Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dawood Tafsir. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dawood, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

One thing you’ll see when applying for jobs in the media field is a degree. From my experience let me touch on what I do for a second. I am a freelance videographer with a specialization in Wedding Films and Comedy. I shoot high profile comedians touring nationally and create their content for social media. Something like this doesn’t come with a degree and basic college experience. You need to work in the field, have common sense, know the equipment and how the industry works, know how to build connections. It’s sink or swim, and a degree doesn’t help one bit.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started off taking photos for comedians. Even though I had already been doing freelance for 3 years at this point, I would get in touch and ask to do photos for free. It became a fun hobby for me in a world of chaos. I would enjoy the comedy shows and take photos of some of the largest guys. I ended up going to comedians like Nimesh Patel, Jeff Ross, Dan Soder, people who have been on Netflix, Comedy Central, and consistently performing at big clubs like the improv and the cellar. From there I got my first opportunity to film a set in Austin, Texas. The first video I made hit 1.1million views and I remember the comedian coming up to me and, really excitingly, telling me this video is going viral. I was ecstatic. From there it’s all up, I got in touch with more comedians, put my head down and went on the grind, and eventually got offered to go on tour with a few comedians. Here we are now, going to a different city almost every week and doing my thing..

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Gear isn’t everything. Unfortunately when you get to a certain level, your work becomes dependent on a form of gear. Starting out doesn’t mean you won’t get clients, all my equipment came from gigs and clients. People will see the money you can make in photography and think it’s easy to get there, but they’re not acknowledging the expenses involved. It’s a process of working to achieve more consistently. You start from 0 and build your way up. The beauty is, there’s no rush.

Any advice for managing a team?

When it comes to managing people to get work done, it’s important to remember they have lives too. They have things to do in their lives. Being understanding and empathetic is important while also making sure that progress is being done. It’s hard to manage someone, but it’s even harder to manage someone properly.

Contact Info:

• Website: Dtphotography.co
• Instagram: Instagram.com/ladoood_
• Other: Instagram.com/Dallasvideographerr