Although I started my production company venture a solid 5 years ago, I still remember how scary it was to even consider quitting my full-time job at Apple.
In fact, looking back, it was probably the worst time for me to pull such a crazy stunt since I had just purchased my first home; an overpriced condo in Atlanta at the tender age of 21!
Flash-forward to five years later, where I’m constantly flying across the country to shoot in random cities for clients that love working with me and my team because of:
- Production Quality.
- Production Consistency.
- Production Personality.
It’s true… at the end of the day, anyone can do what we do given the proper training or “how to” videos on youtube (I know, because I’ve done it myself), but the quirky blue creature named “Squee” that is Acosta Productions represents more than just a creative logo. It represents how I treat my clients, how I treat my projects, and the vision behind everyone of our creations.
To get to my main point, I’ve been reading this e-book called “Life After the Cubicle” by Justin Wright, a guy who explains his venture in leaving his full-time job and now gets paid as a blogging consultant and makes money blogging about his life all across the country.
I wanted to share this with anyone who’s interested in quitting their worn out 9-5 day job and actually challenging themselves to achieve their dreams.
Click below to get a copy of the book. You can thank me later. ;)
Click here to visit Justin Wright.
And just to be honest, yes, this is an affiliation link, so if you do happen to purchase the book, I’ll make some pocket change as well (probably enough to buy 2 for 1 tacos at jack in the box).
But I only advertise things that I truly believe in. Being a self made individual that has lived the things that Justin talks about in his e-book, I have to say that this may be one of the best sources to start finding clientele for what you love before you actually quit your job.
Whatever it is that you decide to do, I wish you the best in the venture! The “getting there” or “making it” is definitely half the fun, mostly because it’s such an adrenaline rush… kind of like riding your favorite roller-coaster… x12. enjoy it.
And as always, I’m here if you ever have any questions, doubts, or moments of potential regret for attempting to be awesome. If you’ve read this far, you’re already ahead of the game.
just remember… baby steps!
@thejonacosta
Last saturday was spent on Half Moon Bay, a beautiful beach just south of the Bay Area in Northern California and only 30 minutes from our place.
Typing about this day wouldn’t do justice to how legendary it actually was, so I vlogged about it instead:
Things learned on this epic beach day:
- Super dog friendly beach! Bring Alana and Mandy next time.
- Bring firewood
- Bring lighter fluid
- Suntan lotion is still important… even if the wind is blowing and it’s a bit chilly. Just ask Drew
- Horses DO randomly just show up and let you ride them in California. This may be the closest thing to a unicorn… hence, the reason why Cali is so magical.
- Always bring your friend, Stephen, or the friend equivalent that’s the handyman of the group. Also, a pyromaniac will do.
@thejonacosta
If you get pleasure out of helping others, isn’t that technically considered a “selfish” act?
I don’t consider myself a selfish person, but before I started my production company, I used to do this every single day at Apple, as I trained my customers how to do use their Macs in ways that simplified their lives and blew their minds all at once!
There’s just something absolutely gratifying about seeing the lightbulb go off in people’s heads when you teach them a vital piece of knowledge that they’ve been trying to sort out themselves.
As such, I’ve been in development for the last 3 months on a video training series that I’ll be offering very soon for the world to learn how to do what I thought was once only a dream. The difference in this training content is that I reinforce the mistakes made every single day by most of the amateurs that I’ve run into and witnessed along this path to storytelling awesomeness-icity.
screenshot from my upcoming training series I’m doing entitled “The Storyteller’s Guide to Video Production”.
In the meantime, I started “Tutorial Tuesday (yeah!)” on Youtube a couple of months ago to entertain those questions that I get asked on a weekly basis via video editing in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere.
If you’ve got a question, please feel free to ask me through Tumblr, email me, or even publicly question me on Twitter!
Stay tuned as “The Storyteller’s Guide…” launches later this month!
-@thejonacosta
As my band gets closer to finalizing the new album, LeCartney, we thought we’d give you guys one more preview of the tracks before we release the LP later this month.
This one’s called “Hold Up”. If you like it, please make sure to reblog!
Check it ouuuttttt…
Lyrics:
Setting sail to the sun by the pier
Tanning oil and a cooler of beer…
One thing that just absolutely clicked in my head around this time last year was that no matter how hard the struggle, no matter what kind of bullshit you’re currently in, no matter how much someone thinks they own you… physically, emotionally, or financially… there is always a reset button.
there is ALWAYS an exit.
because this is your life.
not theirs.
don’t be their bitch. don’t be their slave.
own your shit.
and don’t ever let anyone else tell you otherwise.
The video above is a teaser for an upcoming drunkumentary we’ll be releasing in May of this year. Footage was shot all throughout 2011 as a tribute to the people and the good times that were left behind.
make sure to subscribe here on youtube to get the latest updates on the full documentary release.
- @thejonacosta
Life out here in San Leandro, CA has been rather awesome…
VIDEO UPDATE RUNDOWN:
- Ronnie, the neighbor across the street is still looking out for our hood, #LIKEABOSS
- Drew and myself started pre-production on our upcoming micro-series, Band Practice, which will showcase the stigmas, cliche’s and hilarity that a band endures while trying to make music together
- WHAT THE FUCK IS “BROOMING”? Or rather, this “BROOM PHENOMENON”…. someone please tell me
- MyNights is still in post-production as our director, Barry Gray, finishes the editing aspects, which at this point, will be sent over to our base in San Leandro, where I’ll be taking care of shot tightening and Color Grading.
- My latest tutorial web series, entitled, “Tutorial Tuesdays”, launched last week and will have a new episode every week
Drew and I will be making a trip out to Atlanta this week to take care of a few productions on the East Coast. If you’re around, make sure to give us a shout out and maybe grab a beer while we’re in town!
A couple of weeks ago, I took a business trip to Atlanta to work on a production with Barry Gray, one of AP’s videographers, on location in the offices of a Wealth Management client (Russell E. Holcombe) who wrote a book on the process of staying wealthy entitled, “You Should Only Have To Get Rich Once”.
When our project was wrapped, the producer, Dennis Ross (who is also a highly successful writer and music producer), handed me a few notes to reference while editing.
As I was sifting through these bullet points earlier in the week, i suddenly discovered a monologue of writing that he had left binded in the pages of production notes…
Here’s a transcription of what he said:
How do you see yourself
Recently, a videographer visited our offices to film interviews on wealth management. He had one camera. I’m not a director, but I guess from all the movie sets i’ve seen, I was expecting this set to have heavy lighting and someone holding a boom-mic over my head that looks like a racoon. So I asked, “Where’s your camera”? He said, “this is it”, and pulled out a small photo taking professional camera. He then said, “It’s all about the lens!”.
Jon had an expensive lens, but a simple camera. He explained how movies are made now and that the glass determines the quality, it’s how you see yourself, it’s your filter.
What do you need to produce what you need to produce? Many wealth clients believe they need “wealthy stuff” when they really only need “quality stuff”. A bond can be like that simple camera, bonds just aren’t set like stocks, but they work, they lower risk and help you stay wealthy.
The trappings of wealth can be just that… trappings. I’m frequently advising clients to concentrate on what really matters. Put a $100,000 camera in the hands of an amateur filmmaker and a $1,000 camera in the hands of Steven Spielberg and the amateur doesn’t even have a shot. Experience makes much out of little.
—————————-
Very cool to know that I provoked some sense of metaphorical thought by my simplistic production nature.
I believe all things should be simple… and at the end of the day, it’s not about the tools you have anyway… it’s about the story you’re trying to convey, and the approach that you’re using in order to convey that story.
Just another vlog update in San Leandro as we prepare for a few new awesome productions, meet our creepishly awesome neighbor, and try to figure out who the hell I look like…
The virtual tour of our new home in San Leandro, CA, posted on my youtube vlog channel:
After a week of searching and house viewing, we finally found a place to call home in the quaint and awesome town of San Leandro, just 20 minutes across the bay from San Francisco.
We’re excited to call this place home and begin transforming our unusually massive garage into the new Downstairs Studios “Cloud Room 2.0” & Acosta Productions “SL Editing Lab”.
last friday, after traveling 6,800 miles in less than 10 days, i finally landed at the SFO airport from ATL for good!
I’m here for good. I’m finally home! And it feels so damn good to be in this new world where imagination and creativity can finally be fueled and released without any toxic entities to disrupt the process.
so good. and so much about to happen that i can hardly contain myself!
the wonderful Miss Kate Gervais picking up me and Alana from the SFO Airport!
As myself and my co-pilot, Drew Gibadlo, crossed through the northern sector of Arizona to get to San Francisco and start our company expansions last week, we decided to check into a hotel for the evening to catch some rest. However, once settled in our temporary room with the heater on full blast and untouched snow sitting outside of our window, we were somehow inspired to bring in 1/3rd of our studio equipment from the car and begin tracking a song that I wrote for our band, Livid Ends, a few weeks ago entitled “Method Actor”.
I did all of the midi creation, guitaring, and scratch vocals in Apple’s GarageBand using a midi keyboard/ drum pad and the ZOOM H4N just a few weeks prior to our trip. Once we established all of our setup in the hotel room, Drew began tracking our new vocals in the previous GarageBand session using a MacBook Pro and a makeshift sound booth made of pillows, curtain backings, and a “proliferation diffuser”… aka- a long sofa mattress.
The next morning, as we drove onward towards San Francisco, Drew spent the majority of the afternoon mixing “Method Actor” in Apple Logic, using his laptop and my car’s AUX speaker system.
The outcome was definitely great! This is a song that will absolutely catch on with our fans as it’s more of an evolved version of our past musical styles.
We’re one song closer to completing the Livid Ends album, LeCartney! As we finalize our new studio setup in San Francisco, we’ll be knocking out the rest of our jams in the next month, as well as shooting our music video.
Can’t wait for you guys to hear and see the new stuff!
We went for dinner and left Mandy, Drew’s dog, in the hotel bathroom… oops…
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TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/#!/thejonacosta
https://twitter.com/#!/gibadlo
YOUTUBE ACCOUNTS:
http://www.youtube.com/thejonacosta
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FACEBOOK:
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As we cross the country on this trip to our new lives in San Francisco, CA, myself and Drew Gibadlo are documenting our mishaps and good times via a new youtube channel entitled, “How NOT To Cross Country”.
Make sure to subscribe to keep up with the madness as we update you regularly for the next couple of days…
“How Not To Drive Cross Country”. Post 1
I’ve been slacking a bit in regards to my social media presence. I apologize. This move has got me going out of my mind.
Just to backtrack for two seconds… last weekend, myself and my production team (Drew Gibadlo, Barry Gary, & Kamran Habashi) shot a series of interviews for former “Miss America” and “The Apprentice” contestant, Marshawn Evans, at the super swank hotel in Downtown Atlanta, The Renaissance. Much more production will be coming from this new business relationship, as Marshawn has a lot of great things planned in the near future. We’re all very excited about what’s to come!
The last 4 days have been an absolute madhouse as I’ve finished gathering all of my valuables into a small, condensed pile of things worth traveling across the country with me and selling, donating, burning, or throwing away the rest. Tomorrow, myself, Drew, and two gorgeous pups begin our journey to a new life on the golden coast.
Finally. Time to go…
