Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Mendes.
Brian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started out as a professional drummer and played live and in studio for almost 25 years. Before the pandemic began I was starting to move in the direction of doing YouTube reviews for drum companies and this is where the video came into play.
I wanted to tour less, increase my income and spend more time at home with my wife. I just dived in and started filming myself talking about drum gear and along the way learned how to edit. When the shutdown happened I went full steam ahead with the reviews and learn more about video and this is when my sister-in-law noticed my work. She asked me where did I learn how to edit and I told her I just started doing it, learning from trial and error while also watching YouTube videos on how to it. She told me I should start doing wedding videography and it was at this time the government was giving out EIDL loans for people like me. I got a loan, started researching which cameras and lenses to buy, bought a bunch of equipment and started asking friends on Facebook if I could do a video for them to build my portfolio.
The great thing about being a professional musician is I know a lot of different people from all aspects of life that centralize at the shows I play. Real Estate agents, high-end clothing stores, small business owners with different backgrounds, CEOs, CMOs, and professional photographers. I was able to build a portfolio and use that to get paid work.
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 will say nothing is smooth but considering what the entire world just went through for the past two years, it could have been a lot rougher for me. It was tough, scary, and some days & nights filled with anxiety but looking back, I made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. It’s still not smooth sailing but I’m grateful to be where I’m at and I’m looking forward to the future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a content creator and videographer. I’m still figuring out my specialty since this is my 2nd year in business but I’m moving in the direction of storytelling with my videography and content creation. I’m great at wedding videography, About Me videos, Event videos, Commercials and Content Creation. My clients are always happy with their final videos and a lot of that has to do with their overall experience with me. From the communication to the planning, the day of filming and the final video. I give my clients the solutions they are needing to take their business to the next level.
I feel all of this works because, I myself, think of myself as a customer and put myself in their shoes. I also believe that it’s SO important to make my clients feel comfortable. We as consumers, want to feel confident in the product we’re spending our money on and with me, they get that feeling. I connect with people on a basic human level of living life, being decent and honest and turning out a stellar product. That combination gives my clients a wonderful experience.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Always double-check what you are doing and don’t get complacent thinking this will be easy or you have it in the bag. That will get you in trouble real quick.
Contact Info:
- Email: brian@clearlensmedia.com
- Website: www.clearlensmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearlensmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearLensMediaVideography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd56BgJxHF-hyH_8Vr7tc_g/videos
Image Credits
Jake Rabin Photography
