One of the fun things about having a long-running blog with more than 500 posts is that from time to time you harken back to an old post for one reason or another.
And so it was recently when I re-read the posts involving Kyu (Q) Nakama. Briefly, Kyu emailed me in 2014 and asked if my place of employment was looking for an intern. At the time, we weren’t. I asked him to check in again the following year. That spring I convinced my boss I could use an assistant to help me edit the many backlogged videos we had then. We hired Kyu and he worked for us during his breaks and summers, until he graduated, two or three years later. I also employed Kyu to develop the lower thirds in A Life’s Work. And they look great!
It had been a while since we last communicated. After reading the two posts linked above, I wondered what he was us to these days. I asked him to send me the latest. Here it is. I’m proud to say, “I knew him when…”
From 2015-2016 I worked in my University’s communications department as a Jr. Producer, where I was actually given a lot of freedom to pitch and shoot my own videos. But the majority of my time was shooting/editing quick Vox Pop or studio interview style videos.
In 2016 I also created this explainer video that was a weekly pick and awarded “Best Student Video” in the Democracy For All Video contest.
[DL Note: This video about Citizen’s United does a great job of explaining the lobbying problem in this country. I learned a ton from this brief and clever video.]
First job out of school was as a Multimedia Associate (later promoted to video Producer) at HeartShare Human Services of NY. There I shot and edited videos to screen at fundraising Galas, advocacy campaigns, and press releases. (Example)
While working at HeartShare, I kept making videos in my free time, including this short doc on [sLUms]. – a NY native rap group. (directed, shot, and edited).
In 2017 I moved to a media startup called Fatherly and began my current job as a Branded Video Editor. I focus on editing branded content for companies like Disney, Lysol, GMC etc. I will spare you from links to ads but here is a link to my portfolio that has some included.
I also produced some explainer videos for Fatherly like this one on dealing with your daughter’s first period. (produced, directed, and edited)
Thanks, Kyu.
I enjoy seeing the career trajectory of the people I’ve worked with, especially if we worked together when I was an “adult” and they were in high school or college. See also this. And also this, though I never worked with this fine gentleman.