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

Hi Jacob, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

The term successful I feel Is normally used improperly. When I used to think of success I would think of rich, big house, perfect life, and a fancy car. The more that time goes by since I’ve started my business in 2018 and the more I grow in my career, I’ve come to realize that this is success. Being able to wake up everyday and choose to work, and not have to work. I get to take on my own projects, I can say no when I want. It’s taken a long time to get to this point of being able to say no to things but it’s finally happened.
I can choose projects that fit my lifestyle, goals, and work life balance. I still work a lot, which I am super grateful for, but I no longer feel the fear of next week of not being able to pay bills. I make enough to support myself, and to hire local friends in the industry, I have a place to live, all the camera gear I dreamt as a kid, and a life that I no longer wish to escape from. This is success.

Jacob, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jacob Doucette, I am 29 years old, and I am from the seacoast of NH. I am a business owner, video producer, director, camera operator, drone operator, and video editor. I work for my own company Phitted Media, and many others around new england. I had always been into photography, and kept practicing with video here and there, posting on social media, and making fun edits. I went to school to become a welder/fabricator and that’s what I did for a few years. I kept practicing video until I was able to get a few clients, and met another videographer that needed help shooting wedding films and real estate. I was able to work under him, and still occasionally do.
I pride myself on getting here by working with other local creatives. If it wasn’t for all of the people that i’ve worked with over the years learning from I would’ve never gotten here.
The creatives I’ve worked with are some of the best in the industry, and all have there own niche. It’s made me become comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Weather it’s directing something I had no Idea I would be, hosting an interview with someone very nervous, lighting a very tricky scenario or overcoming gear issues because we forgot something at the office.
My favorite thing that I get to do is go into a business or industry I know very little about. Hosting interviews, and filming the folks at work who make the business tick. I’ve been lucky enough to learn about so many industries, and local businesses.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Something that I deal with, and see is people who aren’t in this industry don’t quite understand it. They tend to see someone who has an unstable job, and a job that is more of a work of love than financial stability. Sure we may not have benefits, health care, 401k, or PTO, but honestly over the 5 years I’ve been freelance I have not missed those things.
We make up for those things, and for me, the corporate work I do pays enough to cover those things. I have great health care through the state for small business owners, it’s even better than some people I know with a high up corporate job.
So for someone who wants to be in the film industry, photographer, or any small business, I promise you aren’t alone in getting the resources you need and they are out there.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have had the same instagram since 2013, and I grew a big following for my automotive photography. I found my love of photography through my love of cars, and going to car shows and wanted to take photos at them. Since then a lot has changed and I don’t post automotive things anymore. I post behind the scenes of my shoots, nature, and landscapes from my travels. I don’t get nearly the interaction as I used to but I don’t let It discourage me. I try and stay consistent at posting stories, and the occasional reel, and post. I’ve realized that I care more about the word of mouth, and my own community seeing my work rather than thousands of people on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.phittedmedia.com
• Instagram: @phitted_media, @phitted_jake
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@phittedmedia8062

Image Credits
Photos of me taken by Meagan_Explores