Today we’d like to introduce you to Rashad White.
Hi Rashad, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been creating in some capacity since 2007 when I made my first YouTube channel. I just made random slideshows and skits but at that age, it was everything to me. I didn’t tell many people about it at the time. Honestly, I didn’t take video editing seriously until my junior year of High School in 2011 when I started my current YouTube channel. I ended up taking a video production class that re-lit my passion for video editing and introduced me to Adobe Premiere Pro. By the end of the summer 2012, my parents had bought me a new computer and a Sony Handycam after seeing how dedicated I was to making videos with the little that I had. Throughout my senior year of High School, I was primarily making NBA highlights, skits involving myself and friends, and filming my schools basketball and football games. I was convinced that I would be working for ESPN or somewhere similar in a few years making sports content. I didn’t get into photography until Fall 2013 during my freshman year at St. Edward’s University. At that time, I thought photography would be my secondary passion alongside video editing but over the next few years, my passion grew to the point that I dropped video completely for a period of time. Once I realized how much I enjoyed building connections with the people I was working, I quickly fell in love with photography and it opened so many doors for me creatively.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have battled with self-doubt quite a bit over the years. I wasn’t sure if I had what it took to be a “professional” or how to grow my audience/client base. Early on a lot of people wouldn’t work with me because my work was “too raw” for their liking. Eventually, I accepted that not everyone was going to enjoy my work but as long as I liked what I created then that’s what mattered. Still, it took a bit of time for me to find my groove and be able to figure out what parts of my style that I needed to improve on especially when I dealt with multiple periods of feeling directionless.
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?
Currently, I have both a full-time creative position and I freelance as an individual. As a freelancer, I am a portrait photographer and a music video director/cinematographer. I typically work with various athletes, models, and musicians in South Texas on a variety of projects. I also work for the San Antonio Spurs as a Content Producer. As a content producer, I film Spurs games and other various events involving the team. I also edit videos that are posted on the Spurs social media pages and shown during TV Broadcasts.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being authentic is what’s most important at the end of the day. I want to create work that is not only authentic to myself and my values as a Black creative but I also want to create honest representations of my subjects. There are so many amazing and unique people in our community and a lot of them come to me because of my honest representation of Black and Brown people. It truly means a lot to me that people trust me in that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: rashadxwhite.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rashadxwhite/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rashadxwhite
Image Credits
@juscait, @blkodyssy, @okmissjones. @fateandfaraji, @vaughanny_, @tzybyl, @__tiffanybaker, @thefatboyhero
