Meet Corey Presley | Freelance Videographer

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

Hi Corey, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of my career is my constant need to improve the quality of my work. This means I may end up spending more time on a project than I originally estimated and quoted for. However, pouring that passion into each project and really seeing how far I can push the quality of the final edit makes it worth it. That mentality is recognized and showcased in my videos and it is how I get new clients. My main source of getting more work is when the client sees a video that I have created for a previous client and loves the style and look so they reach out. So if I have to boil down my success to one simple factor, I would have to say that it is the passion I have for what I do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One term I use a lot when talking about my art is “Cinematic Language”. This is something I picked up while going to school back in Michigan for video production. Videos aren’t just videos, they are stories; Stories conveyed using a language that has been shaped over the last century of filmmaking. Watching films or shows and really understanding how they pull you in and get you hooked on the story has become one of my most powerful tools in my profession. Another major tool that sets the mood of every piece I create is the music that I use in a video. I usually know what type of song I’m going to use before I even start shooting so I use that feeling as inspiration to drive the filming process. Then in post, once I find the song I’m looking for, everything sort of falls into place.

Being a full-time video creator is not easy. It had a very slow start and I became very discouraged at times. But I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid so I kept working at it, asking others for suggestions, and researching ways to improve my craft. I’ve learned along the way that no matter how hard it gets you won’t let yourself drown if you love what you do.

Above all, loving what you do is the most important thing.

I pride myself in being a versatile videographer. I can take any type of company, band, or person, and tell their story through my work that both captures their essence and is uniquely my style. That is the stamp of my brand and it comes from really caring about every project and treating it like a new adventure.

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.
So I would take them to my favorite bar out here in Fort Collins. It’s called Social and it has a really cool speak-easy feel to it and some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. It is a great place to hangout, talk and drink together for a few hours. Another important thing here in Colorado is the mountain views and the hiking. I would absolutely have to take them for a mountain drive, maybe pack a lunch and take them on one of the beautiful hiking trails in Colorado. One of my favorite hikes is Gem Lake in the Rocky Mountain State Park. It is a great hike to take visitors on that may not be avid hikers. I really love the city of Fort Collins so I would start the day with some delicious donuts at Peace Love & Little Donuts and then spend the day going to some of the cool shops down here and bar hopping. There are so many choices for good food in Fort Collins. If you like ramen I highly recommend Ramamama!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are two very important people that have helped me in my career in the last year or so.
My best bud and childhood friend Griffin Kuras a.k.a “Chef Drip” has really helped me grow with my career out here in CO. Him and I decided that it would be a good idea for both of our careers to move from Ann Arbor, MI to Fort Collins, CO. So we both packed up and moved out here together and have had each other’s backs with networking and making new decisions here. I have created lots of content for him and he has been in, as well as helped find people to be in many of the videos that I have created out here in Colorado. It’s been an amazing experience watching him grow as a chef while we network and make new connections together. He has given me endless feedback and support over the past couple years and I would not be where I am in my career without him.

The other is my partner in crime and fellow filmmaker Jessica Brusher.  We went to film school together and  whether she believes me or not, she has always been an inspiration for as long as I’ve known her. She has helped me out on shoots like one of my favorite adventures, filming a wedding in the Sequoia National Forest in California.  During the editing process if I’m not quite sure about little things in my videos, her feedback always helps me make the right decisions. But above all she helps me with the really hard stuff. When I’m burnt out on a project or in a rut (something that happens to every creative),  she knows exactly what to say or do to help get me back on track and keep going. I am so grateful to have her in my life and she supports me in ways that no one else can.  I am starting to travel more in my career Jess is going to be right there with me making the production process go a lot smoother and I am very excited about that!

Having people in your life Like Griffin & Jess really makes scary things like taking risks in your career a lot less scary.

Website: https://www.cpresleyvideo.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreymightbecrazy/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPresleyVideo/