We caught up with the brilliant and insightful O.J. Pipkin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
O.J., so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I started my creative journey back in 2009 in Indianapolis, IN as I was pursuing graphic design. I linked up with a friend named Lu who had a small production team which included graphic design, photography and video production. This is when I found my creative purpose. I saw what Lu was doing and fell in love with the creative process of creating something from nothing. In 2010 I did an internship with a small record label as a videographer/editor. I shot, directed and edited my first music video with the label. In 2011 I joined a creative collective called De Gud Life and did bts videography, graphic design, and motion graphics. In 2012 I started a graphic design company called Space Head Design. I had a small creative art team and we created an animation called Mr. Spacely’s Adventures. In 2013 I was apart of a creative collective called Methcoast. I did videography and graphic design during that time period. Methcoast would go on to change its name to BORED., which I was apart of from 2014-2016. We traveled to Austin, TX for a show at SXSW and also went on a small music tour in 2015. In Sept 2015 I would move to New York City to pursue freelance videography. I would end up learning a lot while in NYC but in 2016 I would move back to Indianapolis for financial reasons. I regrouped, came up with a new plan and put it in motion. That plan would lead me to trip to Los Angeles in 2017. I was only supposed to stay in LA for three weeks, but ended up being able to book some live music videography gigs and ended up staying in California to this day. I moved to San Diego with a couple friends and began to try and book more live music videography gigs. It was a struggle to find gigs in San Diego so I would travel up to LA 2-3 times a week for video shoots. I didn’t have a car so I took a greyhound bus or Amtrak train. It was still very difficult to survive and make enough money to pay rent and eat so at the end of 2018 I would move to Los Angeles. I continued to do live music videography and would have a little bit more success finding gigs and living in LA. Then in 2020 the pandemic hit and shut down all live music events. My cousin was planning on shooting some short films and asked me if I wanted to be his camera assistant. I said yes. I knew nothing of the film industry and didn’t know anything about being a 1st AC. I started working as a 1st AC in Sept 2020, just learning from Youtube videos and by being on set. In 2022 I worked on my first feature film. I would go on to work on five feature films in 2022 as a 1st AC. In Sept 2022 I would join a company called The Cinema Junkies, a specialty motion production company. I have been working with them for a bit over a year and have learned a lot of new skills including cinema robot operator, crane operator, as well as working with the Black Arm car rig. Back in 2021 I also got my Part 107 drone operator license. I found my purpose back in 2009 and my creative journey still continues to this day as I am always learning new things daily.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Currently I work as a Camera Operator which includes cinema robot operator, crane operator, drone operator, and standard camera operator. I also work as a 1st AC. I am working with a company called The Cinema Junkies who specialize in camera motion. Working with them has taught me the skills and knowledge to become a cinema robot operator and crane operator. It is exciting learning new skills and gaining new knowledge daily.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey have been consistency, focus, resilience . Some advise I would have for someone who is early in their journey would be to create a solid plan by doing research and studying what you want to do. Then execute your plan. Make adjustments when needed but always be consistent in your work ethic. Networking is also huge. Meet new people and share with them what your are doing, you never know how they could help. So always reach out to people via email, social media, etc.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth over the past year has been learning the skills and knowledge working as a cinema robot operator. It is something I would have never imagined doing but linking up with The Cinema Junkies has given me the opportunity to get involved with new elements of production.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shooterjuice.com
- Instagram: @ojtheshooter
- Facebook: O.J. Pipkin
- Youtube: O.J. Pipkin
- Other: www.thecinemajunkies.com
Image Credits
instagrams: @pistol_pete_pro @leonrhjrthedirector @dharpexperience @cinematicmike @devpipkin @mpip23 @christmancia @herv_swerv
