February 13, 2024
So I was this 17-year-old rapper who one day hired Michael chase, Gorden of Canoga Park, to film a music video for me. I was skeptical the day we shot because the equipment wasn’t what I saw in the big production music videos on TV. I went with the flow, and the music video came out amazing. I was impressed at how good my music video was compared to the ones on TV, and yet we had a small budget and not all the fancy cameras and equipment, so one day, I decided, well, what if I get my camera? Coming from a family of 12, with me being the oldest, was always hard because I would try to help with the money I had. So I never really had much to spend. One day I got a tax refund and decided to spend it all on a camera and audio equipment. My initial thought was to do my videos to save money because, as I said, I don’t come from much money. I would have these visions and high thoughts of how these videos would come out and would have friends hold the camera to get the shots of me, and it just never really worked out. One day I decided I would use my visions to try and make extra money to do music videos for other artists. That was the day I went from rapper to director.
I went to college at the age of 26 and participated in a film program to learn how to not only better my craft but learn storytelling, shot techniques, etc. I spent the next 8 years doing club events, weddings, music videos, and football highlights while also interning for Michael chase Gordon who took me under his wing. He taught me how to perfect my craft and brought me onto big projects to gain more experience. A few years later, I got to a point where I felt stagnant and felt like all my work was starting to look the same. I realized I knew what I was doing, but the crucial factor was why? By understanding the “How” already, I was finally learning the “why,” and by knowing the two, I could combine them, which helped to improve my creativity.
After graduating, I got into motorsports and met with Jesse Iwuji, a Nascar driver in the Nascar Xfinity series, and Matt Casto, Jesse’s agent. I worked with him for a while and started using my newfound talents to create great content for him when he was solo. Jesse and Matt trusted me to tell his story and taught me business because they saw my worth and knew that my work was excellent, even when I’d second guess myself.
In 2020 the idea for a production company came up in which we can broaden my work and go from freelancing to a more entrepreneurial approach. The goal was to try and build something that would serve production needs and help other creators retain creative freedom and earn experience and income that otherwise may be hard going the Hollywood route.
In 2021 Strong Enough Long Enough Productions was born, and in 2022 we became an actual company. Our first contract was with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, in which we locked in for 33 races which meant 33 weekends of work and film coverage. This was perfect to showcase the company’s abilities. By the summer of 2022, Strong Enough Long Enough Productions assembled a team of highly driven videographers, writers, and editors to deal not only with the Nascar sector but also their sponsors, artists’ music videos, events, and weddings. Once again, I found myself doing the same things, but this time it was on the way higher level, and with a team of very talented people, I knew this was only the beginning.
Our company’s 2022 client contracts include work for:
Nascar Productions, FOX, FOX Sports, NBCUniversal, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, Nascar driver Jesse Iwuji, Nascar Driver Kyle Weatherman, Nascar driver Kaz Grala, Coca Cola, Equity Prime Mortgage, E-Racing Association, Chevy, NFL hall of Famers Emmit Smith and Ray Lewis, A Kid Again, and The Redlist Series.
The company is still fresh, but we’ve put in a ton of work in such a minimal amount of time. As for our clients, they aren’t just clients; they are people with powerful stories and messages that they trust our company to convey visually. With this company, I want to help inspire creative minds to hone in on their craft and make a living while doing it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not; there have been a lot of financial troubles, struggling with thoughts that I may not be good enough for this industry, and my work consumed my time which took a toll on my family and relationships. I would find times when I had a lot of work, but then when I’d go months without many gigs.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in Cinematography/videography. I’m known for my creativity, being hard-working, and going above and beyond for clients. I’m most proud to know that some of the people who watched me go from 10 years ago until now have expressed how I’ve inspired them never to give up and to chase their dreams even when challenging and how it’s also never too late to do so.
Any big plans?
In the future, I plan for our production company to be full of creative minds who will work on minor projects and big projects like feature films.
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