Life & Work with Aaron Cooley of Boston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Cooley.

Hi Aaron, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
we started it me and my mans Phillip as two young up-and-coming kids from the city of Boston just trying to make ends meet and be the difference in our community. We’re from of Roxbury, MA its a lot like Atlanta in the since of black culture dominating the flow of things, and as beautiful as that is, it can often be misleading. How I was brought up there were three options that you could be: a rapper, hooper, or in the streets. Quite a common ‘formula’ from where we from and if you ever stuck your head out of those three boxes, you was laughed at or rather, they wouldn’t believe that your vision would last or go far.

Trip down memory lane before we come full circle, I always been into filming. When I was a kid my father served in Germany for the army, and it was a rare occasion to ever see him home. I grew up in my great-grandmother’s hair salon off of a Martin Luther King Blvd, and id kick it in the back with my action figures. Every now and then in there I would take my mothers camcorder with me and set it up as I reenact with my action figures creating situations of John Cena hitting Booker T with a hot comb, or Randy Orton squeezing Shawn Michaels into a roller set. I would film, upload it to my moms laptop, and then burn it on a CD for my father to have as a gift once he came home. And that was the origin of how things came about with my love for film.

Fast forward to my Atlanta connection, I started filming my mans, Phillip Cherrie, and his basketball team during the summer time when I had surgery on my elbow in 2016. I am a hooper myself, and to stay close to the game my mans Phill told me to pop out to his summer league game and get some content of the boys hooping. The love my brothers showed me reminded me of the love I got from my pops when he received them CDs as a kid. It ignited a fire that I hadn’t had for film since I was a youngin. From 2016 and so on, I created a freelance content page where I run as the digital content producer. The brand is called Believing In Ourselves Productions and I chose the name as a subtle reminder to reflect where I come from. Early on, the idea was laughed at for a 6 foot, at the time, freshman on varsity to have any distrations… especially if the distraction wasn’t female related. The message was always stick to the books and stick to hooping, leave them other distractions out the way, because, well, hoop dreams

As a freshman on varsity though I often had late practices where my ma dukes couldn’t pick me up in time. I was a METCO kid so I went to school about 45 minutes from home, and my mom often worked late nights. My assistant coach was also the head teacher for the graphic arts room. And on the nights where my mother couldn’t pick me up in time, he would leave the graphic arts room open for me to relax in till she got to the school. In there I picked up on the Adobe Creative Suite; designing my own clothes, making sports edits, and logo designing. I made my logo for BIO when I was 16 years old, though I have conflicted with it more recently due to it being too close to the Red Sox logo. But it was in that room that BIO bloomed, and it was there I had to bring it back to my roots.

As I grew with my basketball career, I needed help managing and operating a business. I attended Brown University and am in the class of 2025, and my man Phillip attended Morehouse University, where he graduated in 2024. We used this connection of HBCU and IVY league degrees to show the best of both worlds and create a lasting impact that could provide resources to the youth coming up after us. Phill majored in business administration and manages all the logistics and technicalities of the brand, which allows for me to just be the artist and the division 1 hooper that still chasing his hoop dreams.

The biggest piece for Phill and I was letting basketball be the foundation of the tree, but continuing to branch out and create new networks and relationships through it. Never being defined by one single thing, because we both knew we were brought here to make the most of everything and more. Basketball, film, marketing, clothing, real estate, and more. BIO has always been more a subtle reminder than an actual filming brand.

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?
Its been a rocky road, but the good news is I’m young and gathering experience. I am a college student about to graduate (or by the time this comes out already graduated) so the ‘real world’ hasn’t hit yet, but I am already experiencing from mentors and other videographers around the way that it’sn’t a smooth sailing market that I’m entering. The cost of your equipment means nothing if the quality isn’t where it needs to be. People are hit with thousands of videos per day, how does yours stand out amongst the crowd, and is it truly authentic to you and the viewers watching it. I try to keep this in mind whenever new trends come around, because it’s easy to fall into that and change your whole style just to stay up with the times. And that’s fair, but you also gotta stay true to yourself.

Some struggles have been balancing the creative and the business. At times you can get lost in the craft: in the beginning when you’re just trying to get your name up you willing and wanting to do any job paid or free. Most of the time the jobs come off as people doing you a favor so there typically free. you take these jobs to have a portfolio and create a name for yourself within the market. But while you’re working, you have to be mindful that time is just as valuable as money. And if you’re don’t making a profit for your time and service, than there comes a point where the answer is “no”. Its harder to figure out or pinpoint the right moments to say no, but you’ll get a feeling for jobs that feel like growth, and then jobs where you have did it before but provide no value as to where you see your business headed.

Finding jobs or even getting hired by studios is another difficult piece. This market is all about who you know, and making connections is key because once you’re in, you’re in. But on the other side it is a tricky market to get into at these times. And these tariffs ain’t making it any easier

Another hard piece is accepting that everybody cant go. You can try as hard as you can to feed your people, but if they are not with the same vision as you, or the same consistency, or don’t bring anything at all to the table, then they genuinely can’t come. And if its real they’ll know that its no love lost, but I’ve got places to be.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My name is Aaron Cooley. I am currently a student athlete at Brown University, studying modern culture and media with a certificate in entrepreneurship. Creator of a freelance videography and photography page (BIO Productions), building a strong network with specific communities in the athletic and musical fields. I am most proud of being recognized on national television (ESPN, ESPN+) for my nomination as Music Videographer of the Year at the Boston Music Awards, working with artists like Spelmans’ own Nay $peaks. As a cinematographer under the Boston-based record label Word Speak Life, music videos filmed have garnered over 181,800 views across social media platforms. In athletics, I have filmed for top talents like AJ Dybantsa, Marcus Smart, Shabazz Napier, and Wayne Selden. Have also collaborated with local Boston organizations like the Boston Celtics and have collaborated with local tournaments and grassroots programs such as Crew Love, No Books No Ball, AAU, and BNBL to showcase amateur talent. I have written, directed, and edited my own short films and have created commercials for clothing that I designed and sold. During my time at Brown, I worked as head of production, camera operator, and production assistant in various films at Brown University that were showcased at the Avon Theater on Thayer Street, Providence, RI.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If they see me quit, it’s their excuse. If they see me succeed, it’s their reason

For those just trying out, never put a limit on yourself. Try everything, and open every door. Go outside, introduce yourself, be engaged in your community. It never gets easier, but the work you put in is always the biggest reward than the end results. Always remember that it’s okay to ask for help; you’re not weak by doing so. And if all else fails, YouTube is your best friend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.believinginourselves.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioproductions/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronxcooley/
• Twitter: https://x.com/aaronxcooley
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bioproductions2016

Image Credits
Izzy Tise
Aaron James
Annette Grant Photography