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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeWe were lucky to catch up with Michael DelVecchio recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think pure and simply, it’s about persistence and tenacity. Talent really isn’t enough. You have to marry talent with work ethic and the ability to take calculated risks in your life.
The most successful people I know had a goal or a vision and worked tirelessly until they achieved it. You have to be willing to get knocked down a couple of hundred times and even retrace ground you’ve already covered just to move a single step forward. Most people only see the highlight reel of successful people, but not the pain and sacrifice it took to get there.
I walked a pretty erratic path before my production company started to take off. I graduated college during the 2008 financial meltdown and had to take any job I could find because it was so hard to get one. I ended up accepting a temp position at Honda Finance and eventually moved to Hyundai where I was offered a permanent position and worked there for five years. I think my parents were relieved when I was offered a permanent job with benefits because it felt secure, but I always knew I didn’t belong there. Something was missing and I felt that every day. The term “permanent” is almost laughable to describe a job because of how many at will employment states there are. It’s the illusion of permanence, but nothing is guaranteed. That’s why starting my own business never really felt that scary to me. I recognized that nothing is permanent, but if you develop a certain level of proficiency in your field, you’re going to get work.
A few years into my job at Hyundai, I got called in for an interview at DreamWorks Animation (I had interned there in college). Every time I stepped onto that campus was a magical feeling. Just sitting in those offices filled me with excitement. I didn’t get the job though and I had to go back to working at Hyundai. I can’t tell you how depressing that was. To feel so close, only to regress backward into an awful corporate job sucked. But that’s what I mean about success. It’ll feel like you’re about to reach something, only to get knocked four steps back.
Michael, 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?
I direct and produce a broad range of commercial content including interviews, ads and brand stories. My production company, South Shore Media, specializes in pre-production, production and post-production work to meet the needs of clients both large and small.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Watching projects evolve and bloom into something you never anticipated. Creativity is always a process of discovery.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
It really started after I left my job at Hyundai. At the time, I had moved to another finance company where I thought I’d be happier. But I wasn’t. I was more miserable. Six months in, they laid off our entire department and I practically skipped into the parking lot I was so happy. That was the last time I ever worked in a corporate office.
The years following were filled with unemployment claims and a bunch of interviews at other finance companies. No one was hiring me. I even walked out of an interview, which I’ve never done before in my life. The feeling was so overwhelming. I walked back into the lobby and told the receptionist, “I’m sorry, but this job isn’t for me.” Instinct took over my entire being in that moment, and that instinct has served me well over the last few years. I think it’s important to know yourself well. If you don’t, other people are always going to have an opinion about what you should be doing, and you’ll listen to them. A lot of of the time, it can be the wrong advice.
While I was unemployed, I did a quick Google search for freelance film work and bookmarked it in my mind. It took another six months before I acted on it. I drove Lyfts and Ubers for a while which kept me afloat, but it started to wear on me. I was barely making it. Eventually I dusted off that freelance site and started to apply for work. I had a basic portfolio of projects I did while I was in school which helped me land my first job. I was paid $500 to shoot a social media ad for a fitness app. Suddenly, the money gave this legitimacy. I remember feeling this rush of optimism, like I was finally on the right track. I borrowed a friend’s camera, shot it, edited it, and the client loved it.
The following year I booked two more shoots. That was a real defining moment because I didn’t own a single piece of film gear at the time. I had no job and nothing to lose. So I bought a camera, a boom mic and a bunch of other equipment that I definitely couldn’t afford. It was the best decision I ever made.
There were still huge gaps between projects (I’m talking six months or more) so I had to fill in the time driving for Uber. Later that year, I landed an editing job for Jenna Dewan’s YouTube channel which was a great experience and taught me a lot because I felt like I had finally “made it”. If someone hands you a camera and you suddenly find yourself in a room with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan at the Director’s Guild in Hollywood, you’d feel the same way! I was pinching myself. It was just an unreal experience. But as the path to success undulates, they turned the project over to another editor after about 6 months and I was out of a job again. I told myself after that experience that I got myself into that room, and that I could get myself in there again.
2018 is when it all changed for me. That summer, a client replied to a proposal I sent out. As I learned more about the project, it felt different. That’s why I stress getting to know yourself well. When you do, you’re more dialed in to things and will be more willing to take risks. The client hired me on the job and I bought a whole bunch of film equipment again. This time, it was a complete lighting setup which brought my work to the next level.
I was renting a room from my aunt and uncle at the time and with zero indication that any of this would work out, I found an apartment, signed a lease and I’ve had a sustainable business ever since that moment. It’s hard to remember life prior to that moment now. I was feeling pretty hopeless only a month before my life changed course. That’s something to keep in mind when you feel like you’re stuck in the abyss.
Steve Harvey has a great quote about success. He compares it to jumping off a cliff but relying on your talents to break your fall. This has become sort of a religion of mine.
Harvey says, “When you first jump, your parachute will not open right away. You gonna hit them rocks. You gonna get some skin tore off on those cliffs … you’re going to be bleeding pretty bad. But eventually, the parachute has to open. If you ever want to get there, you’re going to have to jump.”
I have never regretted taking that jump. It’s only been four years since I can truly say this is my career, but it feels like a lot longer than that. I’ve been making movies since I was about 8 years old.
Every project is a new challenge and a new opportunity to improve my process. You are never, ever done learning. An insight I’ve come to realize is that you decide how big or small you want your life to be. Nobody hands you a job, a life or a house of your dreams. You have to build it yourself. We are in charge of our reality. But courage is a prerequisite to that. If you don’t believe in your abilities, you won’t be able to wield that kind of power.
I think what sets me apart from my competition is my ability to find the pulse of every project I take on. There are so many moments every day where I could deem a project “good enough” and walk away, but it’s very hard for me to stop there. I always push myself to dig deeper and transform material that might otherwise be mundane and boring into a meaningful, engaging and exciting experience.
If there’s anything I want people to take away from this, it’s that you can reverse your fortune at any time in life. I built a sustainable business from scratch and continue to build upon that foundation. I’m pretty proud of that. Once you navigate those waters, you can recognize patterns that make shifts in life and in business a lot less scary. I encourage people to find something that sets them on fire and then go for it. You only get better by practicing and by making some mistakes. You have to get your hands a little dirty. Life will be a lot more fulfilling once you do.
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