Conversations with Dylan Reeves

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Reeves

Hi Dylan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I took a bit of an interesting path to get here. I grew up in Northern California and never really had much interest in film or photography. But when I graduated high school, my mom gifted me my first GoPro, and that kind of started everything. I went off to college at the University of Hawai’i and started filming my adventures around the island, which naturally led to me wanting to learn how to edit. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed the entire process, but at the time I still didn’t know it could be anything but a hobby.

After graduating with my business degree, I started working my first job in San Francisco which I had from 2016-2018. During that time, I bought my first real camera and began shooting videos for people on the side. I spent my free time researching, practicing, and learning as much as I could about videography and told myself that whichever path—my corporate job or video work—took off first, I’d commit to it fully. Later that same year I landed some travel-based video projects, so I took the leap and quit my 9-to-5 to pursue full-time freelance videography and photography in 2018.

When Covid hit, the traction I felt like I started to gain all came to a halt. With California under heavy restrictions, my now-wife encouraged me to move to Nashville where she had been pursuing music. We packed up the car in late 2020 and drove across the country, moving in with roommates who as it turned out, had connections to people in the local film industry. I quickly became friends with a few people that took a chance on me, and those first few opportunities completely change the trajectory of my career. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from talented Nashville filmmakers and artists who have continued to trust me with their creative visions.

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?
It’s been a lot of trial and error over the years, for sure. And a lot of ups and downs. I didn’t come from a family that was actively in this industry, so when I finally decided to go full-time freelance, it was scary because I didn’t have a roadmap to follow. And since I didn’t graduate from a film school, I had no base knowledge of how the industry worked or how being on a film set was supposed to look like. I was basically just picking up any random gig I could find in or around San Francisco, trying to meet as many people as possible and absorb as much information as I could. I would also get questions like “wouldn’t it be easier to just get a real job?”

It was a slow build, and I had to get comfortable with the unpredictable nature of freelance work which was probably one of the hardest parts. But I was lucky to get to a point of having a diverse mix of work here and there, bouncing between being a PA to working as a cam-op for smaller production companies, and eventually taking on my own clients. This created a lot of opportunities to learn and practice but also make a lot of mistakes. The mistakes are hard to deal with, but ultimately they’re unavoidable and lead to the most growth in the long run.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do both video and photography work, but tend to lean more video whether it’s on large sets with a crew or one-man band type projects. I like to pride myself on trying to really understand the project I’m working on, or the client I’m working with. I’ve always taken the time to get to know the people I collaborate with in order to bring their ideas or stories to life in a way that feels unique to them.

I also value relationships a lot, and I think that’s one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to sustain my career. When you build genuine connections first, the work tends to flow more naturally, and the opportunities grow from there. I’ve always subscribed to the idea that people will remember the experience of working with you more than the final product, and time and time again, that’s proven to be true.

Looking back, I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come—especially considering I had no clear direction after college. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on such a wide range of projects, from commercials and documentaries to feature films, music videos, and live concerts. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’m just grateful that I still get to do what I love

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m definitely a product of “Youtube Academy”, pretty much everything I’ve learned has come from following and learning techniques from other filmmakers on YouTube. But I also believe that at a certain point, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. Nothing truly prepares you like being on a film set and learning to navigate challenges in real time. You have to make mistakes, adapt on the spot, and grow from the experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dylanreevesmedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reeves_media/