Meet Alex | Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up, I have always been more business-minded, probably around 9 or 10 years old when I started my first “business”. My mom and I would sit down at home and create stress balls using balloons and flour, and I’d go back to school and sell them to kids on the playground. I continued doing things like these as I got older, selling rocks I tumbled, trying out e-commerce, and even forming an esports team in 2020. In high school, the decision to go all in on my business didn’t become clear until my senior year. I had been scrolling through Instagram and saw a football hype video for Legend High School that resonated with me. I figured that since I also have a camera, I should give it a shot with my school! I approached some of the coaches and asked for permission to shoot on the sidelines. They approved it, and I created my first sports hype video. It did pretty well, and I received a ton of positive feedback! I decided to keep filming my school’s sports, and eventually built up an audience, with people asking me to film their sport.

I graduated later that year and decided to launch my business. I knew there was a demand for my services, and since I was passionate about business, filmmaking, and sports. I wanted to try to create a successful business first, and then if that failed, I’d go to college. College would always be around, but starting a business at 18 years old isn’t something you can do again. I landed my first contract with a youth football team in August. Things were slow, but I kept pushing and trying to make connections. Eventually it paid off!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I chose Artist/Creative but I feel like I’m a bit of business and creative!

I think one of the things that sets me apart from others is my attention to detail on some of my more complex video edits. Everything you see is done that way for a reason, and very intentional, down to an individual frame, or subtle sound effects that you barely notice.

I don’t get to shoot hockey super often, but I’ve found that filming hockey is one of my favorite sports, especially at Magness Arena (DU). I specifically enjoy filming the state championship games. I’ve been able to attend the last two state championships and created mini-documentaries for each of them, which are some of my favorite pieces I’ve ever created!

Getting here wasn’t easy, and each industry has its struggles. One of the biggest struggles I’ve encountered is creative blocks or burnout. It’s pretty easy to sit down and create pieces of content that are pretty similar in format, like social media clips. However, after using up all of your creative energy on one project, and then having to create another hype video after, is pretty taxing on the brain. I feel like it helps me to make sure I’m getting enough breaks in, sometimes for a day to two, just to give my brain a bit of a reset, and then come back when I’m ready to be creative again.

Another struggle is a bit more business-related, but early on, I encountered the issue of networking and getting my name and brand out there. I often say that it isn’t about who you know, but who knows you. I knew a lot of people when I was getting started, and could talk to them about their business and pitch my services to them, but since they hadn’t heard of me prior, didn’t know my work or my reputation, they didn’t pull the trigger. I think getting content out there and having it be seen by people is extremely valuable for business. After all, the point of creating content is for it to be seen by others!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not too sure about a lot of those! I feel like since moving out, I’ve been needing to discover a few of those myself.
Some of my favorite dinner spots are Hapa Sushi in Greenwood Village, North Italia in Cherry Creek, and Cherry Cricket! I love Daniel’s Park, especially during the summer sunset. Would also have to hit a Broncos or Avalanche game at some point, and hang out at Washington Park!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe a lot of my success to my dad. He has worked in the sports industry as a producer for networks like ESPN, NBC, and others. I think a lot of my interests are rooted in that. Being able to go to work with him when I was young and see how many moving parts are in a live broadcast not only put it into perspective for me, but also got me very interested in how things worked, why certain decisions were made, and how I could do those on my own for fun. He was also one of my biggest “investors” by purchasing equipment for both of us to use and learn more about filmmaking. I had the privilege of using his computer and software to create fun, random videos.
My mom was also a huge supporter of my work and my vision. Both of my parents could have not believed in me or been very negative, but they were always making sure that I knew that I could accomplish the things I wanted to. I am beyond grateful for that.
I’ll also shout out my girlfriend, Molly, for pushing me and being my backbone, and helping me get through difficult times. I’m sure she’s heard more rants than she’d love to, but her advice and assurance have helped me so much not only in life, but also in my business.
One of my first mentors, Cade Hanson, has also been insanely valuable to my journey. He’s a lot further along in his journey than I am, so he would provide me with so much advice about video production and business in general!

Instagram: alexcardonafilms

Image Credits
DJ Hoang
Damien Brady
Mason Gates