Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Escajeda.
Hi Adrian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Who is Adrian Escajeda? The building blocks that comprise my composition are individual stories that have built my character.
The story of how I became an award-winning photojournalist, college dropout, and business owner with a degree in film is as complex as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, every hurdle I have faced and my love for creating meaningful stories and content has prepared me to tackle a multitude of roles. I never back down from a challenge and I have learned from my failures to become better at what I do.
I always knew I wanted to work in Film/ TV/ Media. Being an only child in El Paso, Texas, I grew up skating a lot with friends, pretty much every day. And even though I wasn’t necessarily the best at skateboarding, I loved recording our adventures hoping to mimic the old VHS skate tapes we would sit around and watch on the TV repeatedly. This urge to have a camera in my hand at all times most likely stemmed from my grandfather Jesus Escajeda doing the same and essentially documenting every gathering my family had. Monkey see monkey do. These moments in my life would serve as a seed that would eventually grow into the creative drive that helped me accomplish my goals despite dropping out of college, a choice that would both reward me and haunt me.
I suppose to save the reader from reading an entire book, we’ll start this journey in 2009, the year I graduated high school.
2009
At this point in my life, I’m thinking “I’m not going to college”. I was not able to afford it. I did not have a college fund, and my hope for a track and field scholarship had been torn away from me along with my meniscus during a USATF (USA Track and Field) regional meet representing Texas in the Decathlon after breaking the El Paso record. Something no one expected a 5’4” kid to do. I loved surprising people who doubted me, however, there was one day where I myself was surprised after doubting myself. I received a phone call from my high school cheer coach asking if I would be interested in collegiate cheer. This was most surprising because, for one, I wasn’t the biggest fan of cheerleading despite spending my senior year being a cheerleader. I was simply on the team because I, being the stubborn person that I am, had to prove to someone that I could do anything I put my mind to after they said that I “couldn’t cut it as a cheerleader”. At first, I was horrible but thanks to my martial arts background I knew how to flip, not well but it was enough. I was heavily bullied by both my classmates and some of my teammates for being the only male on the team. However, despite having a rough time, it taught me how hard I must work to be good at my job. I eventually got better and demonstrated that I was not there to mess around but instead I was there to win competitions. This hard work paid off because I not only earned the respect of my teammates who I would protect at all costs and now defended me, I had now accepted a full scholarship to attend Odessa College for Cheer. Not bad for only cheering one year of my life. Later after surgery on my knee, OC offered to split my scholarship between Cross Country and Cheer. Sadly, when I arrived last minute my plan was to sign up for their Digital Film Production degree however, I found out the degree program had been eliminated from the school’s curriculum soon after arriving. Good thing is, I would meet my future wife in the Odessa College Cheer program.
2011
I made the mistake of not attaining an associate’s degree because in my head, I did not want to settle for a degree I did not care about just to have one. I decided that to achieve my goal of working in TV/ film, I needed to go to a school that had a digital production degree. So, with my girlfriend/ future wife Gina by my side, we embarked on a journey to go back to El Paso and attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) knowing this could be the answer I’ve been looking for.
2012
After a semester at UTEP and one student film under my belt, Gina saw a job opening in news production at a CBS affiliate in no other place than Odessa, Texas. Our old cheer stomping ground. I thought this could be my chance to get my hands on a real camera and get hands-on experience. At this point, my classes had been literature and Spanish. Everything I know in film and editing is still self-taught. Everything I knew about filmmaking was learned in the special features section of every film I watched. Doubtful of my skills, I thought “It’s worth the try. The worst that can happen is I’m still right where I’m at now”. I applied after a little supportive nudge from my girlfriend, and the very next day I got a call. “Can you interview this week?”. Days later, I dropped out of college because somehow, I got the job. I was now a TV Photojournalist for a CBS News affiliate.
2013
While working full-time at CBS KOSA, I returned to Odessa College and obtained my Associates in General Studies. The same degree I did not want to settle for at the same college I had left for something more. Now on the surface that sounds easy, but when you consider a journalist’s schedule is tied to every news story and breaking news event, a journalist could sometimes have 12 hour days or longer. We risked getting a call to go out at 2:00 in the morning to cover a fire or fatal car crash, working in extreme weather conditions, chasing tornados, creating, writing, and editing several stories in a single day, all while still making time to study for a final. During this time, I had also met a documentary producer/ director by the name of Charlie Minn. He had a film showing at the local theatre and I was assigned to interview him. Hoping to impress him, I went to the showing with my camera and filmed his Q&A with the audience after the film. Edited it and sent him the copy. To my luck, he was impressed and asked if I wanted a small role as a camera operator for his next documentary, “March of the Troopers”, a documentary about one of the high school basketball teams in my hometown. This was the first time my name would be on a real movie poster, at a movie theater, in my hometown. I did this while still juggling my news schedule.
*During this time, I won two Texas AP Broadcasters awards:
Best Spot Story – Individual 2013
Best Feature Editing General News 2013
2014
In 2014, I helped train newly hired field-reporters and photojournalists fresh out of college how to have a TV presence, write for news, web, social media, and how to record and edit compelling stories. I felt as if I was making an impactful change to the newsroom because I was diving headfirst into the world and was not only mastering my craft as a photojournalist, I was making it my goal to know as much about every role there was in the business. I even started reporting on air so I could know what it felt like, and I began writing more, pitching more stories, and I was getting better than I could have imagined.
I was then approached again by Charlie Minn and asked if I could help produce and shoot the entirety of his next sports documentary. This was huge for me. Before work, I would be setting up interviews, I would then go to work, and after work, I would go gather stock footage, cull through archived photos, film location shoots, and interview NFL greats such as running back Cedric Benson and Cowboys star Roy Williams. Again my name would be on a movie poster with a bigger role. Sadly the film was a huge flop and was in my opinion rushed leaving way too many mistakes on the cutting floor. But, like all lessons learned, good or bad, It was an experience that would teach me so much about my skills and my self-worth.
This year I won four Texas AP Broadcasters awards:
Best Photojournalism – Individual 2014 (First-time award was ever won by our CBS affiliate KOSA)!!!!!
Best General Assignment 2014
Best Investigative Report 2014
Best Feature Editing General News 2014
2014-2
I ended up accepting a job at a larger news market in Austin, Texas as a Photojournalist. This was a huge career jump. A top 40 market at the ripe age of twenty-four was a dream for me. A few months after, as amazing as an experience learning from such masterful photojournalists and editors, I was unhappy. I never saw my girlfriend and essentially had no friends in Austin. I felt alone. Though I loved my job, mentally I was suffering. My old boss got a whiff of my mental state and called me to offer me the chief position at my old station. My KVUE/ ABC team encouraged me to accept the position knowing the opportunity lined up well with what my professional goals were. I happily accepted the job and was now the head of the department that gave me my first chance in Odessa at CBS KOSA. The KVUE guys may not know it, but I dissected their stories, asked them a million questions, and absorbed as much information as humanly possible. Though I was there for such a short time, I remain impacted by their skills and creativity.
*Adrian wins Texas AP Broadcasters awards:
Best Photojournalism – Individual 2015
2016
My now fiance ended up accepting a relocation promotion at her company, Parsley Energy. Their goal was to have the entire accounting team under one roof for their ERP system conversion in Austin, Texas. So after two years of running the Camera department and training young journalists with more experience under my belt, I decided to leave the world of news. News had treated me well but my heart was in film. I started freelancing and obtained an opportunity to produce, shoot, and edit a pilot episode hopeful for BRAVO TV. However, since this was a third-party project, it was a micro-budget. I used every dime I had to ensure what little crew I had got paid. This left me… unpaid. This went on for months forcing me to pick up a job at our local Mueller HEB part-time. HEB was an amazing company, but I felt so defeated and embarrassed knowing all I had accomplished left me culling through rotten avocados and replacing bananas every hour. I would have an internal panic attack every time someone I knew, who knew my work, asked what I was up to believing that I would be judged. I loved working on the BRAVO project, but I had a house payment to think of. I worked on the project for six months and assisted on several short films as a camera operator. I did this while traveling 12 hours every week back and forth from home to work for days at a time. The opportunity was irreplaceable. But sadly, the producer at Bravo was let go and the project was shelved, never to be seen again.
2016-2
I had accumulated a healthy amount of professional experience but was fresh out of any projects to work on. My mental health was on the fritz. Something had to be done so I applied anywhere and everywhere. Finally, I got a job opportunity in Austin as a creative. I was in the running for a Digital Production Manager position at a school district in Austin and was initially offered the job, but unfortunately due to not having THE DEGREE the offer was revoked. In the district’s defense, they tried to get me approved regardless, but their hands were tied. They called me to inform me, and I could just hear the sadness in their voice, and I know they heard the sorrow in my heart as well. Frustrated and heartbroken, I came across an opportunity to get my school paid for with a full scholarship by working part-time at Starbucks, thanks to their Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) program. It was not news money but it would be a good sacrifice so that I would never have an offer revoked again for not having a degree. I grew to full-time and was promoted to a shift lead and even better, I finally married Gina. Together with the tiny bit of spare time we had between full-time work and nonstop school, we managed to slowly grow our business, gaining more clients, producing content and assisting small businesses in creating social media content across Texas. These businesses include yoga studios, medical professionals, a bakery, and box gyms such as OrangeTheory Fitness
2021
Continuing my journey from 2016, I spent the past four years attending college, working full time as a barista, and running Scenic Drive Productions LLC with my wife. I’m happy to announce that I have accepted a position with the City of Austin this month as a Senior Public Information Specialist. My priorities will include running the city’s public health social media. A skill I gained creating content and helping those businesses mentioned earlier grow their social media following through training and video production. As of December 2021, I finally achieved a bachelor’s degree in Film from Arizona State University opening up every avenue imaginable. Having weekends off, I’m still able to run my business, and now, I feel as though there is nothing holding me back. My path has been non-linear and untraditional, to say the least, but I am proud of what I have accomplished and worked for.
Looking back, I was able to accomplish so much in my career. I juggled impossible schedules and created lasting memories, left impressions, educated a generation of journalists, helped a fellow journalist raise enough money through my work so that he may walk again after suffering from cerebral palsy. I was a Marine for a week, doing a story on the day and life of a Marine recruit. I helped create films and documentaries. I started a business. I helped businesses stay afloat during a pandemic through my video work. All this and more. I was able to accomplish so much in my life and still, I am eager and excited to see what the future holds for me just now after I have received my bachelor’s in film.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I wouldn’t say this journey has been a smooth ride. I think in my case, I strayed so far from a traditional path to get where I am and essentially worked backward. For example, most people go to school, meet friends and like-minded individuals, grow connections, graduate, and then move on to a career path. I left school and had to learn everything on the spot and made every mistake imaginable. By the time I went back to school, it was online. This left me unable to connect with my peers. The only classmates I ever came close to were my Spanish classmates whom I was teamed up within groups. Friends who definitely were not in film school but had their own individual career paths and goals. Ask any person in the film industry and they’ll tell you that a lot of getting gigs is about “who you know” and that has been a huge handicap for me. I figured, well, If I can’t find anyone to create films with or create content then I’ll create my own path and create my own films.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a journalist/photojournalist turned content creator. I freelance in the field of video marketing. I don’t have a specialty, as I was trained in news to adapt to any scenario. I am nearly a one-man band, nearly of course because we must count my wife. We have documented weddings, created social media content for beauty spas, Orange Theory Fitness, a yoga studio, and a cardiologist to name a few. I also get asked to be a camera operator for horror short films.
I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m known for any one project or video, though I may be remembered for a few stories I contributed to. I would lean closer to saying I am “known” for my work ethic, creativity, and ability to find solutions to make something work on camera. I think these are the things people remember a person for. I at least value the thought of someone remembering me for these specific reasons.
I am most proud of being self-taught and working hard to be at the level I am by indulging myself in movies, TV and truly allowing myself to get lost in the art of cinema. I watch a lot of movies, probably too much, but there is just something about watching visual media, good or bad, that teaches you about the art of film. You can learn so much from bad movies just as much as the good ones.
I think what sets me apart is my ability to show up and see the story unfold as we shoot and allow the story to really tell itself. Famous Author Stephen King has said he sometimes isn’t sure where the story is going or how the character’s plots will unfold, but somehow understands the story will reveal itself. This is how I interpret my work when I’m shooting without a script. I am able to be there and record multiple videos and create content. This pairs well on days I have a script and things just aren’t working out. I can change something and still be able to push forward, I like to refer to myself as a problem solver when I’m behind the camera.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck and hard work combined make for an unstoppable force.
Anyone can benefit from luck in an instant. I think it’s what you do with that luck that sets people apart.
Yes, I was lucky enough to obtain an opportunity in news, but without the addition to hard work, I would not have gone as far as I did in my career. I never thought I would be in news, but when I was given the opportunity to create stories for television I knew I couldn’t pass it up or fail. Failure was not an option. I took that luck and I put my literal blood, sweat and tears into being the best that I could be. My goal was never to be better than any other person but to improve upon myself. Even then, knowing when to listen to my managers and co-workers and knowing when to listen to my gut instead is what I believe aided in me wining Best Photojournalism – Individual.
The video and photo industries are not cheap. Let alone to start a business in those categories but luck, once again, aided me in starting my business. And not just mine but many others I know as well. My first new station was one of the last Mom & Pop shops that existed. That station was eventually bought out. Our owner had a giant meeting with us and began to inform us of the buyout. But instead of him keeping the money, he insisted that the money be split amongst ourselves in correlation to how long each of us had worked at that station. You would have thought we were in the Oprah Winfrey show when we each were handed a check that for some covered the remainder of their home mortgages. With this money, I purchased all the camera gear necessary to go off and successfully run a small business while being able to pay off all my debts. The luck was the check, the hard work is what I did with the check to create a return on my investments.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.scenic-drive.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scenic_drive/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrian.d.escajeda?lang=en
Image Credits
Downtown Crew and Talent Photo: Legacy Dance Team – Odessa/Midland Camera Hand-off: Tatum Guinn Gay Pride: Ryan Ensmann Pull-up: Brendon Fellows On Scene reporting: Shannon Murray
