GETTING STARTED
ABOUT once or twice a month, our office gets a call, letter, or email from someone who may have stumbled across my website, heard a lecture I gave at a film festival, or got my name off an Internet search. They want to know how they can get started in underwater filmmaking, or if we have a job opening available. Perhaps they are under the impression we are a large company like MGM or Warner Brothers. The fact is, we are a very small production company, and even though we’ve done big jobs, we don’t have a large staff or edit facility.
When I receive requests like that I can’t help but reflect upon how I got started so it makes me appreciate someone in that position. I wish I could make time to answer everyone, but often simply can’t do every query justice. There is no short answer. So, in the coming pages, I’ll offer some insight into a lifestyle and business that can be very rewarding. It’s a hard road and it’s not easy. You can’t become a professional shooter or filmmaker overnight. There are paths to follow and dues to pay, but if you use common sense, are willing to take a few risks and invest in yourself, work hard and listen, and have a little bit of luck tossed into the mix, then you, too, may be able to achieve a level of success in a highly competitive industry. Times have changed since I began. Today, there are far more people, and better equipment that is easier to come by, both factors that greatly affect the competition, than there were many years ago when I first got my start.