Another interview with Les Robertson

Response was a little late but he finally responded! 

-What are clients and companies looking for in videographers/ editors? What skills are important?

solid skills displayed in released content, on your own or through clients. typically then compiled and displayed in a reel, updated annually

all skills are important in 2017 - ideation, creation, post production... the adobe suite is key, but being able to use a diverse range of content creation tools and platforms to release is key. we rarely wear one hat or use one tool

having a positive attitude, being reliable, being a good communicator, following through, all as important as anything

 

-Are there paid internship opportunities available? Full/ Part time positions? What does the hiring process look like?

much of media is a mix of self effort, being an entrepreneur and building your own efforts, projects and connections and being willing to work free at first.

A lot of people see volunteering or spec work or free internships as bs and taking advantage of people. I disagree, I've built my life on it and i believe strongly in volunteerism to show what you are actually capable of. it builds trust and good interns / volunteers go a lot further than those that strictly want to be paid. Sure, you might get to a point in your career where you can "demand" pay, but the truth of this industry is the best understand how to collaborate and create a greater good for a better longterm payout for all.

hiring is rarely cut and dry. you can apply a million places but 9 times out of 10 your going to gain your roles through hard work and networking, being good at selling yourself and your skills. word of mouth then takes you a good chunk of the next way because good people are hard to find.

the question of career is a funny one because casey neistat is a legend on youtube and made a career on making media for big companies through self selling and creativity. the market now is way different than the past and it's much more boutique. you have to know what you want to be hired for before the process matters much

-In your opinion, How can someone make a living doing this?

see above, be creative, be a self starter, apply yourself to your trade, know when to work for free and build relationships - collaborate - and when to charge for the relationship value appropriately - do business. the right opportunity mix is personal, what are your skills and how do you best enjoy applying them?

 

-Who do you work with?

the list is too great to start as i a rarely look for credit publicly for my work and prefer that the right people know and hire me to do what i am good at, often very quietly and with their brand facing.

-Who else could I talk to?

thats a question of about what? I am a magazine editor, content creator, videographer, video editor, social media coordinator, blogger.. ha ha