Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Johnson.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In high school, I started off editing my own basketball highlight reels in iMovie to help with my recruiting process, so I first had a love for editing before I even picked up a camera. I got a full-ride athletic scholarship to Loyola University of Chicago which is where I declared my major in film and digital media my sophomore year. At this time, I finally started to learn how to use a camera and combined that with the editing skillset I already had. I was introduced to Premiere Pro during college as well. Once I graduated from Loyola University of Chicago, I received another full-ride athletic scholarship to the University of Louisville to play basketball as a graduate student and received my master’s degree in sports administration. At Louisville, I was able to work as the video production intern of the athletic program. I created video content for athletes such as Lamar Jackson, Donovan Mitchell, and my friend and teammate at the time Asia Durr. I was surrounded by a lot of talent and worked with other sports besides basketball which made my internship fun.
Once I moved back to Chicago, I started filming music videos and continued to expand my services. I gained an interest in shooting concert recap videos in hopes that an artist would see my talent and hire me to be apart of their team as their videographer. I really wanted to travel and create content that caught peoples’ attention. That’s how I got on board with Dreezy. From there, I just continued to expand and explore the possibilities with videography. I started working with Hotrod from Power 92.3 and filming recaps of his radio show, The LitPit. He also played a huge role in helping build my brand name because of the content I made for him and the opportunities he gave me. After that, I started filming more corporate gigs working with labels like Epic Records, Machine Ent Group, to iHeart Radio/107.5 WGCI. I continued to network and grow my celebrity clientele along the way and have worked with Sevyn Streeter, Trae the Truth, Queen Key, Karen Civil and more.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some times have been tougher than others. Of course over time, things have gotten easier because I learned from my mistakes but there are always learning opportunities for me even now. For the most part, I struggled with being hard on myself and wanting to be perfect and trying to figure out my own style or ways to improve over time. Financially times have been tough before too because of how much I invested in myself. It seemed like the money I was making really canceled out because I was always buying or renting equipment. I will say though, majority of the investments I’ve made have come back to me double or triple the amount I’ve invested, probably even more.
Please tell us about RoyalT Media.
RoyalT Media is a freelance videography company. I’m a one person team for the most part but I do bring others on board and delegate roles to help execute projects if I feel it’s necessary. I specialize in event recaps, promotional videos and mini-documentaries, but I do provide other services such as music videos, interviews, and social media content.
As a company, I’m most proud of my growth over a two year period. I did a lot of free work in the beginning. I handed out cards and sent out a countless amount of emails asking for opportunities looking to build my clientele for what I thought would be a mutually beneficial relationship. Now, I’ve been able to travel all over the country and work exclusively with some powerful people in the entertainment industry.
What sets me apart from other videographers is the connections I have. I’ve been able to meet and build relationships with influential people in the entertainment and sports industry. I have the ability to connect other talented people I work with to opportunities I think can benefit them. I also have an eye for marketing and promotion. When it comes to brands, I know what people want to see and I know what type content will get the most buzz so I give my input to my clients to help them grow. I also have a background in graphic design, which I minored in undergrad, so that comes in handy as well when it comes to making social media content other than videography.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: theroyaltmedia.com
- Email: royaltmedia1@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theroyaltmedia
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theroyaltmedia
Image Credit:
Ted Vernon, Digital Jay
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