We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eugene Wilson V a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eugene, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Going from an idea to execution has its fair share of challenges as many times there is not a one shoe fits all roadmap. Growing up I never thought about having a career in film production as I originally went to Michigan State University to study Music Composition. It was through music starting with playing drums for my church at age 5, to traveling with the Michigan State band that I learned what hard work and discipline, two words that are commonly loosely used, really mean. I wrote music for films and then one day I was inspired to create a film instead of just the music.

I switched majors and as a person who was used to practicing 8 hours a day, I quickly learned the fundamentals of video production. I started my film company ‘5th Media’ in my college dorm room and by the time I graduated, I was able to make a part-time job salary on my own.

The biggest challenge was scaling and I had to realize that it’s not about how good you are, but the most important factor in a successful business is marketing and your network. The first couple of years I found part-time film and marketing jobs that allowed me to learn more about the corporate business, marketing deals, film budgeting, and much more to help me get an edge as a young 22-year-old. If there’s one impressive thing, it’s a young educated business entrepreneur who can speak the language of other established millionaires.

Every success story has challenges and you never know who you will meet along the way. I’ve done commercials for Universities, various Advertising agencies, Credit Unions, and influencers. The individuals I’ve been able to work with from business ideas and concepts to perfecting my craft, it has had such a great impact on my career as a Cinematographer.

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

I am a Freelance Cinematographer that focuses on commercials, documentaries, and narrative styles of production. Businesses need advertising and good advertising includes great stories and beautiful images. Putting a story together that can positively influence a brand and even from the perspective of creating documentaries or films, being able to help inform or entertain viewers is something not everyone can find success in.

Outside of my work life, I love spending time with my family and traveling. I believe that every detail matters, in life and in film.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

So my finance funding story is different than other filmmakers in my field. I was able to self-fund personal projects and purchase basic camera gear for starters as I was able to find some success investing and trading in the stock market. Side note, I have a stock market newsletter business at www.5thinvestments.com which I’ve been slowly working on since I graduated college. I was able to save money from my part-time income and make another small percentage extra each month which allowed me to use stock market profits to purchase gear, and accessories, travel for meetings, and pay for mentorships and courses.

My best advice for those struggling to start a creative business is to work a normal job outside your passion for 1-2 years with the focus of saving as much as you can. A creative business is a field that only needs a high level of funding for marketing or once you have expanded to having employees.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are always resources you wished you had early, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It’s not always promised that the new information would have given you success. Although, if there is anything that could help someone I would say understanding how to pitch your service and not being afraid to advertise your service is something I would have practiced more early on. I can be the best Cinematographer in the world, but without a solid network, I will never stand out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.genewilsonv.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genewilsonv/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZiRp2j2lh9ebAxq_Yfy9fw

Image Credits
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