Today we’d like to introduce you to Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I discovered my passion for creating visuals in 2009 during a summer program in my hometown, Chester, PA (right outside of Philadelphia). I didn’t want to attend and put up a good verbal debate but my mother wouldn’t allow me to pass this opportunity to do something productive, especially if it was going to keep me off of the streets during the summer. My hometown isn’t necessarily the safest environment to grow up in, to say the least, but I love my city. I went to the interview against my will and ended up getting accepted. Little did I know that program would change my life. The program was called “Chester Voices For Change”. It consisted of four weeks of basic filmmaking operations including, camera basics, screenwriting, and editing. There was 11 of us in the program in which we created short film called “Through Our Eyes” which is still on YouTube to this day. It was then where I had realized that I loved being behind the camera bringing visions to life. It became an outlet for me outside of sports and kept me from falling victim to the streets. From there I would go on throughout my high school career keeping in contact with the administrators of the program and the internships that we had been connected with during the program, continuing my journey to become a film director. That kept me active in my passion and I continued to grow and gain experience in what I wanted to do with my life. After high school, I attended the Indiana University of PA, known as IUP, for communications media with a focus in film and minor in journalism. It didn’t take me long to find out that school wasn’t for me…I flunked out my first year. Way too many distractions and freedom. So I came home, jumped in the workforce (Taco Bell).
A year later (2013) I decided to visit my aunt in Atlanta for the summer to escape the dangerous streets of Chester and hopefully make some money to go back to school in the fall. Little did I know, I would never make back to IUP. God had another plan for me. I received a phone call from my mother telling me that my financial aid had been denied and I could not afford to go back to school at the time. I had then become a permanent Georgia resident. I decided not to go back home bc I felt there was nothing left there for me, career-wise. I had always planned to move to Atlanta bc of movies like “ATL” and “Stomp The Yard”. The atmosphere down south was just different. I needed change, however moving to GA caused me to lose connections with my resources back home. I had to start fresh. No money, no equipment, no resources, no contacts, no family outside of my aunt, barely any clothing, and no plan on how I was going to make things work. I ended up going astray from my path to becoming the next best film director. Got into some trouble but I always managed to maintain a steady job and stream of income. I came from a single parent low-income household and where I come from you had to hustle or you wouldn’t eat, so I was built for the journey. In 2014, my son was born and that was really the turning point in my life. I was no longer living solely for myself but also for my son who is now my legacy. He brought me purpose. I then began investing in myself. I bought an old salt camera(t1i) from friend and a cheap lighting kit from Amazon and began to take pictures. That is how I crossed into photography. I didn’t have any to shoot videos of or with so I put that bad boy on self-timer and had my very first photoshoot with myself as the photographer and model. I was so excited, it was like I was brought back to life.
For the next year, I would spend countless hours on YouTube learning my craft and then going out into the world and creating. I began to meet people as I started to put myself out into the world as a photographer. I’ll never forget the night I was on the phone with my brother Ace telling him about my new venture as an entrepreneur and that I needed a hashtag for social media. He spat out a few names before he said “Wayne Shot It”. It clicked immediately in my head and that was the birth of Wayne Shot It Visuals. I continued on building my brand and perfecting my craft shooting and editing before and after work all into the wee hours of the night. It wasn’t until I got the opportunity to intern under the great Derek Blanks that really took my skills to the next level. Being able to learn first-hand everything that goes into production for photo and video shoots. From lighting to all the different roles of the people on set, to retouching, I learned it all. It was a life-changing experience simply because of his transparency and him being the example of hard work and dedication to his work. I interned for Derek Blanks productions for a year and decided to leave the nest a few months ago to apply everything I learned to my own vision.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m always my biggest obstacle. Staying consistent has definitely been the biggest obstacle for me. Life has its ups and downs. Sometimes the downs can be discouraging. I like instant gratification, so when I don’t see the immediate benefits of my hard work I often times find myself wanting to throw in the towel or I question if I really have what it takes to get to where I want to be. It’s always at those times where God sends me a sign of reassurance that I’m on the right path. I’ve learned to trust Gods timing and trust the process.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wayne Shot It Visuals story. Tell us more about the business.
Wayne Shot It Visuals is a company specializing in bringing visions to life through videography and photography. Best known for excellent customer service and quality work. What sets me apart is my willingness to go the extra mile to make sure my clients, business partners, and anyone else I work with are completely satisfied. I take pride in being able to positively impact the lives of people through my work, doing what I love. There’s nothing like that feeling.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
It’s hard to say what changes or shifts I’ll make because of how fast technology is advancin but in the next 5-10, I plan on opening multiple studios here in the Atlanta area and in back home where creatives can call their home away from home. I’m all about being able to give back to the community. You can definitely expect to see Wayne Shot It Visuals on some big projects, traveling more. I won’t give up too much of the blueprint.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wayneshotit.com
- Email: wayneshotit@gmail.com
- Instagram: @wayneshotit
- Facebook: #wayneshotitvisuals
- Twitter: wayneshotit
Image Credit:
All images were taken by Wayne Shot It Visuals except images of me. Images of me taken by Teaira Blount
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