Meet Brady Holcomb

We recently connected with Brady Holcomb and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brady, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

First, thank you for having me! It’s been wonderful to read the interviews across your site and hear people’s stories of resilience.

So for me, as a filmmaker and a creative, confidence comes from my journey of pushing past the surface to find the deeper reality: “Who am I?”
Not merely “What is unique about me?”, but “Why do I matter?”

In the past, when faced with rejection, I could just batten down and press on, but that seemed to leave the core fear of rejection unaddressed. Sure, I could surround myself with positive people to mask what I don’t feel on the inside, but that’s like trying to get rid of the pungent smell of bleach by adding Febreze.

Rejection has always played a role in my professional career, seemingly finding new ways to spring up. It’s the ever-growing game of whack-a-mole, where as a filmmaker, I throw myself at an opportunity darting up, full-send, and then it might be gone before I hit the ground. Or I succeed in my aim—only to find that it means I missed a better opportunity. Or worse, after racking up point after point, the carnival bell dings and I realize none of my work mattered outside of those 30 seconds that I was playing the game.

When I started freelancing in Atlanta, it took about 2 years to develop a network that kept jobs steady enough. I began to work higher budget projects, joined the film union and worked in the lighting department on shows for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Warner Brothers, and Disney, but the phrase all-too-familiar to every film crew member is: “You’re only as good as your last job.” In a world of freelancers, your income is as steady as someone’s perception of your job performance. You could make a great connection one day, and two weeks later be replaced by the next guy with more experience.

Because I put so much of myself into my work, the more I invested, the more I had to lose. If someone rejected me for work, they were rejecting me and all the years I had put in to be there. I was a filmmaker. That was my sole identity.

Our instinct is to ground ourselves in things that we trust give us stability & security, but when that foundation is yanked out from underneath, it shakes our very motivation. Am I in the right field? Did I really give my best? Why was my best not enough? Does that mean that I am not enough?

So again, who am I? If someone took every possible job away from me, does that change who I am?

Through an ongoing process of discovery, I’ve landed on this: my identity is secure, because the God who gave me my identity is secure, not primarily as a filmmaker, but as someone he protects and loves– all by His initiative, not my own. I believe He is secure, and does not change, therefore I am secure.

Because I’ve realized that I am not my work, and my identity is grounded in someone unchanging, I am free to create, try, succeed, fail, learn, and grow, no longer running from failure, but instead toward opportunities to work hard, collaborate, and create with film.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I love telling visual stories. That was the spark that impassioned me to jump in the film industry. I love the concept of creating a frame, utilizing the tools of shaped light and shadow, depth, motion, and color to completely evoke an emotion, or describe the relationship between characters without saying a single word.

While in the Atlanta film industry, I focused on coming up through the lighting department to become Director of Photography on narratives. At the moment, three films that I’ve designed the cinematography for this past year are in the festival circuit, and I’m headed to a festival next week for one that’s been nominated for Best Cinematography.

I’m currently in post-production on a documentary bringing light to stories from remote Nepali mountain villages. Hiking there with solar panels for our camera gear was a story in-and-of itself.

I post work updates to instagram, along with occasional lighting breakdowns & stills: @holcombfilm

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

These three quotes have always stuck with me and guide how I approach scenarios:

– “If you’re a 5, learn from a 6, and teach a 4.” A team is only as strong as the weakest link, so constantly train and be trained.

– “Reject passivity. Accept responsibility. Lead courageously. Strive for God’s greater reward.” Our life must be action verbs if we want to see results.

– “A ship in a harbor is safe. But that is not what ships are for.” Go do hard things. Comfortability is beautiful, but it can quickly entrap us into being passive.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Pause, look at everything from a higher vantage point and prioritize the most important tasks.

I’ve heard the phrase when something is late: “It’s not that there wasn’t enough time, it’s just that the task wasn’t a priority.” Our values guide our priorities, so based on your values and goals, you’ll have a better idea of what needs to happen immediately, what is next, and what can be delegated.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @holcombfilm

Image Credits

Jordenn Hall, Kurt Yue, Jack Strong