We were lucky to catch up with Seth Kark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Seth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was actually a free project I did in 2019 for a non-profit called Heart for Africa. Earlier that year, I had gotten an itch to do international work in an area that I hadn’t seen before. I felt a bit stuck in a bubble, and wanted a fresh perspective on how the world operates outside of America.

In April on a job with some music artists, a guy also named Seth told me about a children’s home in Eswatini, Africa that he was going to travel to in the summer to celebrate their 1o year anniversary. This children’s home called Project Canaan had at the time rescued over 200 children who had been abandoned, often in wild and dangerous situations. They were committed to raising these kids to adulthood, with the hopes of growing them into leaders that would be able to change the plight of Eswatini’s deep poverty and brokenness as a nation. Their 10 year anniversary celebration would conclude with an event called “Music on the Mountain” where people from the community would come dance and party, and the previously orphaned children who now had a family at Project Canaan would sing praises in reflection of what had been accomplished.

“Wouldn’t it be cool to film that and tell Project Canaan’s story?” Seth asked me. I agreed. It sure would. But the timing of the trip and finances to make it happen were just too tight at the time. Heart for Africa couldn’t cover the trip for me, so I would have needed to raise around $5k in about 2 months to go on the trip. I said no.

But… about a month later, after finishing a totally different project in Dallas, TX, while waiting in the airport for my flight back to Atlanta, I ran into Seth again totally out of the blue. He was also flying back to Atlanta. We ended up being on the same flight with assigned seats just a row apart. I talked with him more about the trip to Eswatini. It needed to happen. With only a month or so of preparation, friends and family helped me raise funds to cover the costs of everything.

In July, I went to Project Canaan and filmed for a week, gathering a lot of b-roll to make an overview video of how Project Canaan was spreading hope in their country. I learned about their work rescuing children as well as their contribution to the community through job provision, a massive egg project, and other farming efforts that gave food to families to help decrease poverty and starvation.

Being able to share their story in video form for people back in the US, Canada, and elsewhere was incredibly meaningful to me.

The whole opportunity taught me a few things:
1. I shouldn’t count out projects that seem initially out of reach.
2. It gave me a beautiful look into how other places in the world that face disease and poverty have not given up hope in fighting for a better life. That inspired me and many others to do the same in our own communities, I’m sure.
3. Some experiences are better than money. I didn’t make anything financially from this project, but the experience grew me in ways that a bank account can’t.

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

I’m a video director in Atlanta, GA. I’ve been running my own business since 2016, focusing on short form content from music videos, to mini-docs, to ads, and social content. I went to college for media production but got started professionally by connecting with a group of filmmakers in Atlanta who all lived together and freelanced. Being in that environment pushed my growth way more than college classes did.

Over the years, I’ve worked in a variety of roles on video sets, but I’ve found more consistent lanes in directing, DPing, and editing. I want my videos to go beyond the information being communicated to an audience, and connect with them in a more compelling and memorable way.
In creating mini-docs, that may mean branching a person’s story into an analogy that gives a visual comparison and depth that will stick in a viewer’s mind.
In filming a concert recap for an artist, that means making the camera feel like an audience member moving with the music, and incorporating back stage sound bites from the artist to give viewers a look into who that artist really is.
I’ve seen and worked on content that feels flat and generic with basic interviews and b-roll. If a video can be made into an audio-book and nothing feels lost, then the video doesn’t do its job.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done creating videos that connect with audience emotions, simply bringing a genuine smile to their day or inspiring movement towards a goal that builds others up.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One book that comes to mind is “The Cause Within You” by Matthew Barnett. It has nothing to do with video production, but was helpful for finding some of the places, people groups, and causes I resonate with and want to put my energy toward.

In a more practical way, there were a handful of youtube channels and articles that were really compelling for me as a video entrepreneur. Youtube channels like Film Riot, Lessons from the Screenplay, Videocopilot, and The Futur have provided tutorials, writing tips, outside the box thinking, and business advice that I’ve definitely implemented into various projects.

Building an entrepreneurial mentality that both has tools to accomplish a variety of tasks AND knows how find answers to challenges that go beyond my normal tool belt has been critical for growth.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. Do good work, and your clients will talk.

Contact Info:

• Website: sethkark.com
• Instagram: @sethkark

Image Credits
George Ivanoff, Ramuel Galarza, Artimio Black