Chase Jarvis—A Creative Force

“There’s just too many interesting things going on now.”
Chase Jarvis

“You’ll be unstoppable if you become technical as well as creative.”
Producer/director/editor/cameraman/etc. Robert Rodriguez

Many times I have mentioned that one of the key mantras when I was in film school in the ’80s was, “You don’t want to be a jack-of-all trades and a master of none.” But one of the things I liked about my educational experiences was being able to take still photos, shoot/direct/edit 16mm films, direct multi-camera Tv productions, write scripts, record audio on a Nagra, and a few other creative disciplines.

Fast forward to 2011 and a man named Chase Jarvis and you’ll find a creative force who is a still photographer, a director, a cameraman, a blogger, an educator, skateboarder, speaker, social networker/marketer, and a host of live internet programs aimed at inspiring creative people. He wears a few hats, and he wears them quite well.

Whatever tribe Jarvis is in I’ve set up my tent there and greatly appreciate his work. I don’t know if screenwriting is on his palette, but I wouldn’t be surprised. What he does have a pulse on is the democratization of the creative process. The people he interviews and writes about in places like Nashville and Atlanta let you know that we are in the midst of a profound change. There is an amazing amount of solid information being shared now that didn’t really happen in a pre-You Tube/blogging world just six years ago.

If you’re unfamiliar with Jarvis check out the following three videos that I found quite inspirational. (The third video is a 39 minute interview with photographer/filmmaker Vincent LaForet who helped kick-start the HDSLR revolution.) You can also follow Jarvis’ blog and find plenty more videos on his You Tube channel.

Related post: A New Kind of Filmmaker  

Content Creators = Distributors

Scott W. Smith