Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Wilson
Hi Austin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first memories as a kid were both that of adventure and the unknown.
I remember my mom putting me on a plane as a 5 year old to go live with my dad and feeling a strange certainty that I’d never see her again. She passed away 6 years later in Japan when I was 11.
Going to live with my dad was a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. I have 3 incredible little sisters that feel like older sisters now; Taylor, Meg and Claire.
We moved around quite a bit growing up; I was born out west, spent my childhood in the midwest, and grew into adulthood in the south. That exposure to different walks of life really shaped me.
I went into an Army Public Affairs unit my junior year of high school in a program called Split-Ops where prospective soldiers complete boot camp before graduating from high school. I excelled from day one and thought the military would be my path for the rest of my life, but God had other plans.
After the military, civilian life kicked me in the teeth. I was lost, working all kinds of different jobs in every industry and sector you can imagine; searching for a new purpose. Through a close friend, I got the opportunity to work a college football game for ESPN. Immediately, I fell in love. After graduating I had to decide whether to continue pursuing tv/film; the answer seemed pretty clear.
It’s easy to see the throughline looking back that I’ve always been a storyteller and entertainer– I just didn’t know it at the time. The idea that now I get to create for a living is a dream.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Good, bad, ugly; your struggles are what shape you. My life has been anything but smooth but it’s been an adventure. I strive to embody Bruce Lee’s philosophies, my favorite being: “You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
After 10 years freelancing in film and tv, my first short film was selected into the Nashville Film Festival. I’ve spent the past seven years based in Nashville, and am so thankful for the film/tv community here and how it’s grown. I’ve also loved getting to know the broader Nashville community through my non-profit work; this city is filled with people all united behind the common purpose of giving back. There are so many stories here in Nashville still waiting to be told.
I’m most proud of myself for trusting the process. I’m a firm believer in always learning and growing.
The thing that sets me apart most from others is my curiosity and imagination.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising would have to be all of my hobbies outside of film and tv; sports and music first and foremost. I also collect fossils, sports cards, and cultural artifacts from around the world. I’m currently experimenting with abstract art, and I love anything that has an engine, technology, gardening and beekeeping. Variety is the spice of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thr33media.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin3wilson/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/austin3wilson/
