We were lucky to catch up with Black Magic Tim recently and have shared our conversation below.

Black Magic, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us 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?

In my 35 year journey into Filmmaking, the key ingredient to success is finding a niche, perfecting it and crushing it like no other. When I first began in the late 80’s that niche was easier because there were very few professional black filmmakers in the area shooting on Film. Ironically my initial niche was offering more affordable productions in 16mm and 35mm film for local music video artists.

Typical music video budgets of the era started at 50k and we were doing them at half that price. This not only help the growth of my first company Black Magic Cinemaworks, but put me into the limelight of a go to filmmaker.

However around 2000 the advent of DV / HDV and affordable digital cameras began to emerge. Then a strange new camera that looked like a ray gun was developed called “THE RED” camera. This prototype and other more affordable camera systems destabilized my niche and democratized professional productions quite drastically over the next 10 years. I also started a company called Cyberstorm Digital around this time that would be focused on this leap from film to digital production. However, that change happened quicker than i expected.

Digital Video was taking off. This forced me to sell my film gear and reluctantly move into film making with video cameras to compete with the dropping budgets and influx of new filmmakers who also had access to these lower cost tools. During this time, I did not do as well financially and struggled forcing me to create more visually intensive work. This moved me more from shooting to Visual Effects and post along with shooting and directing, Becoming a jack of all trades!

However the Budgets were much lower and more energy was put into creating visually appealing images all by myself to offset the costs of a race to the bottom approach that was starting to emerge in a more competitive world of easily accessible film tools.

During this time, I was working 10x harder and making 10x less. Even tho my work was amazing it also was getting less attention and less prestige as also I was taking on clients that were also start ups and also didn’t have the means to get national exposure like some of my earlier film clientele.

Eventually I began making my own Visual Effects film called Vector 2033 in an attempt to bring attention to my skillset. However this film ran me into credit card debt and consumed all my time from working any opportunities that would generate money. Even though i was unable to complete the film, the trailer started getting attention from many art communities. One of which lead me into what would be my next niche market.. Nollywood.

Koby Maxwell, a Ghanaian Music artist, introduced me into the world of Nollywood. A genre of film that was greatly unknown but had a strong ecosystem of DVD and VHS sales and was generating 8 billion a year. However the production quality was extremely sub par and boarded on amateur filmmaking, However this closed ecosystem was loyal. I agreed to help Koby in his vision to increase the quality of Nollywood and attempts to bring it to the mainstream, under the condition we would use the best available techniques to elevate the quality.

I spent 7 years in Nollywood and we created several films together with 3 of them making a major impact in Nollywood film saturation into the USA. One Night in Vegas and Paparazzi Eye in the Dark were 2 of those award winning films. However once again, I did not reap the financial rewards need to keep me afloat as a full time Filmmaker and Cinematographer.

Frustrated, I knew I had to re invent myself and stay relevant, I began to focus more on emerging technologies. My new company, which i started in 1997, was called Cyberstorm Digital: Advanced Visual Technologies.. also needed a re invent. The whole premise of my company when i started it was seeing that organic film was turning digital and that a storm was coming to change the landscape. A revolution of technology that would change how people interacted with tech and used it to make video and film. Re embracing my original vision I began filming Youtube tech videos and going to NAB every year. during this journey, I began to purchase alot of things i could not afford but i took a gamble on my vision. I saw myself as the Cinematographer from the future who used advanced and often non traditional methods to brand myself.

I purchased a 2015 Ford Transit 350 xlt midroof truck and turned it into a mobile command center, I bought a segway and and exo suit and created a fast moving steadicam system straight out of a sci fi film. I began to brand myself as a futuristic film making machine on the front end, while on the back end becoming more financially literate and networking savoy,. The goal was to re invent myself every 4 years while creating a strong network of fellow creatives. in doing this, my circles and networks began to change and evolve. in order to survive, thrive and eventually grow i needed to associate with more like minded entrepreneurs who also survived solely on there craft. It was during this phase from 2017 till now in 2021 i began to see the biggest impacts and trajectory in my career as i began to build stronger bonds and establish longer history in the field of film. The stage was being set for finally re establishing my earlier 90’s success when the unthinkable hit.

Covid 19!

That shut down we all experienced became the defining moment for me. I had come so far and mad so many leaps fwd only now to be kicked back to the beginning was completely unacceptable. where others ran away from the fire, i ran into it. There was an ever increasing need for remote video services, streaming, and camera work. However while most of the world was bunkered down, i was the one taking the calls and doing the work that others were fearful to do. I didnt know it at the time but it was the perfect storm for me. My mobile command center came into play alot more as a remote studio. I began streaming for alot of clients who needed to continue reaching their audience. I still went out in my advanced tech, suited up in an astronaut suit and did work and business exploded x3.

It was the exact moment when preparedness met opportunity and branding pointed clients to me. From 2021 to 2023 my profits moved into mid 6 figures. Making up for all the losses form the decades before in a short time. I learned that you may not know how your dream will manifest, but if you stay the course, believe and invest in yourself and never give up… the universe has no choice but to grow the seed you planted and nurtured.

Today in 2024, I have more contracts, resources and opportunities than ever before and as a result i have been able to outsource my overflow to other growing filmmakers who share my similar path. I have begun to move into Embodied AI robot cinematography and AR/VR. Everyone’s journey is different. What worked or didn’t work for me may work or not work for you but the key is always find your niche, do that only and crush it. But this long journey has put me in a place to earn a full time living from my creative work and soon to be able to even retire from it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Adapt or Die, True today and true yesterday, Today everyone is worried about AI taking their jobs, in the 2000’s, I was worried about digital video taking my film work. From 1989 to 1998, I had several 16mm and 35mm film cameras and was doing a lot of Electronic press kits (EPK’s) and Music videos for national artists. That 10 years of growth and acquisition of gear was challenged by the newly emerging digital cinema market. At that time, much like today, every one said it will never be as good as film. But HD cameras and a new camera called the RED, were starting to make headlines about replacing film. Eventually it did. Forcing me to sell my film gear as the cost to create productions went down, and more people had access to cheaper gear and more competition became to flood the market. I didn’t adapt at that time and basically died for a time, as work dried up for about 3-4 years. During that time, I was struggling to find work often times working with greater creativity and making far less money just to stay relevant. As time went on, I did eventually adapt to Video for cinematography over film and found that now I had to compete in a new way as having film(video) gear alone was not a barrier for entry anymore.

Since that time, I have seen the rise and fall of various technical advancements such as lighting, computing, writing software, 3d animation, editing, Visual Effects. All of which lead me to understand that if you are not staying bleeding edge on what’s next and adapt, you will die. This is what inspired me to start my company Cyberstorm Digital Advance Visual Technolgies, as I could see that being resilient to change was a key ingredient to survival and embracing the next innovation before others, was the only way to achieve longevity in any industry.

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

The most rewarding aspect to what I do is that I am able to to be apart of history first hand and see and do things the average person would never get to experience. I have met the most powerful people of our time, I have been to historical and locations people only dream to see. I have help shape opinions and change narratives. Playing in the Capitol, Exploring the Pentagon, Catching Laughs with John Lewis, On stage with Wutang, watching Leaders rise to power, Seeing and being in movements that impact the nation. These are the things filmmaking has done for me that surpasses all the initial struggle. I have been a flu on the wall of history in the making.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business? 
Raising capital for one’s dreams is can be a challenge, especially if you are not surrounded by people who have money to support or even understand your ideas. Over the 36 years I have been in business, there have been many things that have increased my growth and staggered it. However, the key ingredient has always been believing in yourself, investing into that believe and always evolving, reinventing yourself. Earlier on, most of my funding came one job and one new piece of equipment at a time. Which lead to more money as I didn’t have to outsource the newly acquired gear via rentals.

It wasn’t into later in life that I realized the one of the greatest ways to raise capital was to change your network of associates. I used to work alot with my “friends” who also wanted to make movies. However, they also had jobs on the side. This means they not only couldn’t fully invest their time into for filling our collective dreams but they also were not building a stronger network of clients or relationships with others who were full time in this industry. You only can be as great as the top 5 people you’re associated with daily. As time went on, I developed closer alliances with people who thrived in their respective fields, as they also did it full time and it there was no plan B. People who had families, houses, cars, gear and clients with prestigious pedigree. When you find this network of vets, this is the time to showcase your unique skillsets and in a way that doesn’t not compete with theirs but adds to it. My skillset at that time was ROBOCAM. A movi pro gimble, mounted to an exosuit by Tilta and riding a segway. This super stabilized system not only offered a unique addition to what my colleagues were doing but also help brand my own style as a futuristic camera operator who could offer fast and smooth b roll to productions. This simple yet innovated unit generated over 1 million in additional revenue for me over 4 years time, as I was consistently working as a gimble operator. This, along with other unique talents I was able to do aside gimble work definitively jumpstarted my company’s growth as an advanced visual technology company.
This lead to greater opportunities , experience and top 5 relationships. But also more funding.

Overtime I was able to not only buy more and more equipment, my unique skills were getting the notice it needed to propel me into getting my own contracts that in turn lead me to then become 1 of those top 5 players that others who were like me seek to build relationships with. At the end of the day, its not about how much gear you own, not even as much talent as you have but the strength of your network and then that network can count on you to deliver, without fail. The other stuff helps of course, but trust and building a legacy of consistent excellence ultimately provides access to funding that allows you to grow at a rapid rate.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cyberstormdigital.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmagictim
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLACKMAGICTIM
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blackmagictim
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/BLACKMAGICTIM
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Blackmagictim
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cyberstorm-digital-washington
• Other: https://linktr.ee/blackmagictim