Meet Jarrod Sumpter | Video Producer & Cinematographer

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

Hi Jarrod, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Keeping habits that provide balance and motivation I think will always lead to success in your life. Because your business is only a part of you, it doesn’t have to be all of you. I think knowing your boundaries and how far you can push yourself is very important. Just like the old saying, dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Even though I don’t apply this so literally in my life I do apply a portion of it. I make it a habit to get up early everyday and get in some sort of exercise right off. I feel that this can help wake up your body and you can also check off your first accomplishment of the day. Also by doing this it allows you to think about what will be most important for you to tackle that day, rather than opening your email and allowing that to determine your day. From there it is important to keep a regimen of getting dressed as if you may be heading into an office or out on a shoot. Even though with Covid restrictions we are working a lot from home, I feel that if I dress for success then in turn my day will be successful and accomplished. Since I have a fairly physically demanding career at times, taking care of my body is one of the most important things I can do. Healthy eating habits, plenty of water and exercise are all part of my daily routine. Another habit would be to reflect from time to time. This allows you to step back and appreciate the success, as little as it be, that you have achieved. I feel as if I am my best motivator. I will not succeed unless I put in the work. Another habit should be constantly learning, whether that’d be from blogs, videos, books, magazines, seminars, workshops or anything of the sort. Always learning should be a staple in your life. There is that saying it takes 10,000 hours to be considered a master, I really don’t believe that. I think that you should always be chasing, embracing the wonder, open you mind to new concepts, techniques or approaches. Never loose sight of why you wanted to become a creative in the first place. Habits will become just part of your life and not feel as if they are work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Just Basl Productions has been a long road. I road of many ups and downs. There were several times of doubt, moments of discouragement and lack of motivation. But there was always something deeper in me that said I was not meant to be doing what I currently was, I was meant for so much more. I feel as though it was long journey but as I look back it has been a life of moments. I can remember very specific moments that lead to one thing that then would catapult me into another thing. I feel it’s important to never let go of those moments and appreciate everything about them, because that is what lead me to where I am today. The challenges weren’t always easy, It took a lot of determination to get to where I am today. No one in my family has ever been in this industry and they honestly still don’t fully understand what I do, but it can be enjoyable to hear them try and explain it their friends or other family members. Every challenge I faced, I had to step and consume the moment and figure out what I did wrong or how I could have done it better. I live by the mantra “never make the same mistake twice” I have always been a story teller at heart. I have felt that every single person or thing has a story. I have taken it upon myself to try and draw that story out and bring it to life on screen. We are all unique people and we all have beautiful things about ourselves individually and I want to highlight that. When I was a child I loved watching country music videos because they always told this story in matter of 3-5 mins and loved that. They were mini films thats I was immersed in and couldn’t look away. I knew from that moment I wanted to do that. Even though I haven’t followed the path of a music video director, I still have such a passion of bringing peoples stories to life with stunning imagery and a captivating soundscape.

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 feel as though I have so fortunate to live out my dreams in such an amazing state. Colorado is so amazing and I still havent even explored the entire space. I love it when friends and family come into town and we can go on a hike in the RMNP and stop off and get some food in a small mountain town. I love taking them through the city I have come to love, visiting restaurants in the highlands, Sunnyside, Platte St and larmier square. The city has so many vibrant places to visit and the weather is just so amazing. A highlight of friends and family coming into town is I get to introduce them to friends I have made here. It is like two lives coming together. Best friends meeting current best friends is so amazing. We all live in these chapters and it can be so fun to introduce say chapter 3 to chapter 5 and see what similarities still exist.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The credit to my success belongs to the women in my life. I have been on this journey for 38 years and I still feel like I have a long way to go to truly achieving what I want. My mother has always been encouraging to me and in her own way has pushed me to be someone. Not someone famous or someone who may change the world, but just someone who I am happy with. A person that I can look back it and say, that guy gave it everything he had. My high art teacher, Mrs. Fro. What an inspiration she was to me. She showed me that there is a path for me through my art. I didn’t have to follow the standard paths and felt that I had to talent to make a true run at making a career out of this. She pushed me to go to art school in Seattle and she watched over me. I don’t think I had as big of an impact on her life as she has had on mine. But that’s the unfortunate thing that surrounds educators, they don’t get enough credit for what they do. Lastly my piano teacher Barbara. I would take lessons from her and she would listen to my struggles about trying to break into the industry and just get an opportunity to show my talents. She said one thing that stuck with me so profoundly. She said “Jarrod I believe you will be most successful in your 30’s and then you will wonder who you were before that” She was so right. I got my first full time production gig when I turn 30, and it was on my birthday! She couldn’t have been more right. I truly felt like I have lived two different lives. My life now is so different than that Costco Print Shop Supervisor just trying to make a name for himself in the video production world.

Website: www.justbaslproductions.com

Instagram: justbaslproductions

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrodsumpter/

Twitter: jarrodbasl

Other: Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/justbasl