the film industry. I can’t begin to tell you how hearing this felt like the ultimate punch in the gut. Unfortunately, my journey to becoming a filmmaker would take longer than I thought.

My mother always taught us that being delayed doesn’t mean being denied. I eventually became a filmmaker. The journey that brought me to filmmaking started with audio. I have a background in Music Production and Technology and engineered sessions in the studio and on sets. I remember watching the directors, wishing that it was me. Unbeknownst to me, my time was quickly approaching.

Hurricane Katrina is something that I will never forget. The storm of all storms destroyed life as we knew it. I had no idea that it would be my opportunity to live out my dream. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was wiped clean of the past, causing everyone to restructure.

I bought my first camera, a Canon T2i, and started making videos. Once again, I picked up on the skillset quickly. Creativity and storytelling were two of my resources. Full Sail University polished my talent and skillset. The school also allowed me the ability to network with other industry workers. The opportunities to work slowly came in many forms. If you want to make a name in this industry, you have to get your hands down in the mud.

The ability to move fast often means you go at it alone. If you want to go far, then you will need others. I watched other filmmakers take shortcuts. Yes, I was jealous, but that was short-lived after learning that their work was subpar. I wanted my work to speak for me, and it did.

My advice to anyone who desires to work in the film industry is to give yourself time to grow. The ambition to make it overnight is often tempting but leaves you vulnerable. Focus on learning, networking, and adding value. It doesn’t matter what role you have, do it to the best of your ability. Industry decision-makers remember the value you bring to projects or lack thereof.

If you want to learn and grow daily – watch, listen and apply. Rinse and repeat. The area I live in doesn’t have a lot of places to do that. I advise that you move somewhere you can. Invest in books or courses. The more you feed your skillset, the more value you bring. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try other areas on set that you never thought possible. I believe you should know a little about a lot.

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

My name is Aloysius “Lo” Ballard. I am an award-winning Creative Director, Filmmaker, and Entrepreneur. If you want to know how I became all of those things, I can assure you we don’t have that much time. My journey was not the typical route for most. The first time I was on a film set was to record audio. I was assisting my good friend Director Justin Pearce (Katrina Diaries.) The opportunity with audio on set opened the door to my becoming a videographer.

Film production is only one facet of the services that I provide. I serve as a Creative Director. My role as a Creative Director requires me to mentor, motivate, and manage the creatives on my team. I encourage their creative ideas and observe their overall performance. Plus, assisting in hiring and managing freelance and full-time Copywriters, Graphic Designers, and other members. The Creative Director position allows the production or project to move forward without delay.

Creativity is a resource, and I learned that it isn’t easy for brands, companies, or projects to come by. If you have creativity within you, I encourage you to figure out your way to package and sell it. The culture tells new creatives to give it away freely, only to be left lacking.

Establishing a good name within your industry will serve you better than anything else. One of my favorite projects was documenting the reunion of Destiny’s Child after a long hiatus. Releve Entertainment worked with eOne, and Parkwood Entertainment to bring the ladies together for Michelle Williams’s hit single ” Say Yes.” Dr. Holly Carter offered me the documentary job as I was finishing another production. There was no time to prep, rest up, or discuss the inner workings. My name opened the door, and my work ethic and creativity allowed me to capitalize on it. I share this story because you never know when the call that can change everything will come, so stay ready!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

How do I manage a team and keep up morale? I would say that it starts with respect. My father taught me, that a leader is a standard when it comes to group dynamics. I never ask my team to do anything that I won’t or haven’t done. I’m always respectful of their lives and time. I also take time to hear their complaints as I work hard to find a solution. It is my experience that when you can consistently and genuinely execute this practice – your team will work hard to get the job done.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation is based off of consistentsy and producing solid results. As I type, this sounds so easy, but it was not. I have faced problems and challenges on all fronts, but my will always out-lasted my issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aloysiusballard.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/aloysiusballard
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AloysiusLoBallard
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aloysiusballard
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AloysiusBallardTV

Image Credits
Aloysius Ballard, Edgar Martinez