We recently connected with James Castaneda and have shared our conversation below.
James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success is an opinion. Growing up, Hollywood allowed me to believe “Money equals Success.” It took me many years to understand Success is far more subjective than anything. For me, Success means Peace and often times Joy. It took many years to align my priorities properly when I entered my adult years while on the journey of self discovery, but once I developed a grip on my life, I found the answer to my success story.
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.
At a young age, I was always drawn to art. I felt this was my identity growing up, and it allowed me to be as expressive as I needed to be. This art turned into a deep passion for music in my teenage years. My mom always pointed out how passionate I would become about something, and that’s all I would care about. I pursued music for most of my life and was lucky enough to perform at my hometown NFL stadium with other phenomenal musicians. I believed this was my purpose in life.
A few years later, I moved to Arizona with my wife and planted a church campus with my family and best friends. I could practically lift my life and move everything to the state next door. Music was still a part of my life but began to collect dust as my family grew.
A couple of years into Arizona, the world went up in flames due to the infamous phrase: Covid-19. Along with the majority, fear began to settle. We were stopped as we were growing our small campus and rolling with momentum. We now had to figure out how to record and live stream our church and develop what we do digitally. After many moving pieces, this new task fell into my hands, and like before, a new passion was awoken. I had to enter this whole new world blindly and learn how to adapt and perform very, very quickly. With music, it was easy. I could have a minimal idea of a single instrument and then craft a whole song around it. I learned very quickly video production was quite the opposite. From lighting, audio, composition, coloring, etc., everything was practically a trade itself. I look at my original projects in absolute embarrassment, often asking, “What on Earth was I thinking?”
Like most artists, striving and pursuing excellence is a never-ending chapter. I understood this new animal I was discovering would be a challenge, but never have I been more fascinated by such a form of art. After much research alongside trial and error, I began to find my stride. I did some free work, landed my 1st paying job and thought, “I can make a living pursuing my passion.” This mindset changed everything in me.
I found that this all is much, much more than a camera. The idea of telling a story or capturing a moment to relive it is surreal. This became my new zeal, and I love everything about it.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
I believe I offer a quality product that speaks for itself, but what I find more exciting than the final video is the opportunity to learn the story of others. Whether it’s a wedding, short commercial, or brand promos, I find myself more invested in the people I work with which helps execute the best product I can offer. Because of this, the majority, by far, of my new clients are from referrals from the great people I’ve had the privilege to work with.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Like most Videographers and Photographers, our goal is to freeze time for our clients and to have something that will last a lifetime. Capturing a moment is one thing, but I have always done my best to turn Life into Art. The trust I have from my clients to create something as beautiful as I can not only motivates me, but inspires me to the fullest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zealproductionsaz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zealpro.az/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zealpro.az
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-castaneda/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7sluAzGyzXHr9-aEYnzBrQ
- Other: https://vimeo.com/zealproaz
Image Credits
Zeal Productions LLC David Weibel