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

Rare, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

A risk that changed everything for me was when I quit my job to shoot videos full time. I was working at Champ’s Sports selling sneakers for about a year when I finally decided to quit. I felt like I was wasting my time there (even though I was making money) because I was making more money shooting videos, but couldn’t devote more time to working on them due to work and college. I was already contemplating my departure for a couple of weeks before the day came, and when it happened, it wasn’t how I had originally planned. The store was coming under new management and they had sent other manager-level people in from other stores to run things until they found a replacement. The new people were being disrespectful to me & by the time they were asking for my availability for the next week I had just said “just take me off the schedule” and walked out. This was late-2019. I have not worked another “regular job” since.

Rare, 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 go by “Rare Xano” creatively I am a Director/Editor/Photographer
I like to do VFX & shoot VHS + Film as well as digital.
I think my vision, execution & relationships I have with the artists is what sets me apart from other videographers. Nobody can put a video together exactly like me. I’m proud of the fact that I work with a lot of artists whose music I actually enjoy, which makes working on the project a lot easier + makes the outcome better in my opinion.
I want potential clients + fans to know that I am always looking to improve my skills & find new, creative ways to bring their vision to life.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Last summer, I put my last $2500 into a music video with promotion for “Want It” by Ajay Izzany & Deric. Deric had made the hook & was going to scrap the song, but I asked him to send it to me & let my homie (Ajay Izzany) get on it. I had played the beat + hook for Ajay, helped him put together a verse, had iLLWiNK record it, and sent it back to Deric. He ended up liking it. I presented “Want It” to Deric’s manager to see if we could get the song put out if I were to shoot a video for it. He had said “yes” but It could release on my YouTube channel instead of Deric’s channel. After that, I started putting everything together in terms of what we needed to shoot the video (models, locations) and the rest is history. I was worried a little at first because Youtube wouldn’t allow ads to be ran on the video (because of the swimsuits and stuff) so instead, I spent the last couple hundred dollars on promotion for the video on instagram. This brought enough attention to my page to where I gained multiple new clients and made all my money back that I spent on the video + more.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

To me, the process and the release of the work itself is the most rewarding part. Whether the process of working on the project is smooth or rough, the experience will serve as useful learning for future projects. I’ve learned to do a lot of the effects I’ve done because the project I’m working on at the time called for it it to be added. I learn as I go. The release is rewarding because I can show what I’ve learned and most of the time its well-received. Plus, after the work is finished, I can start reflecting & ask myself questions like “what can I do better on in the next video?” & start trying to figure out how to improve from there.

Contact Info:

• Website: rarexano.com
• Instagram: @rarexano
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RareXano

Image Credits
Rare Xano, Kayode Opeifa, Aaron Bueno, The12Factory