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

Spencer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was one of the most important lessons you learned in school? Why did that lesson stick with you?

I always look back to and appreciate a small lesson that one of my professors shared while I was in college. I was in journalism school at the time for documentary photography and video, and a lot of times we were shown work that was so inspiring, but could also be disheartening compared to the work we were doing as beginners. I think going into a creative field, that’s an especially steep learning and mental curve to get past – the gap between your potential and where you’re at. But one day my professor drew 3 ladders of increasing height on the whiteboard, and told us that we were currently on the shortest one as beginners. We had room to climb on that ladder before we reached the top, but we wouldn’t be able to get any higher if we stayed put where we were comfortable. We’d have to jump to the next one. Jumping and taking a risk will always mean that you land further down on the next ladder – ie changing jobs, learning new skills. But the difference is you’re on a taller ladder, so even though you landed lower, you can climb higher. I have always carried that with me. I was a full-time short documentary producer for almost 10 years, and always wanted to edit longer form work. I knew that if I left where I was comfortable, it would be really scary, and potentially would put me back at the bottom of a new industry. But if I never left I’d never know if I could do it. I made the jump to the next ladder and it’s paid off.

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

I came into documentary editing by way of journalism, specifically photojournalism and video journalism. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and went on to work for two legacy print media companies – the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine. For almost ten years I worked as a one man band – producing, shooting and editing short documentaries for the web. Throughout that time, I knew that I really loved to edit above all else, and started looking for ways to do more editing in my role as a video journalist. I started editing for outside directors and working on as many larger projects as possible. Two years ago, I decided to quit my full-time job to go freelance and edit full-time. Since then I’ve been working very hard, editing on multiple feature length documentary films and series. Looking back. I really value my time spent as a full-time journalist, even when my dreams shifted to editing longer and bigger things. Because in those roles, I honed my storytelling first. The myriad of different assignments and interviews I conducted and edited forced me to become an efficient writer on the timeline, and to prioritize lifting up individuals who may not have seen themselves reflected in the media. I am proud of my work as a journalist, and am just as proud of myself now for taking the risk and making the leap as a freelancer.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For me, the most effective strategy is also the one that I’m working on improving the most – which is just getting out there an introducing myself and following up. As a world-class introvert, this is especially hard for me. In my full-time positions, I thrived on building up a reputation of working hard and giving things everything I had. As a freelancer, I know I have to do that many times over with as many new people that I work with. So I do my best to couple pushing myself out of my comfort zone to network, with working really hard so that new clients will want to work with me in the future.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of having a creative job, for me, might appear really simple. But on the best days it takes me back to myself as a child. I loved to read growing up. I have a twin sister, who coincidentally grew up to be a writer and editor. But we both would lie on the floor for hours reading as many things as we could. I find it really beautiful that we both grew up to have jobs and passions that utilized that story brain. Any time I’m able to sort out a structure for a scene or am touched by what I’m working with – whether it’s an interview or a piece of verite – it reminds me of why I fell in love with stories as a kid.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spencerbakalar.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-bakalar-b0048b64/