Creative First Chispa House

Conrad is a Los Angeles based DP and stills photographer who has quite the impressive client list. He shares experiences working with Adidas for the Players Tribune and filming some of the biggest names in sports such as Patrick Mahomes from the NFL, Donovan Mitchell from the NBA and Madison De Rozario from the Paralympics. In addition, his client list includes Neiman Marcus, USAA, San Pellegrino, Audi and Callaway. Conrad also gave some insight to how nearly every job he's landed can be traced back to his first internship.

Kelsey and Conrad discuss Conrad's journey to filmmaking (1:37), finding the "I'm meant to be here" mindset (4:32), the importance of your first big opportunity (7:05), word-of-mouth in the freelance world (8:14), his experience with the Adidas Player's Tribune (11:36), separating your social presence (16:14), creative freedom in your career (17:42), finding a production company vs. jumping into freelancing (20:21).


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Duncan is a director and cinematographer based in New York City. He has combined documentary work and commercial filmmaking to develop an impressive portfolio. Some of his most awarded docu-films include Brothers of Climbing and Ten Thousand Bolts which have been featured in multiple film festivals nationwide. Duncan’s commercial clients include REI, Redbull, Hennessy, American Express and Adidas.

Kelsey and Duncan discuss his journey toward cinematography (1:31), being a director vs. being a cinematographer (7:14), who makes a story come to life (8:36), the desire to make both commercial work and documentaries (11:03), how he got backing from REI Co-op (13:53), what skills create a diverse client list (21:50), and Duncan's career inspiration (26:24).


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Reggie is a freelance photographer and entrepreneur based out of Washington D.C. Although he has been surrounded by photography his entire life, he spent more of his young adulthood searching for other career paths. He eventually found his passion for the creative industry and has honed in on portrait, event, and music photography. He also is the founder of the brand Be Pure Black.

His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Forbes, Ebony and Cosmopolitan magazine and even the cover of British Vogue.

Kelsey and Reggie discuss growing up with a photographer (1:34), finding his own passion for creativity (3:32), whether he believes he has ever developed a creative style (6:43), marketing for a brand vs. marketing yourself (12:53), achieving desired recognition (14:47), recognizing affirmations and adapting (17:05) and the Black Women Save movement (19:42).


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Minji is a natural born creative. She has her time filled with many facets of the industry: comedy, acting, podcasting, producing, and directing a nonprofit called Kollaboration. She has trained at UC Berkeley, the Beverly Hills Playhouse San Francisco, the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles and Upright Citizens Brigade. Minji is also a commercial actor and voiceover artist, and has represented companies such as Toastmasters International, Humanify, Pablo, HP, Intel, OPI, Spotify and Wells Fargo. She hosts a weekly podcast called "First of All" and has created multiple online viral videos that can be found on Buzzfeed.

Kelsey and Mini discuss her decision to return back to a career in the arts (2:04), her experience with the non-profit organization called Kollaboration (4:05), what she’s learned from the growing community of artists she surrounds herself with (6:36), how she measures success (9:05), Minji’s experience finding her place in comedy, acting and content creation (13:48), aspects of a crew that create a smooth production (18:23), the biggest obstacle into infiltrating the narrative industry and how social presence plays a role (22:06), her podcast “First of All,” (28:03) and some amazing final words!


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Liam is a childhood friend of mine. He’s always had creativity at his core; his favorite class at our high school put him in front and behind the camera everyday and gave him the freedom to explore his imaginative ideas. He left for Chicago after graduation, studied at Columbia College in the city and found himself working his way through the freelancer community quickly. After landing an internship at Havas Media, an international advertising powerhouse, Liam’s career rapidly accelerated into what it is today. He’s done work for clients such Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Footlocker; filmed artists such as rappers Joey Purp, Chance the Rapper and Vince Staples; and put his innovative work into projects with Yeezy, Complex Con and Volkswagen.

Kelsey and Liam discuss how travel effected his early creativity (2:23), his video work in high school and when he started realizing his passion (5:25), why he started diving into the commercial world (7:39), how Chicago accelerated his career and what he learned by working "too" hard (10:40), higher education versus freelancing to start your career (14:40), the biggest challenge of working with high-end clients (18:33), why he started his own agency venture and his career now (23:14), and his proudest moment (26:17).


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Charlotte has always had journalism and photography in her back corner. Growing up with a family full of journalists, she has a true skill for storytelling and capturing people’s most intimate moments. From studying Chinese at Edinburgh University, to working alongside a pop-star in Russia and volunteering at a refugee camp in France, Charlotte has allowed her camera to be her safe space and allow her acquaintances share their journeys with her and her audience. She is also a co-founder of Time Peace, a community that allows refugees and locals come together and create friendships that last a lifetime.

Kelsey and Charlotte discuss the creative industry in the UK and her journey to becoming a photojournalist (time), when she decided to create her base in London to pursue film and photojournalism (9:17), how her past experiences impacted her creative style (12:55), creating the Time Peace community (17:20), how she’s managed the challenges of balancing business and creativity (23:00), how she incorporates positivity into darker documentary topics (27:20), and her proudest moment (30:00).


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