We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jae Oates. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jae below.
Hi Jae, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Back in 2018, no one could’ve made me believe I would be where I am today or even achieving things in the direction I’m headed. After all, I have just been fired from my full-time job as a claims-adjuster and it was the day before Thanksgiving.
Part of me knew that I had always wanted to be given an opportunity to go out on my own as a full-time creative and filmmaker but I had a family that included a pregnant wife and children to support. I wrestled with my fantasies of taking advantage of this opportunity the universe had given me or to possibly struggle and give my own family the same life in poverty and financially brokenness that I grew up in. (The sink or swim moment in my life)
At this moment in I knew what the risks were and I had to weigh them accordingly. Take a chance at winning on my own terms or give someone else the power over me again to let me go? The day I was fired, I knew that if I could just have an opportunity to be great, I would. My wife came home one day and said these golden words, why don’t you try going for it this time? You’ve wanted to since I’ve known you, what else do we have to lose and you can always go and get a job.
Long story short, the rest of what I saw as odds stacked against me, I used as opportunity to thrust myself into content and commercial filmmaking and today I’m still going strong
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I always knew that storytelling was a gift of mine, I just didn’t know visuals where my main key to success. I was a songwriter in the music industry and while you’re making money selling songs and producing things you have to figure out ways to provide in between. I used my own camera to provide my own content because it was expensive and i couldn’t afford another expense.
I learned everything I could about cameras and creating video that I could with the old Canon t7i that I had at the time. I started to study film in my free time and produce the best qualities of visuals I could for myself – which in turn made everyone I worked with in the industry turn to me for their own content. Fast forward to 2018 after I was let go from my 9 to 5, I used the camera full-time to propel me into commercial film.
I produced a visual campaign that was picked up by a large brand and they began to run my visual as a ad. This is how I found my formula for pitching content to brands and businesses and also what landed me in commercial film and visual storytelling at a larger scale
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn was the African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”.
After my first take at film in business failed due to losing key people to life happenings and other things within the business. I realized how much I relied on others within the business and so out of frustration I created a mindset that said, “Next time, I’ll be able to do it all myself” that way I wouldn’t have to depend on anyone else. (I was mistaken).
Once I got back in business, doing things alone only allowed me to hit everything but “the top”. I hit fatigue, burnout and every creative wall there is because there we no systems in place and no one who could help me execute. I eventually stepped out of my own way and got it right but not before bumping my head a few times.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is very simple, “get better, go bigger”. I know that if I’m always striving to be a better version of myself, I will continue to require more of myself. I’ve always had a knack for going for the biggest fish and in order to for that you have to be the best version of yourself on the playing field to give yourself the best shot
Contact Info:
- Website: jaeoates.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jaeoates
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaeoates?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaeoates
- Other: broadercastinc.com
Image Credits