We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Kniffel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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.

There are a million ways into this business and into video work in general. For me it was skateboarding. That was my first opportunity to be around enthusiastic, adventurous people that just wanted to create for the sake of creating. That was really inspiring and eye opening for me. But inspiration only gets you so far. The only way to get better at anything is to get reps and do the work. Making lots of videos is the only way to get better at making videos. Because these particular reps take lots of time, focus, and trial & error, I don’t really see a good way to speed up that learning process. Other than time, the biggest obstacle I see folks run into is the belief that they know the one “correct” way to create something. Dogmatic thinking can trip people up and prevent necessary evolution and learning.

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.

I got my start in branded content and product integrations when I was working for the TV show, Extra! Back then, we were experimenting with developing less obtrusive, less traditional marketing and commercial content that wasn’t so heavy handed. I found that kind of content really exciting and effective, and that experience became the roots of the work we’re doing now with Tire Swing Media. We’re a video solutions company…we develop and produce television and digital-first media of all kinds—social media, corporate video, post production services. Basically, if your company has any kind of video need, we can help.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

This is a hard question, because so many of my creative endeavors aren’t mine alone. I’ll always be noodling with personal projects that are just for me, but professionally, I’m driven by engaged customers and satisfied clients. I know that seems corny, but I do consider those to be real badges of honor. If what we produce helps to build a loyal and engaged customer base and real, measurable results…our clients are happy and we’re happy. That’s the ultimate goal.

Any advice for managing a team?

I’ve always subscribed to the idea that there’s no substitute for enthusiasm. I make a consistent effort to stay curious and excited about this challenging work and I try to build teams who share that passion and enthusiasm. I believe that if I’m excited and ready to greet any challenges that come, my teams will be too. So far, that approach has served me and the company well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tireswing.tv/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tireswingmedia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TireSwingMedia/
• Twitter: https://x.com/tireswingmedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TireSwingMedia

Image Credits

Alex Weisman