Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Dallas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I never was introduced to Videography/photography as a kid, nor was anyone in my family in the business. Before I found the passion for Videography, I was an athlete. I attended three colleges to play golf at a collegiate level. (University of Kansas, California Lutheran University, and Sonoma State University). I earned all- American honors at the DIII level at California Lutheran my Junior year.
I wasn’t quite ready to play at a professional level after college and was searching for something else I might have a passion for that wouldn’t entail a desk job. I just never pictured myself as someone who could be contained to a small space and total authority, it was in that moment that I decided to pick up a camera. My first camera was a Fujifilm x-t1 with the silver retro outside so it kept the film style look as a DSLR. I was 21 years old when I got my first ever camera. I absolutely loved everything about it.
My first serious opportunity came from my friend Tayo Adewon of A1 Advantage group which specializes in wealth management for professional athletes. He gave me the chance to work with high profile athletes and celebs such as Jay Ajayi, Desean Jackson, and John Ross to name a few. I traveled with them to charity events, workouts, birthday parties and more to capture timeless moments. It was on this journey where I had realized Videography was more than a passion and something I would pursue for a very long time.
When I was learning my craft, I was inspired by artists like Rory Kramer, @Rayscorruptedmind, and A$AP Rocky. I will never forget watching A$AP ROCKY – A$AP Forever music video and just falling so in love with everything that was happening in the frame.
After freelancing for about a year and half with these other companies, my dad approached me with an opportunity that would change my life and eventually put me up for a job with FaZe. The ATL Reign of the Overwatch League needed a videographer for their team and my name was at the top of the list if I was interested enough in esports. After little talk with my Dad about the industry’s opportunities, it was a no brainer to jump on.
After our first season’s end, our content team had the highest ranking content in the league as an expansion team and also managed to surpass teams with a full year’s head start. This was the first confirmation to me that I had made the right decision to jump into esports.
At year’s end, our Owner Paul Hamilton approached our content team to tell us that we would be the content team for the newly formed FaZe clan Competitive team out of Atlanta. Hearing something like this changes your life right when the words are processed. My partner Jarel Bell and I knew this was the opportunity that most people wanted when starting in esports. We were next up.
Fast forward to now, I am the manager of content and head of production of the most prized organization in the call of duty league. It has been a long journey full of a lot of hard work, new friends, failures, successes and great memories.
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?
My journey to where I am now hasn’t been totally smooth but I have enjoyed every adventure and learning experience. The biggest struggle for me was abandoning a profession that I had put the last five years of dedication to. It hurts to see your friends still playing and some competing at a pro level when I never even gave it a shot.
The other struggle I deal with to this day is learning the ins and outs of the media business, starting only four years ago, I have a lot of learning to do so that I can always present myself as a top professional in every room. In esports, the culture is a such a major difference from any other sport that you really need to adapt and become a part of it in order to succeed.
Please tell us about the company.
Our company consists of two professional esports teams, the ATL Reign of the Overwatch league and ATL FaZe of the Call of Duty league. Each team is a cost of $25 mill for a spot in the league and is the highest competition in the world for these specific games. As a content team for these major orgs, we are held to the highest standards of production when dealing with sponsors, the leagues, publishers, and our owners.
My personal obligation to the Atlanta FaZe is as the manager of content and head of production. My job comes with many responsibilities and requires high energy at all times. Here is a list of some of the responsibilities I have each month: Producing/editing UNFaZeD Documentary series for every tournament , creating weekly/monthly content pieces for our three sponsors (MTN Dew AMP Gamefuel, Scuff, and Respawn), two to three edited YouTube Videos, Managing Instagram Posting interviewing players, writers meetings, studio setup, lighting, audio, and on top of that, still keeping up with all the drama and other teams, because that plays into 50% of every piece of content you will create. Overall, I specialize in the full creative process to produce high quality pieces of content for major orgs. To this day, I am most proud of the production of Offsets show “Bet with Set” when our team collaborated with Caffeine to create an episode of his series. I acted as the host and was able to produce a high-quality set with new cameras and limited equipment on a three-day notice. It was a challenge and the greatest opportunity I have ever had. What sets me apart from others is my willingness to learn from the other talents in our profession as well as to make friends with other talents. I think asking questions and making friends is how you will get in any room. Work can only speak so far when the companies are trusting you to maintain an image for them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood was playing in the prestigious cooperstown little league baseball tournament when I was a kid. I was on one of the best travel teams in the world and made some of the longest lasting friendships I still have to this day. We go to stay in dorms and do things I had never experienced before. We finished 3rd out of over 100 teams in the tournament and I remember pitching in the semifinal game in the rain like it was yesterday. Baseball was my childhood and I still hang out with those guys today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atl_faze/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATLFaZe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardrivelost
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/hardrivelost
Image Credit:
Atlanta FaZe
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