Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Young.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a kid, I always loved watching movies with my brother and my dad. One day we had the idea to make our own short film starring me and my brother. I remember having so much fun with the process. I was 11 when we finished that first short film. Since then, I have watched every movie with a different perspective. I enjoyed trying to recreate scenes that I liked from my favorite movies. When I got into High school, I joined the AV class and started learning the basics of how to edit. Each week making new content for the entire school to see was awesome. This is when I found out that I wanted to pursue this as a career. In the fall of 2017, I went to the University of North Texas in order to get a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts. I learned so much and met some amazing people that helped me grow as we worked on class-assigned short films. One of the amazing people I met was Joy Walden. She is a super-talented actress and producer. We collaborated on multiple projects both for class and also for clients that we worked with as freelance videographers. After I graduated from college in December of 2022, I started as a production intern for a well-established Commercial video production company called Arcpoint Studios. I’ve been working for the company for a year now under my mentor and close friend George Apodaca. He has really been the biggest influence on shaping me as a professional videographer. He’s given me opportunities to work with huge clients such as Qatar Airlines, Blackland Distillery, Dickies Arena, and many more. I’m looking forward to continuing my lifelong journey as a filmmaker and getting to work with exceptional people like George and Joy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been some challenges that I have had to overcome to get to where I am now. I am a very hands-on person and I learn through repetition. However, when it came to me learning in a classroom setting, I would always struggle. Not to say that it was too hard but choosing my schoolwork over working with friends on short films, client work, or everything else an average college student in expected to balance was difficult. In my 3rd year of college, I was a Department Manager at Walmart working on saving enough money for a new camera, so I wanted to work as many hours as possible. I thought I could maximize my time by working earlier (4:00 AM) and going to class on my lunch breaks. I thought I had the fortitude to balance these. Turns out it was more than I could handle. I found out the hard way when I failed 3 out of my 4 classes putting me under the GPA required to get into my major classes that I went to college to take. I knew that I had to make some changes in order to fix my GPA and get back on track. So, I put in my two-week notice at Walmart, got a part-time job at my apartment complex, and focused more on finishing school. It did take me an extra semester to do it, but I did get my degree in Media Arts at UNT in December of 2021.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Studio Manager/Media Specialist at Arcpoint Studios. We are a full-service production company that specializes in branded content and Commercials. I absolutely love working with clients to help tell their stories through a visual medium. Specifically, I work mostly with either lighting or camera teams. After joining the Arcpoint team, I’ve realized that there are others that specialize in so many different fields that can help with mine. I look forward to utilizing my skills that I learn from professional work in the commercial world and translating it into narrative work and telling fictional stories.
I am most proud of growing as far as I have in my career. I know there is still a long way to go, and I have many things to improve upon, but I am happy with the progress I’ve made so far.
What sets me apart from others is my passion for this industry. I always feel motivated to come into work and experience something new whether that’s a new type of project that I haven’t done before or working with new people halfway across the world. I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have learned that you can’t do everything by yourself. This industry has taught me that there are people that are way better at certain things than I am. If I just concentrate on my department (Camera, Lighting, Etc.) and allow others the freedom to create in their department, then the end product usually turns out better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arcpointstudios.com/
- Instagram: @avideoproductions
- Linkedin: Austin Young
