We were lucky to catch up with Jori Parson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jori, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

In a world where anyone has the resources to create and share with a great amount of people, It can be intimidating to create. because you wonder, what makes me special? How can I bring something different to the table? The tendency to copy & to form your image to fit what’s working for others is tempting. I hope to gain the courage to stain my work with the very essence of me. To be original. I hope to be remembered as honest and hardworking but, most importantly, I want to be remembered for being unapologetically myself.

Jori, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m 18 years old, and I’m a video creator (that’s how I like to put it). I primarily create sports videos and engage in creative projects for individuals, with plans to expand my horizons by collaborating with small businesses to utilize creative avenues of marketing and advertising. I handle all aspects of my video production independently, which is why I like to call myself a video creator rather than a videographer. I started in my high school’s Broadcasting Journalism/TV Production class, which placed a camera in my hands and ignited my passion for creating video content. I don’t have formal education in this field. Many filmmakers, video creators, and creatives, might agree that YouTube University is more than enough, lol!

What makes me proudest is the audience I’ve built, who appreciate my work and the support I receive. It might seem like a small accomplishment to some, but to me, as a creative, it’s significant when my hard work and passion result in people taking a moment to pay attention to what I have to share. While I often create content for those who hire me for my vision, there’s nothing quite like collaborating with other creatives on a joint project.

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

Chat GPT has been a great resource that I’ve taken advantage of recently. It can provide some great templates for things like shot lists, pricing strategies, creating packages to offer to clients, and suggesting things that should be put in contracts. I’m pretty young and I was attracted to the creative part of my craft, so it’s been a relief to have a machine that can help handle the business side of things. Pairing the use of chat GPT for the research, along with the experience of other creatives (on youtube or those you know personally) have definitely helped me cross new bridges.

How did you build your audience on social media?

A large portion of my social media audience have come from reposts. I started with doing a lot of high school sports videos and content, so I would tag every person that appeared in my videos whose Instagram I could find. 99% of the time they would repost on their stories, and comment, and from those stories I’d gain followers from other athletes, their friends, parents, and coaches. This greatly affected my outreach and grew my audience in just a few posts. Then posting consistently (which is an ongoing goal of mine) continues to grow support for my work and even encourages people to reach out for their own videos. People consume so much on social media daily, so you want to make sure you stay fresh on their minds by being active! Additionally, It is beneficial to follow, support and be vocal on other creatives’ pages! The golden rule really applies, in many cases if you show support for them and their work, they will be moved to do the same. After all, they understand your experience more than anyone else, so lean into the community! In fact, I have received great opportunities even from just commenting on another local photographer’s page in praising them! Additionally, support from other creatives really is encouraging and keeps me going.

Contact Info:

• Website: joriparson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorithehistorian/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jori-parson-392837281

Image Credits
Tracy Wood Franklin