Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Josh Burton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Josh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on was my documentary, “Kyler Smith: Unfiltered,” which was my thesis project for the film program at Cleveland State University. This project had an impact on me because this was my first official documentary film I directed and also got to work with a trustworthy group of individuals to bring the film to life. The documentary follows Kyler Smith, a Cleveland radio DJ host and restaurant owner of ‘The Filter Experience,’ and his journey of success in entertainment and entrepreneurship. I started this project for my thesis but I wanted to make something I would be proud of inside and outside of school. I wanted the focus to be on a black owned business in Cleveland, to encapsulate the success that is possible, not only in Cleveland, Ohio, but anywhere. I was fortunate enough to have staff from my program get me in contact with Kyler Smith and Jarret Mines, the chef and close friend of Kyler who we also interviewed. Not only did I get an amazing story and background from them, but I also got to stay in contact with them, familiarizing myself more with people from the same city as me. I learned a lot more about them, learned a few things from Kyler and definitely more about the restaurant and how it came to be. This project has been accepted into film festivals such as Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, Short Sweet Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and recently got a 8-minute version aired on the “PBS” channel. This was all a huge honor and opportunity that I am very much proud of today and motivates me to create more films that inform and inspire.

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.

My name is Josh Burton and I am a director, cinematographer and editor. I have been in this industry ever since I picked up a camera when I was 12, creating videos on Youtube, to making videos on Vine. I have always been intrigued by film and the aspects of it. From the way things were shot, to the way things were edited, it showed me that anything is possible, especially if you have that longing to bring something to life. Although I where many hats within the film industry, editing has been the field that has stuck with me the most. When I was 17 I started getting more serious and experimental with visual effects, and by 18 I was gaining more freelance work involving music videos and editing motion graphics for promotional advertisement. Most problems I would solve would most definitely involve complicated visual effects that clients would have the vision for but not the time or know-how to execute. My most proudest visual effects work was a 3D animation I did for a Cleveland clothing brand’s collaboration, with the “Transformers: Rise of Beasts” movie, where I had to animate the brand’s logo with Optimus Prime transforming. This was a really cool and challenging opportunity because I got to get in contact with “Paramount Pictures” vfx team to coordinate the final composition. It sounded impossible at first and was a little challenging since 3D is a huge learning curve, but I got it done and I am still proud of the results to this day.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to forever expand my horizon in what I can do visually and cinematically. I want to keep creating projects, whether if it’s my own or for a client, where me and anyone I’m involved with can come up with new ways to display any story or visual idea. Collaboration is important when it comes to creating and I want to connect with more like minded people along the way. In order to ensure this, I will continue to grow my knowledge in this industry through editing and networking with as many people as I can.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is simply the joy of creating when you have a passion for a project you want to bring to fruition. Being able to come up with an idea and breathe life into it is the most intriguing part to me because everything starts in your head as an idea. We all have ideas but displaying that idea whether it’s publicized or not is something special and it’s in all the things we ever watched, saw and even heard. That creation has life to it because you put a part of yourself into it and that’s the most rewarding feeling in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Mekhi.Mov
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-burton-0455042b1/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAsDKx75B2M