We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shelby Baldock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shelby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

I’m sure this story is familiar to a lot of people: It’s right before the pandemic and things are looking up. Suddenly, the world comes to quick stop and you lose all of your clients and your money. So, you take a corporate job to get out of the hole, and by doing so realize that you don’t want to spend the rest of your life doing that kind of work. After (very fortunately) getting out of the pandemic-induced financial hole, I quit my full time job and jumped back into the freelance world with hopes of really reorienting my career towards more-meaningful projects (and also haphazardly attempting a work/life balance.) Since then, I’ve been lucky to edit a lot of documentary projects, whether they be passion projects with little to no pay, or branded/sponsored projects with good people. I haven’t totally figured it all out yet, but I’m thankful to have had the work, which provided an opportunity to take a big career risk.

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.

I grew up in Memphis, TN, and in college I got an internship with The Recording Academy. At an event, I was filming an interview with the North Mississippi Allstars, and I had built my own shoulder rig out of wood and gardening supplies. They said “Hey! That’s our style!” and invited me to shoot a music video. That led editing and touring and VJ-ing and more music videos. It was a blast and I learned so much in that time. Since then, I have bounced between narrative and documentary film. These days, I am heavily involved in documentaries. Most clients come to me with footage hoping to find the story within. That’s what I find and I have a great time doing it. One of those clients was the Special Olympics in 2019, which then led to a two month international production in virtual reality. I’m very proud of that work. At the moment, I’m trying to push for more story-driven material, seeking clients or roles in either longform or TV documentaries. I find that if I don’t personally put in the effort to seek out stories that move me, they don’t necessarily come to you. You’ve got to put in the work, even when it’s frustrating at times – it’s still worth it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

It sounds so simple, but simply watching and sharing work is a major help. Without viewers, there’s no audience, and without an audience, the project is never truly finished in my mind. At the end of the day, it takes people to lift up and showcase work that means something to them. I think part of the frustration is that we put too much reliance on social media and the internet in general to connect to an audience, where I still feel it’s about getting into a theater and seeing it in real life, connecting with folks. That’s honestly the most important thing. I went to a screening of The First Step by the Kramer Brothers, who were there at the screening and afterwards, the discussion and interaction with the audience truly elevated the film and it’s power. We cannot simply rely on instagram posts! Go and see the artists and creatives you care about.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When I go to the movies and they affect me, they suddenly become a part of me, as if they’re now tattooed onto my brain or heart. Somehow, a stranger has projected something and it’s moved you so deeply that it becomes an indelible piece of – it can actually shape who you are. And it’s the greatest feeling on Earth. This is all I want to attempt in my life. I just want to try my damndest to achieve this for myself, an audience – however I can. It has given me so much that I don’t know what else to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelbybaldock.com

Image Credits
1. Bombie – Co-directed by myself and Tanner Matthews, Cinematographer Tanner Matthews 2. Untitled Documentary Project – Work in progress co-directed by myself and Tanner Matthews 3. Feel Like Ghosts – Director Kali Baker-Johnson, Cinematographer Reed Choinski 4. Groundwater – Directed by myself 5. Los Guardianes – Directed by Hugh Hou, Cinematographer Sébastien Hameline 6. King Bee – music video directed by myself feature American Restless