We were lucky to catch up with Fred Grant recently and have shared our conversation below.

Fred, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

If you have any experience running your own company or working in the film and video industry, you’ll find that you’re often overworked and underpaid. The less you make, the more you need to work—it’s a vicious cycle. However, I can tell you that it is possible to take vacations or pursue hobbies. My mom said something to me once that I believe is a universal law: “People make time for the things they want to do.” Ever since I heard her say that, I’ve observed and found it to be the truth in every instance. You want to learn an instrument? Make it the first thing you do when you get home instead of watching TV. You want money for travel? Stop spending all your money on drinking over the weekends. It’s as simple as that. It takes discipline, but I can assure you that it is possible. Take some time to make a schedule of what you do each day (and I mean everything). Make bulk meals that last you for a few days, eat while you’re working, and literally find any time you’re doom scrolling on your phone to reflect on that. There is so much time that you’re wasting that you aren’t even aware of until you start paying attention. My motto is, “If you don’t learn one new thing each day, then you have wasted that day.”

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

My name is Frederic James Grant V, and I am a video professional. At an early age, I had a passion for video games and animation, which eventually evolved into video throughout high school. I attended film school at Georgia State University and used the connections and skills I learned there to obtain a few internships. From there, I started my own LLC and have been working as a contractor in the industry for the past 15 years in Georgia, California, and Washington.

Funny enough, most of the skills I’m most proud of are self-taught. In my spare time, I coordinated many passion projects that forced me to learn new skills and wear many hats. As a small business owner, I have handled tax forms for contractors, learned legal procedures, managed projects, worked with investors, and coordinated events. These skills have helped me secure job after job and make a living for myself.

My passion is directing video productions, but I have done everything from scriptwriting to submitting the final cut. Things are changing fast, and it’s important to keep improving by learning the latest technologies and processes. I have attracted most clients because of my abilities in editing, motion graphics, and VFX. First, it was Avid, then Final Cut, and now the Adobe Suite. Now AI is the future, and who knows where things will go from here. The industry is always changing, and it’s essential to stay on top of things. Recently, I have been teaching myself Unreal Engine and have two games finishing production. In the future I would like to combine my love for travel and my passion for making videos to document my adventures.

I am proud of my ability to adapt, manage my time, and maintain a positive attitude during projects. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m eager to see what the next few years have in store.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After college, a film friend and I decided to pursue “the dream” and move out to Los Angeles. We spent every weekend making short films, attending networking events, and improving our skills. It took all of our energy just to create a product, let alone market it and submit it to festivals. No money came from any endeavors, and we became jaded after the 50th time of being told “no” or straight up being ghosted altogether. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” After eight years I finally started getting some traction, and then COVID-19 hit and all the momentum was halted to a standstill. During this time, I reassessed the reason why I was even doing any of this. I was able to find purpose and reignite my creative passions, which drastically improved my storytelling abilities. My first video game was the first passion project of mine that earned financial returns, and I’m super proud of that. I am actually currently in the third act of my pivoting stage, and I’m excited to see how I come out the other side.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lie I was ever told was in 7th grade. One of my teachers told me that life wasn’t a competition, but she could not have been further from the truth. We are always competing in everything, especially in the video and marketing industries. I wish that wasn’t the case, but that’s where we’re at these days. As someone who didn’t really care what others thought, I was forced to start caring. Company politics are real.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fredgrantstudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grant_films/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrantFilmsLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-grant-4ab87637/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@derf0007