We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jasten King a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jasten, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I started out by playing in punk bands for years. That lead to doing photos and videos for bands- with really no training, just using it as an excuse to get into shows for free! I wasn’t ever really “closeted”, but definitely felt like the odd man out, being a gay person at rough punk shows. I may have confused it with a bit of imposter syndrome, but I had to remember I got there from really being an audience member, that’s both a fan of the music, as well as the visual aspect that can come with it. So, I did belong to be there cause I knew more about the scene then just another dude hired with a camera.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I took the jump to work in photo/video full-time about 10 years ago. By then, the bands I played in had fizzled out and I was working in a lot of nightlife. From running parties on the Sunset Strip to DJing in West Hollywood for mostly gay and drag events. I figured if I could combine the two, taking the sort of punk rock vibe to the gay bars, and the spectacle of drag shows to the rock scene, I could find my brand. Frankly, to me they’ve always been very similar, but in larger cities like Los Angeles, the crowds tend to stay in their own bubble. I always felt I had an advantage being part of a wider variety of nightlife. Instead of feeling like the outsider, I just applied it to what I do. So, I soon started working with everything from events at World of Wonder, live projections at drag and burlesque shows, to video screens at the Swarovski Museum in Austria.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think just going for it- don’t wait for money or equipment or help. I didn’t know half the buttons on the camera but I’d still go out there and capture what best caught my eye. By the time I went to some schooling, that helped tremendously having a heads up on how things worked. Otherwise I think I might’ve sank in the overwhelming amount of work that’s thrown at you in college. Also, keep going out there and do it for fun. Don’t jut wait for the work to come around cause you never know what will lead to something next. I still grab friends for random photo shoots or short films, just to make something under my control and stay fresh with the idea of what I like to do.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The pandemic really got me back into specifically video work. I was editing a lot of the digital drag shows and rock concerts, which really pushed my skills as an editor. So when we could all get back to work again, I invested in some new video equipment and began producing more local music videos or social media content. What I’m really looking forward to now is applying all I’ve learned from working with a variety of other artists, and applying it to something of my own. I’m currently working on releasing an EP titled, “(A Band Called) The Bats”, taking some new demos I recorded and making a series of short films to tie them altogether. I’m exactly not looking to be in music again, but just a one-time project to really apply my skills- musically and visually- to something under my full control and show off for a bit.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jastenking/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@jastking
Image Credits
Self portrait (edit by @ZENAIIIDO) Stills & photography: Jasten King
