Meet Will Campbell | Director and Cinematographer

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

Hi Will, how do you think about risk?
Risk has been really important to my career, but it’s been most successful for me when it’s a risk I’ve earned the right to take. In 2017, two months after my second child was born I left my job as a creative director at a successful film production company to get out on my own and freelance as a commercial director and cinematographer. The whole scheme very nearly didn’t pan out. But I had saved about six months of cash for my family to live on (I should have saved for a year). During the previous two years I had been hustling on the weekends and already had bought a decent camera, one nice zoom lens, and a solid laptop. So I had the basics to start my business, a little in my piggy bank, and no debt to weigh me down. Probably most importantly, I had a portfolio of work and priceless experience from my previous job that made me confident that clients could trust me.

So I got to work. Tirelessly I dug into my website, SEO, sales, networking, and shooting stock footage. Very little paid work was happening. It took six and a half months – I was on the very brink of crawling on hands and knees to beg my old boss for a job – til the projects began rolling in at a sustainable clip. Shortly thereafter I got very busy and was off to the races. The risk paid off.

Four years later in 2021, my wife and I decided to try to launch a separate healthcare niche production business. We made a plan to use six months to create a brand and website, build the infrastructure of the business, and spend several thousand dollars on paid marketing. We decided to risk a certain amount of our own money and a certain amount of time on this venture to see if this new niche idea would get traction. Fast forward six months and, sadly, it didn’t have traction. Frankly, it slipped on a banana peel. But the loss was a loss we could afford and the risk was a risk we earned the right to take. We learned something valuable and we don’t regret it.

So, yeah, I like to take big risks. But I tend to plan and prepare and save up and make a plan and then take the leap.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I run a small business in Grand Junction called Will Campbell Films in which I produce, direct, shoot, and edit commercials and documentary films. I also freelance as a cinematographer and photographer. I believe that film is the most powerful medium to move people emotionally so I like to play to those strengths and focus on human emotion, almost to a fault. I once shot a video for Colorado Tourism that didn’t have a single landscape shot in it. Every single shot had a human subject. My commercial clients have included everyone from local hospitals, lawyers, and non-profits like the Vail Valley Foundation to bigger brands like Wrangler, BFGoodrich, and the National Park Foundation. I’ve shot docs that have appeared on Rocky Mountain PBS and segments that have aired on HBO.

This journey is still not easy. The advice I give most new creative professionals is that you need to focus on two things at once: relentlessly hone your craft while also becoming a business expert. Ultimately if you can’t run a successful business you can’t make a living at your craft. One example of this is managing your overhead spending. Clients do not care about how much fancy gear you own or how many employees you have, they care if you can deliver an excellent, useful product to them. So be smart with your money and focus on the basics.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Grand Junction. Grand Junction is majorly underappreciated. We have TONS of cool outdoor stuff to do, from hiking, skiing, road biking, mountain biking, motorsports – whatever you’re into. I’m into four-wheeling so I have a shitty old 4Runner and my kids and I go on amazing adventures. In our area, my favorite places to eat are Taqueria Guadalajara, Phở 88, Taco Party, and Bin 707. Our downtown is the most charming downtown IN COLORADO. Yeah, I said it. And if you’ve been here and walked its winding, sculpture-laden sidewalks you’d know I’m right. An easy, fun thing to do when you get here is to drive the Colorado National Monument loop road, which is a 45-min drive along our beautiful rimrock cliffs that overlook the Grand Valley.

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?
Nobody pulls themselves up by their bootstraps. Freelancing is never a solo gig. My wife, Ina, has supported and given me wisdom for every leap. My mom and step-dad, in-laws, and extended family have helped us feel safe to take risks, knowing that if worst came to worst we wouldn’t have to live on the street.

My former boss, Seth Schaeffer of Hoptocopter Films, deserves a lot of credit in my career journey for mentoring me in business, teaching me the craft, and constantly throwing me in the deep end. I’ve also had countless coworkers, collaborators, and clients over the years who supported me, encouraged me, and taught me new things.

Website: www.willcampbell.tv

Other: www.willcampbell.photos

Image Credits
Will Campbell (the portrait, the video thumbnails) Ashton Call (the three photos of me holding a camera)