Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Birchfield.
Hi Jack, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born in the foothills of small farm-town Powdersville, South Carolina, I grew up running around outside and playing any sport I could get my hands on. I enjoyed legos, nerf wars, swimming, riding bikes, and anything where I could create some kind of storyline out of my imagination.
Fast forward to high school, and sports became my primary focus. With that, I still found time to get an old GoPro and mess around in making little videos with my friends. That was the first time I found out I really enjoyed capturing moments through a lens and telling stories in the creative process.
In my senior year of HS, I spent a summer working at a YoungLife camp in Colorado where I became close with a guy named Daniel Jones, an extremely talented Video Producer and Photographer who had worked with Clemson Football. That summer, he inspired me to pursue video further and lit a fire in me to just go try it. I was still really bad at the video, but I found a new passion for it.
Freshman year of college, I attended Clemson University, majoring in Graphic Communications. I didn’t own my own camera gear, so I would rent camera kits from the Graphic Communications program pretty much every weekend. I just went around shooting whatever, whenever I could. One morning, I woke up and had a mass email from the GC department saying that an alumnus was looking for a student to shoot their wedding video. I immediately jumped on the opportunity, having never done any kind of paid job before and barely knowing how to use a camera. I shot the wedding, and it went so well. I gained a ton of confidence from that experience and that was the first time I realized I could make money doing something I loved as well.
Spring semester of freshman year, I took a film elective class taught by Nik Conklin, the Senior Director of Creative Solutions at Clemson Athletics. I learned so much in that class, and by the end of it, Nik offered me an internship spot with the Athletics Department. I took him up on that, and in my Sophomore year began working with the Clemson Athletic department doing creative videos. Under the mentorship and direction of Nik and Jonathan Gantt, I grew so much and learned everything I know about not just how to do video and tell a story, but how to be a professional and have conversations and communicate well with clients and coworkers. I was given some amazing opportunities and gained such valuable experience working with Clemson Football and the other sports there.
By the time graduation came, I had the confidence and desire to do something on my own and start freelancing. I saw Charleston as a really amazing place to live and with a great market for video content. So in May of 2021, I launched my company – Birch Creative Co. – in Charleston, and it’s going to since then! Over a year in, I have been blessed with some amazing opportunities as a freelancer and a production company. Locally, I’ve worked with tons of companies in town such as Trident Construction, Beachables, Old South Carriage Co, and Graft Wine Bar. Beyond that, I’ve jumped on projects with the PGA Tour, Tennessee Titans, numerous music artists including doing a tour documentary for Nathan Colberg, and many other awesome projects. We have a ton of things in the works right now and this summer I was able to hire Birch Creative Co’s first-ever summer intern.
Aside from all the jobs, I am just happy I get to meet people, build genuine relationships, and tell stories that matter. That’s what I’m passionate about and what I’ve always loved. I’m thankful I get to do that for a living.
Big things are happening here and I am so thankful and grateful for all the amazing people who have taught me things and given me opportunities and helped me get to where I am today. I also have to credit the Lord for opening doors and providing for me, and I cannot take credit for anything I have! Truly am blessed and thankful.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been smooth! My first ever real freelance gig almost made me quit video production altogether because I failed so badly. It was my Freshman year of college I believe, and I just did a really bad job. I was so frustrated with myself and embarrassed that I didn’t pick up a camera again for a few months.
Confidence has always been a difficult thing, and always battling imposter syndrome. Do I belong? Am I in over my head? I would say that is the biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome. But I’m thankful for the Lord for entering my life and allowing me to rest my identity in Him, and not in my work. Which frees me to do what I love and take my eyes off of my own performance, knowing that He has already performed perfectly for me.
Since going full-time, there have been a ton of challenges! Mainly in the time-management and managing projects and staying organized with finances and planning and meetings. There are so many different elements to starting your own business, and I have been learning all of them as we go! Overall, it’s been a pretty great process so far but definitely has come with its own snags and learning moments for me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like to try to think about video production differently. The thing I care about most is my relationship with any client I work with or producer or shooter or anyone I work on a project with. I want them to feel heard, known, and cared for as a person first. So I start any project by trying to find the client’s needs and seeing what we can do to try to fill the gap and accomplish what they need. Genuine relationships. That’s the baseline ground zero which I build my work from.
As far as my work itself goes, I like to think I’m pretty adaptable and I can tackle a few different genres and styles of shooting. I have two areas I feel like I specialize in. One is quick-turn, fast event-driven cinematic social edits. This is something I learned from my time at Clemson, editing highlights and quick content on the spot on a game day. I’ve tried to take this to certain projects where someone needs quick turn content or stuff edited and turned around very quickly. The second style is pure storytelling. I think I have the ability to find emotion, find a compelling story, and bring it to life. It’s something I’m passionate about which is why some of my favorite projects are where I can tell a company’s story or highlight someone’s personal story. I think there are few things more powerful than being able to move someone emotionally through film, so I try to do that where I can.
Granted, not every project is going to be a story-driven, emotional piece. And that is okay. This is where I go back to my main goal of building relationships and genuinely being an easy person to work with.
Interestingly, I rarely create something I’m super satisfied with. I think that’s the creator’s curse. you’re always going to be your own harshest critic. With that, I’m pretty proud of this documentary we just finished that is set for release on August 11th.
I love creating a mood with my work. Similar to how Bon Iver is a master of creating a mood with his music, I want to create work that puts the viewer in a space emotionally and makes you feel something. There are so many ways to do this through film, and I love seeing a project come together to be able to do this.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Lean into existing connections. If you have a friend whose parents own a company, reach out to them. Start there. Seek out people on social media/LinkedIn. Someone who you really value their work. Message them and ask if you can pick their brain for 10 minutes. Most people (unless they are super off the radar or high up) will be willing to talk to you.
Sail with the fast ships. Meaning, find those who are doing what you want to be doing and hang out with them, learn from them and try to sail with them. Soon enough, you’ll start to catch up.
As far as networking goes, be willing to be bold. Offer your help on things, even in minor ways. Take advantage of every opportunity to meet someone and make a connection, you never know if 2 years from now they’ll circle back and ask you about a project. Be loyal to those who have helped you and done things for you. Don’t be one of those that go and bounce from person to person just always trying to get something from someone.
If you have a person that has been kind enough to let you borrow gear, then use them exclusively to rent stuff. If you have an audio engineer that has been great to work with and done well for you, then keep hiring them. Part of networking is consistency and showing you truly value someone, and not just trying to use them.
Again, just ask. You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish or do or how many people you can meet just by asking!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.birchcreativeco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birchcreativeco/
Image Credits
Cameron Wilder, Andy Turner, David Platt, and Tyson Hutchins
