Company: Visions By Design Video Productions (www.visionsbydesign.ca)

Years with company: 3

Hours worked each week:
Vary depending on workload. In quiet periods (primarily December,January, and August) I can take more time off and
might only work a four-day week. This is o?en when I take holidays with my family or go on trips. In busy periods, which is
most of the year, a typical week can be 80 hours or more with many evenings and weekends of filming and editing.
Owning your own business is definitely not a 9-5 job.

Salary range: Really varies depending on the number of projects on the go and
the sizes of those projects. On average though, a typical month for me will range between $5,000 and $12,000 in gross income.

Best part of job: The variety. I can be interviewing a celebrity one day, an inmate in a prison the next;
filming and interviewing in bizarre and amazing locations for a few days, and then buried in a creative editing process at the computer for a straight 36 hours right after that. I meet a lot of interesting people, and have to learn huge amounts about their product or service in a short amount of time to do their marketing video project justice.Then, a few weeks or
months later when the project is complete, I'm on to something completely new.

I never really have a chance to get bored. I'm able to learn lots about new stuff and experience things as an insider that I'd maybe otherwise never do. The variety of experiences,and the ability to combine business skills with creativity, is definitely the highlight.

Other career options: I'm also a PADI certified scuba diving instructor, with many years of underwater filming and teaching
experience.

EDUCATION

Diploma: Film program

School: Art Institute of Vancouver

Grad year: 2002

Work placement: I didn't do a work placement after film school, although I volunteered at a video production facility for three months prior to going to film school to make sure that it was really what I wanted to do, and to learn a bit about the industry first-hand. It was valuable experience. I have also had students get work experience in my studio occasionally.

Advice: To work successfully in the film/video production industry, I believe you have to like
people and networking, and be passionate about what you do. People hire and do work with people they like, so like most industries, it's about building solid relationships with people, and demonstrating that you are reliable, trustworthy, have a great atitude, and are always willing to learn. Of course, some talent to back all that up is a good thing too!

LIFESTYLE
Favourite recreational activity: Scuba diving and other water sports. Also spending time doing outdoors activities with my
six-year-old daughter.

Upcoming vacation plans: Summer vacation plans include two weeks in Toronto for a family reunion, and a Port McNeil boat trip for some scuba diving and whalewatching.

In five years: I see myself enjoying continuing to build my business and my reputation in media production. When my daughter's a bit older, I'd like to get involved in documentary filming with a marine research crew,
and combine my passion for documentary production with my passion for the marine world.