Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremiah Sudarmanto.
Hi Jeremiah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My parents tried putting me in a lot of things, primarily sports. I was bad at all of them. A lot of my time as a child went into exploring the internet, I was fascinated by different cultures, fandoms, lifestyles and interests that people had. One day I took their camcorder that they never use, I was in 2nd grade (2011/2012). This was during the Golden Age of content creation. No one was making money from making videos, people were simply just trying to be creative, funny or relatable. The realm of possibilities expanded for me and I started using that camcorder to record videos. As the years passed, my interest in videos grew into an interest for the arts. I learned photo compositing, game development, audio engineering and everything that my mind became aware of.
In 2019, after posting some vlogs and shitty short films online, I get a text from an old friend from Elementary school. She’s a dancer wanting to create a “dance concept video”. For those not familiar, it’s essentially a short film showcasing choreography with the addition of filmmaking techniques. Of course I say yes, and after that came the magic question. “How much would you charge?” I was super confused because I had never even thought about the fact that it was work, that this was something I could earn money from.
Since that shoot, two doors opened for me, 1. My skills and work are of value to people, and 2. I really like working with artists.
Fast forward about four years later, that same friend (Dreya) asks me to film one of her dance classes and I again say yes. My skills since then had improved a lot, and after she posts the footage on Instagram- I got a lot of attention.
Dancers began asking for my services and suddenly, I started a side hustle.
Long story short, I built my production services and in 2025 put it under the name of “Ball With 7”, where I now work as a full time video/photo/graphic producer.
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?
I’m a full time artist for myself, not as an employee of any production company. I’m the one planning, shooting and editing. I’m also the one handling clients and money. It took a while for it to hit me that I AM a business owner. Point, blank, period. And it’s a been a rocky ride because although people know that having good content is key to growing a brand in this day and age- the average person often underestimates just how much work goes into what we do. Trying to be successful in such an unpredictable industry, while living in an unstable economy, while being in my early 20s, while ALSO being in a relationship, AND while living alone? I’m a mess every single day and I never feel like I’m doing it right. These are the times where I’m the most broke I’ve ever been, but I continue to do it because I love it and I know it’s building character.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m mostly known for my videography and photography, but I also love graphic design, animation, and most importantly, music. I was a musician first before anything else. I was briefly trained to sing Broadway/theater style and grew a love for everything music. That love for music fuels everything else I do. That’s why the people I work with are mostly dancers and musicians. I am also big on journalism- and was in the Yearbook and News Media team in high school. I really couldn’t tell you what I’m most proud of, I feel like I haven’t made something worth that just yet. I’ve made some amazing pieces- but nothing that is always the first to come up when I talk about my work.
What I think sets me apart from others is that I didn’t jump into art seeing how I could profit off of it, and I also think I was lucky enough to get into art during a time where everyone was super different from each other and authentic to themselves. Nowadays it’s so clear that people are trying to be like everyone else they see on social media. Add your own flavor! If you see it as art and not a box to check- there shouldn’t be any other creatives that look exactly like your work!!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Insane timing because I had this conversation with Austin female rapper, NAJ! just yesterday while we were shooting content for her track “ICE COLD”. I love the amount of novelty and opportunity you can find in this city. There are organizations like DAWA that provide support for BIPOC creatives or the city of Austin itself has grants for artists. I feel like there are enough resources in the city to amplify people who are truly hungry to succeed in their craft. And that goes into what my least favorite thing is about the city, and it’s a reflection on how modern society operates as a whole. Everyone is independent. I some TALENTED people who obviously WANT to put their art out there but never do because they’re limiting themselves or scared of judgement. Or there’s artists who are more established in the area, but THEY want to be the ones to be the breakout star. They aren’t willing to uplift each other in order to help someone get closer to their goals. They’re being selfish- and I don’t think it makes any of them bad- because I think it’s subconscious and not really something that is said out loud.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://7eremiah.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/7eremiah
