Today we’d like to introduce you to Asa Johnson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s kind of a funny story, I never really set out to do what I am doing now. It just kind of happened accidentally. I graduated from a small school in Western New York in 2014 called St. Bonaventure University with a degree in Business Management.
During my time there, I played baseball and also interned with the sports information department helping with stats, covering games, and anything else that needed to be done. Once I graduated, I was asked if I would want to come back and take a brand new position they had just created called the “Digital Media Specialist.”
Essentially, I was tasked with overseeing all video and graphic needs for the department, which included social media content, graphic design as well as covering a few sports as well. They paid me a yearly stipend and a place to stay on campus. My now-wife who played Softball at St. Bonaventure had two more years remaining so I figured I’d do this for a few years until she was done and then find a “real” job.
Needless to say, I fell in love with the work and have been doing it ever since. I’m the type of person who loves a challenge and to prove that I can do what I set out to do. I think for me the fact that I didn’t know much of anything when I took the job was a blessing. It pushed me to learn for myself and really figure out how to do what I needed to do… Thank you, YouTube!!
After working at SBU for a few years, the competitiveness in me never left and I started feeling like maybe I could do this on a bigger stage. I had had contact with some folks at Vanderbilt University here in Nashville before, so when a job opened up I applied and was lucky enough to get hired on in the creative video department formally known as Anchor Down Productions.
After a year and a half at the school, I began to get that itch to break out and try something different so in Feb. 2020 (Yeah great timing…) I left Vanderbilt to try my hand at Freelancing and I have been doing it ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not smooth. There have been plenty of struggles and obstacles, but truthfully I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I think we truly grow and learn more in those difficult situations and circumstances that are challenging.
I think the biggest obstacle I had to overcome in general was my lack of education in video, photo, and design. I never really had a mentor or someone to learn from or tell me “Try this. Don’t do that.” It was all trial and error, and if I didn’t know how to do something, I just had to figure it out. Again, I am so thankful for that now because I have the confidence to try new things knowing that I can figure stuff out for myself.
Today, I definitely have more of a community in this field, so it has become easier to get help, bounce ideas off of others, and gain inspiration, but early on, it was up to me to come up with ideas and figure out how to create them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
“What do you actually do?” is a question I get all the time and I always tell people I do whatever my clients need me to do! It goes back to when I started at SBU where whatever needed to be done, I just figured out how to do it. I think being a jack of all trades has really helped me advance and be successful in a really competitive field.
For me, I think I will always be a little more comfortable in a sports setting. I absolutely love shooting games, practices, off-season training, etc. There is just something about those unseen hours and work that no one sees that I really appreciate and relate to. Much like editing, people see the final product but few appreciate the work that goes into it.
I’ve been lucky enough to get to shoot a lot of NFL guys and other professional athletes. As fans and spectators, we see these athletes in the arenas or on the courts, but we don’t see the hard work that goes into it. All the hours and sweat that it takes to get ready for a season so for me being able to show that and connect people with that is and I think will always be one of my favorite aspects of my job.
As far as what I’m most proud of, it isn’t a specific video or job. I think it’s the fact that I haven’t stayed complacent or stayed in a comfortable place. Like I said earlier, I think we grow the most in uncomfortable situations and I am proud that I have put myself in those spots and have been able to make it through, and hopefully, I am a better person and creator because of it.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I think the biggest thing I’ve learned through it all was our ability to be flexible is critical.
Hopefully, it won’t be another global pandemic, but things are going to go wrong, and obstacles will arise. How are you going to deal with those situations when they come?
This goes for all lines of work, but I think it is especially important in the freelance space.
Contact Info:
- Email: StripedMediaLLC@Gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asa_johnson9/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Asa_Johnson9
