We recently connected with Sean Lott and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

Wow, if I was starting over today film and video production would be so much easier due to the advancements in social media, not even taking into consideration the new movement by AI. Things are just so much easier for content creators. Getting your work out to the masses has never been easier than it is today. Back when I got started, there were still many avenues you had to go through. Whether those avenues involved sending your card to specific companies or agencies or trying to find a certain telephone number or email to get in contact with a secretary praying that they would send a message you had to the proper person in charge. Today you can just post a video or comment on social media do something crazy for a buzz and millions can see that within seconds. All you have to do is sit back and see how many people like what you love to do and wait for the calls & offers to roll in.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I stumbled into the industry. Don’t get me wrong. I always loved film & always had a passion when it came to movies and television, but my main priority was music production. I always thought that I was an artist, never thought that I wouldn’t be able to apply those skills in the film world or video demographic, but I was wrong. I was in college online at Full Sail University for recording arts. At that time they sent all students a MacBook, full of software which included Adobe Suite. That was my introduction into video editing. I started putting my music to certain videos and other commercial projects. I was living in Columbus, Ohio at the time and decided to move back to Youngstown, my hometown. A friend of mine gave me a job at his media company. He literally let me work there for almost 2 years researching the in’s & outs of video production. The thing was I was studying movie production & should’ve been researching music video production. So everything I filmed looked cinematic due to that. Finally, I got my first gig for $200 filming a local hip-hop act & after that the word spread. I gave people discounts to film their music videos just to perfect my craft. I would often sneak in venues, film content & sell it back to opening artists & celebrities’ management which worked out great. One show in particular, I was backstage waiting for The Clipse to walk in the venue & I saw Pharrell’s cousin, which was their road manager or something at the time arguing with their camera guy. I guess he fired him on the spot & this was a few minutes before showtime. I filmed the whole concert off of just having a camera in my hand backstage. I remember Pusha grabbing me & said, “Let’s go! I’m a walk in from this side and do this when the fire comes up be sure to catch that,” etc. We ended up developing a good relationship and from that I moved onto major platforms doing commercials and creating content with Young Money Cash Money Billionaires (YMCMB), Cash Money Content, Roc Nation and more. I also had a good run in the fitness world working with a company that Arnold Schwarzenegger had allied with to create his first supplement line. I did that for almost 4 years as lead of content creation for his line & that company. That’s where I learned a lot about business. I restructured how I did business & everything I produced after that. Which brings me to my current endeavor, building & and operating a major film production studio.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Yeah Covid was approaching & everything in the film/video world was basically a no go. On the indie level, no one was taking risks. Except for me. I was willing to go anywhere & film everything because this was it for me. I had no side gigs or 9-5. My family had to eat. My hometown is a small town. Everyone knows everyone & I would always bump into the mayor. He knew me from my industry work & my legendary reputation around town lol. He pitched me a good concept of how I could do good for the city while I had downtime due to Covid. I alwaYs loved politics, but never imagined living in that world. Long story short, he brought me into a government position as his assistant. The political world was different from anything I ever imagined. But yet again I learned, adapted & made shit happen on levels no one could imagine but something was missing. Almost three years passed. I had no touch with the film industry. The pandemic had passed & I felt hollow. A friend of mine, New York Times Best Selling Author Jaquavis Coleman, gave me a call & pitched me a documentary gig. I hesitated at first, but it was an opportunity to skip the red tape & jump back in at level I was used to operating at in the industry. My company & name was back on the radar & things began moving forward to where expansion was needed.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My main source as of post Pandemic fresh back in the game clientele is word of mouth from different business clientele. It’s always been about who you know & who they know. The last few years have been a no business card, no promotional campaign needed whatsoever. Not saying that’s a winning approach for everyone, just saying for me it’s been dinners, cigars, & country club meetings. Like Dj Khalid said “We’re still in the meeting!”

Contact Info:

• Website: seanlottfilms.com
• Instagram: @seanlottfilms
• Facebook: @seanlottfilms
• Twitter: @seanlott
• Youtube: seanlottfilms