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

Drew, appreciate you joining 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.

I’ve always had an interest in the Creativity and Arts. As a kid I really liked creative things and using my imagination. My first initial jump into creativity was Black and White photography. Black and White photography was my first love and really taught me the basics of photography and composition. Learning how to develop film, use a light meter, develop your own prints, a lot of mistakes were made and even more lessons learned. Being in Photography got me involved with the yearbook in high school , which taught me graphic design & digital photography. I enjoyed the idea of mixed media, I went into graphic design pretty heavy. After getting confident in Adobe creative suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) I went on to community college. I discovered Videography and Cinematography as a Major. I was immediately intrigued because of my love for Movies and TV. I switched my major to Media Production, transferred to Towson University ( Go Tigers) ,majored in Electronic Media & Film. After graduating I started studying people I admired, directors, creatives and just watching everything. I wanted to be a sponge and absorb anything I thought could be useful. The best teacher was experience, I did a bunch of free work before being able to charge for it. Those years taught me the most, skill wise and the worth of my skills. Following that I started charging and reinvesting into myself. Putting myself out there allowed me some great opportunities and experiences. I learned new software (Lightroom & Premiere Pro). This really allowed me to freelance at a high level, get better equipment and provide a great client experience.

I don’t know if I could have sped things up, I think my trajectory worked out for me. I had some lessons to learn first before I could succeed. I had to learn to fail, get back up and overcome obstacles that you face being an entrepreneur. Perseverance , Discipline & Consistency are paramount lessons to learn.

I didn’t have success super early, it was a grind. I had to push myself, question myself, and keep showing up even when I didn’t see progress. Ultimately the timing for me was perfect, patience has been really big for me. I used to stress about getting gigs and trying to figure it all out. Once I stopped that, focused on the work and poured my passion into it, the money, equipment, opportunities & recognition all came.

I will list the skills I find most important-

1. Personable- I pride myself on having good relationships with all my clients, it’s important to show respect, be courteous and provide value.

2. Base knowledge of Media Production – Base Knowledge,Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed, composition, lighting, audio basics and basic graphic design.

3.Problem solver- you don’t have to have all the answers you just have to know where to find the answers.

4. Calm/Patient- Give your Client grace, people make mistakes, people get flustered, nervous, angry etc. If you can stay calm in these situations and still deliver great service. This will get you a lot of callbacks.

5. Surprise & delight- under promise over deliver, clients appreciate Professionalism and it’s always good to show you’re in top of your work.

Obstacles
1. Time- sometimes you have to make the time for what you love, the world doesn’t stop.

2. Money- gear is expensive, you have to make an investment.

3.People- you will have plenty of people on your journey write you off, not believe in you , that can be discouraging but stay the course.

4. Settling- I know everything I need to know- horrible mindset, be a lifelong learner things are always changing.

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.

Im Drew, I’m a Towson University Graduate with a Degree in Electronic Media & Film. I have a Passion for Art , Media & Movies.

I have been Freelancing Professionally since 2016. I’ve worked with Corporate clients (Under Armour, ESAB) Non-Profit Organizations (BGC Metropolitan Baltimore,Baltimore Community Foundation ), and individuals for video ,photography and media consulting services.

I specialize in Quick-turn Videography & Photography, I enjoy working with non profits and social enterprise organizations. I also specialize in corporate video & photography for Medium to XXL Brands.

I solve media problems and identify the individual needs of each of my clients and create a strategy that is inline with their brand and values.

What sets me apart from others would be my Passion for Creativity, My Mellow demeanor, Go with the flow attitude ,consistent High Quality Work and Commitment to Excellence. I love what I do and I want that to show in every project I do.

I’m most proud of being aligned with some really great organizations in Maryland, that are giving back to the community. I get the pleasure of documenting that and being apart of it. It’s truly a blessing to see the work being done first hand and meeting all the amazing people behind the scenes.

I would want potential clients to know that if you hire Drew Stephens Productions you are entering into a partnership that is conducive to success and cares about your growth. |

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I remember I was about 4 years in to my freelance journey and it was tough. I had work but I wasn’t getting paid & it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing. All I knew was that that if done properly this could lead to some paid opportunities. I completed 4 videos in about a week and had just gotten an inquiry. This was a person I worked with at Under Armour at the time and they asked if I could edit a video. As I read the request I thought to myself today is the day. I responded by saying I was interested but would need to be compensated for this. About 5 minutes later I received an email saying that they didn’t have the budget to pay me. So I at there as the cursor blinked in my outlook and after debating it in my head for a few minutes. I wrote back that I wouldn’t be able to take the request without payment and said they could contact me if they reconsidered. After the initial feeling of pride washed away, doubt crept in and I started wondering. Did I just ruin my shot by asking to be paid for my work?! I went home that evening and it seemed like the longest night of my life. I put my phone on silent and went to bed. I got to work early to get a smoothie. I get to my desk and to my surprise I have an email. The request from yesterday had now become urgent and they were willing to pay me for my work, “ name your price” was typed in the email. After the initial shock of reading the email a few times, I calmly replied and was paid $250 for a video edit. From there the work types and requests began to come in faster, word was traveling fast. I was working really fast and turning over multiple projects a week. That’s how I got into the niche of quick turn media services. By standing my ground I got my first significant break in the freelance game.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I remember being about 5-6 years into freelance, had been getting more work and expanding. I wanted to try to be creative full time. My mentors had been teaching me a lot and I felt comfortable to apply to jobs. A job opened up at Under Armour and I applied. I knew a good amount of people on the team ,they had seen some of my work. I went to the first interview the person told me they would move me on to the next round. I started to think I had a great shot. I was preparing for the interview in the coming weeks. I get an email about a week later that I’m no longer being considered for the role. I didn’t really know what to make of it, I was hurt and felt like I wasn’t any good. So after pulling myself together I took a piece I had done to one of my mentors and told him to critique me like it was for a campaign. He let me have it, he pointed out a lot of little things that can make your work sloppy and basics I had gotten lazy on. He directly told me to step my game up and do the work I’m capable of.

From there I really started to become a student of the game again, just because I knew something doesn’t mean I knew the nuggets of real value. I started watching videos, podcasts, books, Ted talks, taking notes like a mad man. I had 5 mini waterproof notebooks I filled up over a 2 year period. I really learned some vital lessons and crucial skills that I previously didn’t have.

As a result of this I was able to get onto some bigger projects and Under Armour, networked, got Gigs with old coworkers who saw me putting the work in after the rejection. Staying the course after that setback was difficult but ultimately helped me see my truth path and I never looked back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.DrewStephensProductions.com
• Instagram: DrewStephens_Productions
• Facebook: Drew Stephens Productions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-stephens007