Today we’d like to introduce you to David Michaud.
Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started out my video production career in Nashville back in 2010 because I was invited by my aunt to stay with her while I looked for jobs. One of the first things I did was look in the Nashville video production directory and called and emailed every single companyand if they had an address I would also visit their location. Little did I know that some just used their personal addresses and I was knocking on apartments wearing a suit… They probably thought I was going to sell them a bible or the government coming to get them for tax evasion lol. I finally had my first call from one of the many calls I did. It was a low paying job but ended up being a really cool gig for Lee Greenwood in his basement. There was a point work was so slow and I was about to give up on the film/video space but I got a call from a friend that was hiring a full-time video role for a non profit. I found myself doing documentaries, short films, and mastering my craft of lighting and camera. After that, I found my way back to Nashville – this time working for Nissan North America, shooting product videos, executive messages, and a lot of corporate pieces. This grew me as a corporate professional as I struggled to wrap my head around the creative space of film production and the politics of corporate life. Eventually, I found my groove and loved leaning on my video expertise with comms professionals creating really cool videos for the brand. Fast forward I worked for Mars Petcare and eventually lead a team of creatives, Videographers and photographers, shooting Brand stories, pack photography and building a formidable internal creative agency if you will. Most recently I started a video agency of my own here in Spring Hill.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh man, certainly not smooth. When I was freelancing in the early days, the gigs were brutal and long. My longest day ended up being 18 hours. I have major respect for the freelance film community in Nashville. They are great people and are not afraid to work hard and are good at their craft.
I also found moving to corporate world really challenging, navigating the corporate space instead of a production environment was like being taken out of the jungle and put in the city. I did not know where to start and how to find my voice and automotive industry can be intense. Slowly but surely I had great colleagues that helped me build my business acumen. I learned how to become an asset and be proactive vs. just identifying the problems and bringing them to my boss.
I think all the challenges I have faced has developed me more as a person than the wins. I tend to find that I ask the good (hard) questions in the hard times, and I think that is where my major growth has happened.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about AMJ Creative?
AMJ Creative is a video agency that helps businesses with their digital presence. Real estate, Small businesses Large corporations we got you covered. We are able to do Brand stories, spotlights, corporate projects. We also help businesses run ads on facebook and instagram to get more leads and customers!
What sets AMJ Creative apart is the fact that I have supported businesses (large and small) my entire career and I understand that it is not just about making a cool video but asking the questions to my clients to make sure it moves the needle for them and their business.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking is where it is at. In this digital age I think it is more important than ever to get out and meet people in the flesh. This is how we were created to operate from the very beginning. I know it can be overwhelming for some, but find groups and individuals to meet. This is the best way for people to get a sense of who you are. We all want to work with good people and I think this is a powerful way to find the ones you want to work with. Networking events I really enjoy and following up with 1:1s, It works alot better than showing up at people’s apartment wearing a suit lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Amj-creative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmeshow/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-michaud3/
