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Hi. My name is Mike, I’m 28 years old, and I make videos. I can still remember the day I got myself hooked.
It was 4th grade. I was at my friend’s house after school. I don’t know what made us pick up his dad’s VHS camera and start making our own (very stupid) version
of The Headless Horseman. Boredom maybe. But I know that was the beginning.
Over the following years, my friends and I made countless videos. On weekends and long summer days, while our classmates were swimming or playing video games, we were shooting movies. Some we made for school projects, some for extra credit. Most were just for fun. I admit there was little art and even less science involved in those early videos. I have learned a heckuva lot since then. But the thrill I felt at capturing life was always there, and has never changed.
Over the following years, my friends and I made countless videos. On weekends and long summer days, while our classmates were swimming or playing video games, we were shooting movies. Some we made for school projects, some for extra credit. Most were just for fun. I admit there was little art and even less science involved in those early videos. I have learned a heckuva lot since then. But the thrill I felt at capturing life was always there, and has never changed.
Orange Dog Video's founder, president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and keeper of buildings and grounds.
After high school, my friends scattered, I went off to college at Stanford, graduated, and
two years later enrolled in the M.F.A. Screenwriting program at Chapman University in southern California. My stay there was a short one. It only took me one semester to grow frustrated with the tedious pace of film production
and — more importantly — rediscover my love for video. I decided to leave school and teach myself.
And that's basically what I did. I spent the next couple years learning as much as I could about video production. I worked on a variety of projects, including promos, shorts, slideshows, and sports videos. Before long, I had turned a childhood hobby into something much more serious. But the main thing I learned is how much more I had to learn. It was time to get some professional training.
And that's basically what I did. I spent the next couple years learning as much as I could about video production. I worked on a variety of projects, including promos, shorts, slideshows, and sports videos. Before long, I had turned a childhood hobby into something much more serious. But the main thing I learned is how much more I had to learn. It was time to get some professional training.
So in 2007, I became a videographer for a great company in Texas called
CAMPTV, which specializes in summer camp video yearbooks.
Having a camera in my hands all day every day for an entire summer was an incalculably valuable experience.
From a technical standpoint, I acquired a level of extreme comfort and confidence with the camera in an amazing variety of shooting situations.
From an artistic standpoint, I learned that everything happening around me had a story — complete with a beginning, middle, and end — and I became fluent in capturing those stories with the camera.
I returned to CAMPTV in 2008, and stayed on in the fall as full-time Final Cut Pro editor.
In 2009, I upgraded my equipment, moved to Los Angeles, and started Orange Dog Video. And that is pretty much that.
In 2009, I upgraded my equipment, moved to Los Angeles, and started Orange Dog Video. And that is pretty much that.
