Meet Jerald David Winston | Camera Operator / Drone Pilot / Mentor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerald David Winston.

Hi Jerald, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
    Hi, I am Jerald David Winston and I am the sole proprietor of PangeaAV. PangeaAV is the culmination of all the shows that have helped me become the Camera Operator and the production specialist that I am today. I love being able to help people communicate with and educate fellow audiences around the world whether live and in person or virtual. From being a long lens Camera Operator for Film productions and Corporate events, to being a Remote Drone Pilot putting my 107a cert. to good use, to being a virtual meeting producer; I am constantly reminded of how big an impact a great production makes on the hearts and minds of our audience. I am dedicated to that impact by leveraging our community and resources to ensure a great show every single time.

     I guess, If I really think about it, my career in production began with one lucky pit stop on Gallatin Rd. in the middle of the night, but my Love for Operating a Camera began long before that. It is quite a feat how we end up where we do. I was born in Nashville a little after Christmas and when my folks split we moved just outside of San Diego which was an adventure all of its own however short-lived. Not long after, when I was 13, we moved back to Tennessee to Hendersonville (home of Johnny and Taylor), where my best friend was quite the basketball phenom for Hendersonville High School. At one particular game, his mom showed up to cheer him on and with her she brought a brand new camcorder (cue beam of sunlight and gregorian chant) the size of a VCR (showing my age here). This thing was space age, it had more features and options than I had ever seen, and being the awesome person that she was and taking notice of my barely-contained excitement, hands me the camera and says, “Have at it”.

     Little did she know how this was going to ignite my love for operating a camera at a live event and forever change my life! That moment sparked a fascination within me that for the rest of my life has driven me to embrace and study all of the things involved in creating or capturing a beautiful image.  Fast forward years later and I am working production as a floor tech, (still dreaming of being a professional camera op.) at Opryland a.k.a. “The Rock”, and “the call” comes in. “THE” call. The call was a request from Alton Brown to add a camera to his show down the hall and I was the only one on their roster available. To some, it may not seem like a big deal but this was another of those pivotal moments that changed the direction of my life. I was still a Tech/Utility at this point. They would barely let me build a broadcast camera set up, let alone operate one. For I had gotten stuck in the infamous feedback loop of “we can’t give you the gig till you have more camera op. experience and you can’t get experience because you have never had a gig operating a camera  (which I kinda understand because these cameras are not like your best friend’s mom’s!) Yet here I was! Operating a Sony broadcast camera with Canon glass in the ceiling of the delta ballroom filming a world-famous chef using a ladder, rope, a pulley and a camping stove to deep fry a turkey “without blowing up your face” (Alton Brown’s words, not mine) and it was freaking awesome. Alton and the Director loved my work and from that day on I was free from the feedback loop!

     As I think more deeply about it, my whole journey comes down to people. So many along the way were lifelines to a better life through their education and guidance. People like Tom Negri (two-time Nashvillian of the year) for teaching me the 5 diamond art of hospitality, to Buddy Johnson, who after a few years at the Ryman pulled me aside and told me “You can go all the way son, you got what it takes to do so much more!” To Michael Hayworth who didn’t mind repeating himself a hundred times until I really got it, to Dave Wheeler who taught me the who’s who of Nashville, to Jose Rios who has taught me how to manage large shows, to Omar Colom for being a constant example of what it takes to stay on top of technology,and to Scott Munroe for being a reminder of what a positive attitude can truly achieve. One after the other I was able to connect with people and through my energetic personality and my complete eagerness to help wherever I could, I made great friends that enriched every part of my existence! I will forever be grateful to my mentors and to my community.

     I listened to my mentors which led me to find my style and to an even deeper understanding of what it takes to be fulfilling and sustainable. I found my tribe and relentlessly helped out, anticipating needs wherever I could. I did this mainly by connecting people. Whenever I was asked a question or was presented with a problem that I didn’t have a solution for, I would say, “I don’t know but I will find someone who does.” This helped me become a valuable asset to my community as my connections found great success in each other. This is where my experience and exacting eye really helped because it gave me the tool set needed to discern who was great at what they did from those that were struggling, which led me to ask, “Could they help each other? Could they learn from each other”?  Making these inroads has helped me find my place in Nashville’s artistic and business community as well as the greater technical community nationally.

     This is why I feel it is important for the artists\techs in each of us in this great town to constantly be building a sustainably strong community! To be in Nashville is to be at the heart of it all, to be electrified with inspiration and collaboration. You see it everywhere you look! It is this that makes me fall in love with my birthplace over and over again. Together we grow not only our craft but the scale of our productions here! We have collectively been knocking it out of the park. Between the Grand Prix where I worked for Austin Martin, to the CMA’s where I first started working with Bandit, to Bonnaroo where I worked for Lee Jeans and SOHO House, to the NCAA Tournament where I worked for their fan fair experience, to ABC’s American Idol Nashville Auditions that I work every year right down the hall from Katy, Lionel, and Luke, to working with HBOmax at Nashville’s brand new GEODIS park for the “She Believes Cup” with USA Vs. Japan, to the NFL Draft where I ran GFX for ESPN at the historic Union Station and where we as a city proved to the world that we can handle anything any organization including the NFL brings to our amazing city. My involvement with the draft events led to me being brought on to the NFL’s Fusion Camera Team where you can find me every game at the home of the Tennessee Titans with my eyes on the horizon dreaming of the day Nashville gets its chance to finally Host the Super Bowl!

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?
    I get asked the question often, “Was it easy?” No, no it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, production and the skills it helped me develop have given me all that I have, my beautiful wife, my friends, my retirement fund, my Bitcoin, and my sense of security and community but I am not going to sugar coat it, it took everything in me to get here. So many early, cold crack of dawn days, just like I recently endured on a brisk -2 degree morning as part of the NFL’s Fusion Camera Team, 1000’s of pounds of gear moved across this earth and up what seems to be every hill when I toured the country as a camera op for festivals setting up, shooting for 15 hours a day and then loading out, power outages at the worst times, floods like the one we suffered as it interrupted all productions in Nashville just a few years back, tornados, gas mains blowing like the one that stopped the National Sheriffs’ convention mid-session, the lockdown which stopped all live events cold for 2 years and just about anything else you can imagine going wrong on a production, I have suffered through all of it in my almost 20 years following my dream. If you want to make your dreams a reality you’re gonna have to truly be in love with what you do, this will keep you dedicated and disciplined when it seems the whole of the universe is trying to shake you off!

     I overcame this by responding with my whole being “Not today” I will not quit. No matter what happened, even during the pandemic, I had this mindset empowered by the fact that I was never alone. I had the support of my mentors and my community, who rallied around me in the hardest of times giving me the resiliency to not just endure but to continue to strive to be the best Camera Op, business owner, and Neighbor I can be for my community.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
    I do a vast number of things servicing my community of production creatives and Live Event Specialists. I concentrate my energy specifically on the amazing world of video production for Live Events, Broadcasting and Film along with content creation.

     At the heart of it all, I am a Camera Operator and for the past 16 years, I have been specializing in Long Lens Broadcasting cameras most often used for I-Mag in Live events and I am a 107A Licensed Drone Pilot taking my art to the sky to get an angel’s perspective that is new and cutting edge!

     I am known for creating beautiful images with state-of-the-art broadcasting cameras in a Live environment that is usually in the midst of folks having the time of their life. When I was Camera Op. several years in a row for the Nashville Note drop on New Year’s Eve in the freezing cold with thousands of awesome audience members right beside me celebrating Nashville and the new year. I had to keep focus and use my skills, talent, and smooth, steady hand to keep bringing the audience the shots that make them jump with excitement as the band plays. This is what I thrive on! Whether it’s running camera for Bear Gryll and he has an Owl flying around me or if I’m on stage in an arena running camera for Alan Jackson, I love creating amazing shots while under the pressure of complex situations. Nowadays I am stepping it up a notch. I am more than ever creating stunning aerial Images using hyper-advanced aerial videography systems. I love the idea that the combination of my precise use of technology and my art can make a huge impact on the lives and imaginations of my community. A prime example of my award-winning Aerial Art is easily found in Envision the Future, a short film that went on to win 1st place in America for Red Bull and Future I/O’s Envision a Future contest.

     This journey has given me so much to be proud of.  I am proud of my wife, my daughter, my events, my art, my YouTube Cooking Show 2Aprons, and my steady hand but what I am most proud of in my work in Nashville is my ability to bring the best and the brightest of my community together. Almost 7 years ago I started PangeaAV and with it a Referral Service, where I can introduce the best production companies in the country to the amazing techs and artists of Nashville. This empowers small business owners to connect to each other and better use their resources to ensure incredible productions each and every time they are in Nashville. As a Logistics Consultant I can take the production needs to my community and have them connect directly with each other and with the most talented people in our city. I am not like everybody else and because I’m not, the production has more money to incentivize and attract a higher level of skilled technical artisan than they could afford previously. This resonates with the community and allows for them to have greater resources to pursue advanced training, certifications and to have access to state-of-the-art technology. I am very proud of this.  I believe if we all do our part Nashville will remain at the front of the line in providing high-end technical artisans for live events, broadcasting, and film production.

     What sets me apart? If I had to put it into words… I would say it is the combination of my mentors, my community of loving and dedicated technical artists, almost 2 decades of hands-on experience, and my exacting eye. Each of these I grew and developed over time with great care.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
    When it comes to networking the best advice I can give is that it is important to truly know your community. To keep their needs in the front of your mind and ask yourself, how can I help, sustainably? What this means is, no matter if you’re like me and you were born here or if you moved here after you missed your ride home from Bonnaroo, meet everyone, I mean everyone. It takes time but for the first 2 years I advise this be your sample period and that you just get out there and let them see what makes you awesome!.  Go out and take every gig you see on Soundings Connect, Facebook (especially Facebook groups), Linked-In, Staff me up, Field Nation, or in the beginning even Craig’s list.

     This way no matter how the gig goes you will meet a huge number of folks who all work in this crazy production world.

     While there, just ask around about who needs help. I don’t care if they need help with a music video or student film, if they need help moving, whatever it is if you are available you should be there. Keep in mind, few things mean more to an artist than their craft so go support them and their art, if their band is playing on stage you should be in the audience screaming your best wooo whooo! If they are performing their spoken word at Café Coco you need to be out back snapping your fingers! It is just that simple. The community will see that you are one of us and that you are willing to spend your time to see them succeed, in this town nothing makes friends faster.

     Once you have found a mentor make sure they know how much you appreciate them. This is most effective when you go beyond just words and take actions that support them and what they taught you. Networking is more than a firm handshake and eye contact, it is about consistently connecting with your community. It takes love and thoughtfulness to truly connect with the people of Nashville. Try to be as well-meaning as Ernest in “Ernest Goes to Camp” and just as thoughtful as Ernest in “Ernest Scared Stupid” and you’re gonna be just fine!

Pricing:

• Camera op (long lens) $500-$850 Depending on the scope and complexity of the shot
• Drone Pilot $600-$3,000 Depending on the scope and complexity of the shot
• Logistics Consultant fee $500+ Depending on the size of the crew you need to be managed and the amount of time before the event
• Content Creation $600+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.createtn.com/directory/view/jeralddavid-winston-13926
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pangeaav/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeralddwinston/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerald-david-winston-71202266/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdcGnytBI4acXSO5Y4i_cwQ
• Other: https://youtu.be/D1_IGyAG2pg (Envision A Future (Red Bull Future/IO  1st place American Winner, 2nd place International Winner)