Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Thompson.
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?
My story starts with panic oddly enough. One day while studying at GSU, I had this sudden realization that I went to college for something I barely wanted to do. In this moment of panic, I tried to really figure out what made me happy and I landed on Film and Photography. That was in 2014. The first gig I landed that year was an internship with a small magazine and I didn’t even have a DSLR yet. I got the email on a Wednesday, bought a Canon T3i that night and shot my first interview on Thursday.
Since then, I’ve done just about everything I could to keep a camera in my hand. From working on small movie sets, to weddings, to music videos for rappers you’ve never heard of, I did it all. Fast forward to 2022 and I’ve worked with Hot 107.9, One Music Fest, and so many other amazing people this year alone.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not smooth. I’ve found myself working with so many people that want to take advantage of content creators such as myself. Club Promoters, Studio Managers, Hosts, you name it. All of them trying to manipulate me into giving up more time and taking much less money than I deserve for my work. On top of that, I’m working in an oversaturated market with amazingly talented people as my competition so it becomes increasingly difficult to make a name for myself.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Cozy Capture Studios is a Media Production company that can handle any and all visual media requests. We offer photo, video, and editing services for any industry. We even pilot drones for any and all aerial requests. While we are most known for our wedding coverage and music videos, we cover anything from concerts, promotional content for your business, documentary work, social media management and more. Besides the quality of our final products, we truly pride ourselves on listening and working with our clients as much as we need to realize that their vision is captured in its entirety
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The best piece of advice I can give for looking for a mentor is to keep your eyes and ears open. In this line of work, I’ve met so many people that claimed to want to be my mentor but have shown themselves to be unscrupulous. As a creator just starting out, you need to be able to see when someone truly has something to offer you whether that’s valuable knowledge, connections or actual pay. Working for “exposure” and “paying your dues” only needs to go so far so if that’s all someone has to offer, check to see if it will actually be worth your time before you reopen the search for a proper mentor.
Pricing:
- Photography – $150/hr
- Videography – $200/hr
- Drone – $250/hr
- Editing – $75/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: CozyCaptures.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozycapture.s/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cozycapturestudios
Image Credits
Personal Picture: Shot by Tim Lowe Portfolio Pictures: Shot by Michael Thompson
