Today we’d like to introduce you to Oran Williams.
Oran, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was raised in Toledo, OH for most of my life. That’s the city I claim as my hometown, however, I’ve traveled a lot as a child and lived as far out as the Middle East (Muscat, Oman). I hated traveling as a child, partly due to the long trips but mostly due to short-lasting friendships. I think my mother would notice this in me and whenever we went on trips, she gives me a point-and-shoot to make things fun and capture memories throughout the trip. I believe this is where my interest in content creation began. Up until my high school years, I always believed I was going to be an engineer. It wasn’t until my Junior year in high school that I found this newfound passion that would eventually bud into my career choice. One of my advisers told me they needed an extra person for their Audio Production class and eventually persuaded me to join the class. I hated it. The next semester, however, the same situation arose with Video Production. I didn’t want to do it but at that age, I found it hard to say no to people. I joined and crazily enough fell in love with it.
At first, I thought it was a fun hobby but many of my peers would compliment me on the projects I made for class so I started to take it a little more seriously. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the work of my new boss/mentor/big brother Cam Kirk that I decided it was a path I wanted to explore in my later years. I used to look at his pictures/videos in high school and admired not only his work but his impact on the culture and how he branded himself as both a creative and a businessman. I eventually moved down to Atlanta for college to attend the illustrious Morehouse College and further pursue my passions in videography/photography.
Great, 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?
I believe everyone has their challenges in life relative to their circumstances/situations in life. One of which for me was entering a space and field in which no one in my family has entered. I had no family in Georgia and no formal creatives in my family other than my Uncle who is an actor in New Orleans. Thankfully, I was blessed enough to have a constant support system behind me behind whatever I did. My parents found it difficult when I first told them after 18 years that I wanted to switch from being an engineer to making a career out of shooting videos/taking pictures. To this day, I remember their faces when I first told them MIT/Columbia was no longer my top choices. Regardless they supported me and I attribute that and God to my success so far today. What drives me the most is making sure after everything they’ve invested into me that I become as successful as possible so they never have to worry about having that regret of pushing me in this direction. I also have my brothers Keith, Juwaan, and Rashad to thank as well. Whether they know it or not, they’ve all taught me important lessons in life that I hold dear to me. Their constant/unwavering support has helped me get through many tough times like the loss of my beloved grandmother, playing on the high school basketball team not knowing what the hell I was doing at first, or the literal mountains I had to climb one summer when I would’ve rather been at home playing video games.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My main profession is videography. Photography was more as a side hustle to fund the equipment for video but I enjoy it as well. Currently, I am attempting to venture more into directing. I currently work for Universal Music Group as a marketing & content representative and for Cam Kirk Studios. Alongside this, I do a lot of freelance work and finishing my studies at Morehouse. What many people tell me that sets me apart is my age. My peers call it to hustle, I call it poor time management, but at least once a day I hear something along the lines of “you’re always working!” This past year alone at 20 y/o, I’ve flown on private jets, shot content for Magic City one of the most well-known gentleman’s clubs in America, worked with/shot content for several artists such as Gunna, Trippie Redd, Tory Lanez, and Quavo to name a few, and more. I’m only praying only more opportunities/blessings come my after my 21st this June.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Motivation. There are several other large factors but I believe that’s definitely one of them that I attribute to mine. On a personal level, there are days when I started out where I thought about settling and breezing through school and waiting until after graduation to start pursuing my goals. I would have to psych myself out from those phases and push myself to get up and create opportunity. Frankly, I’m still nowhere near where I want to be at this moment, but I believe I’m on the right track. On a general level, motivation is the most frequent “make or break” quality I notice in people. Unfortunately, there’s been too many times I’ve witnessed talented people who aren’t as far as they should be because they don’t have that drive to keep pushing. My brother Juwaan, who is also a photographer (@whooisjt), and I always talk about this in which he can tell you my favorite phrase is “just do it.”
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.picsbyprime.com/
- Email: info@picsbyprime.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picsbyprime/
Image Credit:
Marley Miller, Ryder Brooks, John Papi
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