We were lucky to catch up with Antrell McLean recently and have shared our conversation below.

Antrell, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

I have made it to the point where I am fully self-sufficient and taking care of my family through the efforts of my creative skillset and services. upon completing film school this journey took me about 5 years to accomplish, so I cannot say it was easy since day one.

The major key in getting to this point was learning the importance of networking and building strong relationships. The first thing I had to do was identify what exactly I wanted to accomplish in my field, then to determine what niche to focus on and sharpen my skillset.

Once I determined that I was my worst critic and let my clients evaluate my work (rather than myself being overcritical), I began to have fun in my field again. This led to better opportunities. I am a firm believer taht everything happens for a reason, so the timing and traction of my success happened as God and the universe intended.

Antrell, 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?

My introduction into the arts was in high school. I began writing songs and poetry at 14 and recorded my first song in the studio at 16 and built a project studio in my home at 25. I began to film my studio client’s night club performances around the time social media became normalized. When the abundance of YouTube musicians started to emerge, I saw a greater need for the services of a music video directors, so I applied for Full Sail University, completed the digital cinematography program and birthed GHME films in 2013. GHME films is a Media production company concentrating on Music Videos, Live stage production, Commercials, Wedding Videography, and documentaries. GHME is more than an acronym. the “Grind” defines a person’s work ethic, so if you (G)rind (H)ard, you will (M)eet (E)xpectation anytime you set out to achieve a goal.

What I am most proud of, is how my company has expanded. The fact that I get to influence people with my art is truly a blessing. Not only do I get to produce services that are seen and impact people around the world, but I also get to share my knowledge and skills with others so that they may develop their own love for the art of filmmaking. This is a responsibility that I don’t take for granted, at all.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I never looked at the arts like a side hustle, it was always my career, that I didn’t focus enough on at first (by that, I mean my 20’s). I got a job at 22 and turned that into a career, that would eventually fund my way back to the arts. So, as I matured in life, I knew that my job wasn’t going to make me happy, and I decided to enroll in school. The decision to take digital cinematography instead of audio production is one of the key milestones that got me to where I am today.

While I was working in my job, I took advantage of the advancements in that field. By doing that I was able to get the experience I needed of managing and collaborating with teams to scale my business to where it is today. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I used my job to fund my exit plan and teach me how to manage my business.

Always Dream a Dream

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During one of my advancement opportunities, I moved 800 miles away from my family to New Hampshire in the beginning of the winter season. I had no clue what I was walking into, and I was definitely unprepared. This was not necessarily a business pivot but much more of a life pivot. During this time is when I made the decision to turn the side hustle into my full-blown career.

This was one of the hardest decisions in my life…. I left my newborn son at 30 days old, moved into a tiny cold apartment and had to mentally face my fears and deal with my demons in order to get me to the mindset to focus on true happiness. A major turning point was when I showed a professor a project that I flew back to NC to film, and he asked me……Why are you here managing custodians? At that point I think everything clicked!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ghmefilmsonline.com
• Instagram: @ghme_films
• Facebook: @ghmefilms
• Youtube: @ghmefilms