// 01 — the_story
HOW I GOT
HOW I GOT
HERE
// chapter_01
The Training Ground
I started out inside a major production company — learning the craft properly, working on big-budget shoots, understanding what professional-grade work actually looks like. Corporate, documentary, commercial. I did it all, and I did it for 14 years.
// chapter_02
The Leap
In 2021 I went freelance. Not out of desperation — out of a decision. I'd built enough skill, enough network, and enough confidence to back myself. That first year freelance taught me more about the business of filmmaking than the previous decade combined.
// chapter_03 — present
THE CAREER I DESIGNED
Today I work roughly 20 hours a week — shooting for brands like Netflix, Google, Red Bull, the BBC, and Visit Scotland. Drones, documentary, commercial. Work I'm genuinely proud of.
But the part that matters most is what fills the rest of the week. I'm present for my young family in a way a 9-to-5 never would have allowed. And I have time for my own films — personal projects that exist because I want them to, not because a client commissioned them.
That's the version of this career that's worth building. Not just the income — the life around it. And that's exactly what The Paid Creative is here to help you design.
But the part that matters most is what fills the rest of the week. I'm present for my young family in a way a 9-to-5 never would have allowed. And I have time for my own films — personal projects that exist because I want them to, not because a client commissioned them.
That's the version of this career that's worth building. Not just the income — the life around it. And that's exactly what The Paid Creative is here to help you design.