Dreams: Nic Camp's Childhood Passion for Movies Still Growing
I’ve known Nic Camp for close to 20 years. Back in grade school, it was already clear Nic was well on his way to answering the question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?" No matter that he didn’t yet have a fancy degree or even a driver’s license. Nic took our classes on all sorts of cinematic journeys.
This week, I caught up with Nic on Sam’s Dream Blog to discuss his dreams. Based out of Los Angeles, Nic works as a producer, director and video editor for a company that creates content for premium YouTube channels.
Sam's Dream Blog: Nic, you have been on the same path for a long time, my friend.
Nic Camp: My path started with a simple interest and led to the pursuit of a life dream. It wasn't until this last year when I really understood that life is about the journey and not the destination. Since then, many new doors have opened and great things have happened.
SDB: What caused you to realize life is about the journey and not the destination, like you said? How has that shift led to new doors and great things?
Nic Camp: Since graduation, I had been working full time for production companies, hoping to land some magical gig to catapult my career. There were a lot of great opportunities that came along. I traveled all over the country shooting videos, I met hundreds of new people in all walks of life, and I gained priceless real-world experience.
Fast forward five years, and I started to realize a redundancy in my work. I hadn’t been growing much lately. I felt like my job was at a standstill and that I was still waiting for that catapult to the next level. I realized I needed to take action.
The first step was shifting from full-time work to becoming a freelancer. It was a lot of hard work, and it wasn’t without its risky moments, but once I made the transition, it enabled me to really take charge of whole productions. For the first time, I was seeing professional projects through from beginning to end. I was directing crews and editing projects that I also conceptualized and produced.
Being on my own clock also enabled me to help a filmmaker with the development of a small film. There is no assurance that the film will even be made, but I’ve already learned more about feature filmmaking in the last six months than I did the first five years I was in LA.
SDB: What’s your dream?
Nic Camp: My dream is to be creative for a living and collaborate with others on good-natured, fun projects that might even inspire people.
SDB: Would you share a little bit about the steps you have taken to get where you are?
Nic Camp: Internet video, as opposed to feature films, commercials or music videos, seemed like a step back at first, but something really incredible happened. The whole industry exploded in what felt like days after I got my first job. This led to a lot of great opportunities for people with less experience, because the industry was so new and so many positions needed to be filled.
SDB: What lessons have you learned?
Nic Camp: I learned to truly appreciate the great people in my life. I would have ruined a lot of great relationships if I hadn’t realized how lucky I am to have such a great family and friends. They help me through my difficult times, support my work, and constantly open my mind to new and exciting ideas.
Life has a way of paving its own path, and while we still need to focus and work hard, sometimes we just need to sit back and enjoy the ride.