Today we’d like to introduce you to Wo Baza.
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?
In my sophomore year in college, I asked my parents to buy me a point-n-shoot camera. Before I knew it, I was going to class with no bags, no pens, no books, just my camera. As a Criminal Justice major, this was a problem. The next semester, after realizing the Theatre department was not for me, I changed my major to Journalism & Mass Communication. A year later, I was hired as the J.O.M.C Studio’s Lead Videographer and Editor. I was filming all the sporting games and major events on campus.
A year after that, I was producing two shows on campus and ensuring that one of them was airing weekly all over campus. After realizing that I was being held back, I dropped out of college. A year after leaving school, I got a job as a Production Assistant at a local News Station. Three months after that, I left that job attempting to go full-time in production. Less than two months after that, I was preparing to be a father and had to quickly get back on the job market. For the next four years, I was in and out of odd jobs, working barely part-time in video/photography and was a Stay-at-home Father. Second-quarter 2018, I decided to go full-time as a Single-operating Production company. In 2019 I took a year and traveled, built networks, made connections, added to my equipment, and gained exposure and experience. I have a long way to go, but I am now secure in knowing that I can make a living doing what I love, and as long as I do it smartly, I can live well.
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?
Nothing worth it, comes easy. When I dropped out of school, I was a young black man with no support and no “real world” understanding. My parents believed I made a bad decision, and I had built no real connections, so my effort and work ethic was all I had. For years I had to purchase all my own equipment, raise two sons, and grow my business, it was not easy. However, I am a big believer in “the struggle” building character. I am proud of my diligence and ability to overcome.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Woimaging?
Woimaging LLC is a small Visual Production company that specializes in High-Quality Video/Photography and Digital Marketing/Strategy. We focus on telling the best story for our clients. We do not just document while holding a camera, we help conceptualize scripts after detailed consulting. We believe in quality lighting and sound and keep in mind the targeted demographic when shooting. Determining industry trends, creating marketing campaigns, and ensuring our clients’ clients are effectively going down their funnel is high on our list. We aim to increase sales, gain brand awareness, and provoke emotion in the viewer. We film/photograph weddings, events, documentaries/films, music videos, and commercials. We have customized packages for our clients in order to ensure the most economical and effective approach for your project. We are currently working on courses to help small businesses with their marketing strategies and video production.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
More times than I’d like to say, I am the only person I can rely on. So, I’ve learned to never give up, and trusting the vision is extremely important. Having to do almost everything alone can be satisfying in the end, but building long-term relationships with clients and other business-oriented individuals can take you a long way.
Contact Info:
- Email: wo@woimaging.com
- Website: http://www.woimaging.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woimaging
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woimagingvideo
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/woimaging
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYWdEt9-9YMcPHe1HBXaaXQ
