Its My Story, And Im Sticking To It. Im a nerd. Always have been. I intend to stay that way forever. My wife is my best friend, and Im a devoted husband. We met in college where making her laugh to the point where she couldnt breathe any more worked in place of more conventional romantic advances. I strongly identify myself as a dedicated father of two wonderful children. I tell them dad jokes to induce laughter preferably while they’re drinking orange juice- so theres a chance it gets shot out through their nose. Usually, I only succeed in amusing myself. The wellbeing, happiness, and smiles of my family and friends are always my top priority. Like you, perhaps, I was taught to get a job when I was a young man. I was told that this would provide the wealth needed to provide security for my family, and ensure my future. So I went to school, worked hard, and got a job. Then, for 20 years, I worked even harder to achieve the approval of my bosses and the company I served. If I satisfied them, then they would reward me with the wealth I sought for my family. Right? I worked up to be a Senior Editor for Alkemy-X, which is among the most elite integrated media companies in the United States. There, I worked with big ad agencies and top-tier political consultants. In that role, I edited thousands of TV commercials, corporate videos, news pressers, explainer videos, and hundreds of TV episodes. In my career, there was little that I hadnt achieved. I was among an elite group and I worked for companies like Aramark, Cartoon Network, Boars Head, Krystal Restaurants, Starkist, Toyota, and Lexus. Just to name a few. My career highlights include being a Supervisor for CNN Headline News, co-creating Dinner Impossible and being the Supervising Editor for Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network. I was working for a great company, and I loved and admired the people I worked with. After 20 years serving as a TV/Film editor, however, I was ultimately let down by the corporate promise. While trying to secure new business for my company, I was working around the clock to complete an elaborate corporate video. During this time, my mother slipped and fell in her home. She was hospitalized, and I was notified via a phone call. She assured me that she was fine, and that I shouldn’t leave work to come see her. She told me that I could come visit her after my project was done. So I kept working. I went on to complete the client’s project slightly ahead of schedule, and they were very pleased with my work. My mother went on to have a massive stroke hours before she was scheduled to be released from the hospital. By the time I arrived at her side, my mother was in a coma. She would never recover, and I could never forget the tragedy of not being with her in the last cogent moments of her life. This experience changed me forever. I realized that the life I was living was in no way aligned with my true self. The overwhelming majority of my energy was being focused on advancing the goals of corporations that I had little affiliation with. My life was being dictated by the luck of our sales force, and whatever ideas they could sell. Executives, who revolved in and out of various floundering TV networks, had the power to obliterate weeks or months of my efforts. I was successful. Yes. But I was physically exhausted, mentally worn down, isolated from my family, and desperately depressed. A thorough reevaluation with the help of my family and friends empowered me to turn things around. My energy was shifted back to those that I cared for and loved. I developed a plan designed to remove myself from the corporate landscape where I was once impossibly rooted. I plotted a course to control my own life. Now, I have launched my own video consulting company: The Video Crush. The Crush is designed to empower smaller businesses with the power of story telling that has only been available to big companies in the past. We can create sales videos, FAQs, Testimonials, or whatever visual content a small business needs to reach their customers. In addition to small business, the Video Crush is dedicated to serving others who wish to break the corporate chains of bondage. I work with inspirational and corporate speakers that are, themselves, trying to shift the direction of American business. I hope you join me.
Session: 409 New Video Editing Tools: Final Cut Pro X Is King.
