Meet Ray Roman

 

We were lucky to catch up with Ray Roman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ray, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Finding your purpose is something I think people are always searching for. Oftentimes, we find ourselves lost, wondering, “What’s the point?” or “What’s my purpose?” For me, when I face the difficult challenge of finding my purpose, I tend to self-reflect and think about my interests and the qualities I possess that could help others. A quote that comes to mind from Muhammad Ali is: “Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on Earth.” I believe this is a good perspective on life. As a documentary filmmaker, finding your purpose is always like rediscovering yourself through others — by discovering new stories and figuring out how you can share them creatively. The most challenging part is finding your purpose, but once you do, creativity comes naturally. Once you tap into that, you’re well on your way to fulfilling your purpose.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Over the years, as I began my journey in video production and as social media and online video evolved, various titles have been used to describe creative individuals in the digital media industry, including filmmaker, visual artist, and content creator, among others. For me. it’s all just storytelling and I enjoy the creative aspect of sharing a story to an audience.

Recently I was a producer on the documentary film ‘Concussed: The American Dream’ directed by David Kano. The film features NFL Hall of Famer, Brett Favre paralleled with the story of Tyler Sash, whom tragically passed away at the age of 27 with C.T.E. (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

It’s a documentary that’s been years in the making — traveling in 33 days to 29 states including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. We interviewed current and former athletes, coaches, doctors, and family members on the topic of C.T.E.

Concussed: The American Dream is available now on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, YouTube, Vimeo, Roku and Pluto TV. You may also find it on-demand on cable providers such as Cox, Spectrum, and DISH Network, just to name a few.

Visit www.ConcussedFilm.com for more information

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me, video editing was the most valuable skill I discovered early on. It started with videography and documenting real life events on a VHS camcorder. From there I eagerly wanted to learn video editing so I can structure and arrange my video in a creative way. This is where I began to learn the process of storytelling through video editing. Secondly, patience is an essential quality when it comes to video editing. The process can be long and exhausting, requiring the ability to sit for hours, creatively shaping your story. Being willing to step away and return to refine your work repeatedly is crucial, as editing often demands persistence and dedication. Lastly, it’s essential to have a sense of fearlessness when creating anything. Creativity is often subject to harsh judgment, and while that can be nerve-racking, you must push through it. You need to tell the story you want to share, regardless of the fear or criticism that may come with it. Embracing this mindset allows you to create authentically and confidently. So, the advice I would give to up-and-coming filmmakers is to approach your work with fearlessness, patience, and a creative mindset!

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I definitely believe going all in on your strengths is important. If you’re able to find others who can assist you in the process or whom you can learn from, that’s always great. However, I believe that by consistently focusing on your strengths, you’ll develop other skills over time and become more well-rounded. For me, video editing has been a passion from an early age. By going all in on this skill, I’ve spent hours learning how to tell a story thoughtfully and creatively through editing. Along the way, this process led me to improve my videography to enhance the visual quality of my work. I encourage everyone beginning their journey in a creative field to go all in. If you have a strength today, keep honing it — dedication and persistence will strengthen both your confidence and your craft over time. GO ALL IN!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ray Roman Media

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