Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Smith.
Hi Hunter, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was a young kid, I loved the idea of creating art. I thought that art could only come in a physical form, but I could not be more wrong. As a kid, I loved the idea of creating videos but did not think much of it career-wise. As an 8-year-old kid, I used my mother’s camcorder and started making videos for the internet. It did not gather much attention, less than 10 views per video, but I loved the process.
From filming to editing to posting. I was hooked, I would make funny videos of me and my brother playing video games, jumping on the tramp, and other elementary school activities. I would just make videos about what interested me at the time. I went from video games, to “trick shots” where I would bounce a ball into a bucket in my basement. These were all fun, lighthearted videos that I didn’t think much about. But one thing that I did know is I loved creating.
What I didn’t realize was where it could take me. As I grew into my early teens, I purchased my first camera and started making more videos in public. At first, I had no idea how to operate a camera, but over time I learned enough basics to start making more videos. Up until this point, I had been editing all videos on my phone, with no idea how complex and intriguing editing could be. I kept making videos and got better and better each time. But I was still just creating for fun and had aspirations of “making it big” and becoming rich. However, my relatives would often talk about “getting a normal job” and “going with the safe option” but I just knew that was not for me.
I knew I had potential but didn’t quite know how to use it. I would get my first paid job with my camera making promotional videos for a landscaper named Alex. It was a super exciting time because someone liked my work enough to pay me for it. Alex was also a great mentor and gave me advice that helped me learn so much faster. I worked with him all through the summer of 2022 until football season. Growing up I was always into sports, playing football, basketball, and baseball, up until my Junior year in high school. However, in football practice, while trying to go for a tackle I was landed on and injured my wrist, sidelining me for the season.
Although I was very sad because growing up sports were what made my world go around. I thought I could use it as an opportunity to go all in on one of my favorite things, film. I used my cheap camera and laptop from years before and started making highlight videos for my high school football team. They were very supportive and thought my videos were awesome. It was a great learning experience and was a huge learning curve as I was making more videos than ever before. I also saw huge growth in my social media as I was posting my work and everyone on the team was supporting it. It was great to see that I could have an impact on my team even if I wasn’t playing.
At one of the high school games, I met a videographer named Diego with much more experience than me. He was nice enough to answer all of my questions and he even let me use his camera for the game. Diego would end up giving me my 2nd ever-paid job when he asked if I could film his high school game. I was super excited when he even let me use his equipment which was miles ahead of any equipment I had at the time. It was a fun experience and taught me so many things about how big this space was and where it could take me. After that gig, I got a contract shooting for a travel football team that brought me with them to their out-of-state tournaments to make videos for the team.
This was another huge step in my journey as I had never had anyone offer to pay for my stay, and travel to another state just to make a video for them. I would go to Las Vegas with them 2 times and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. It was a great way for me to network and meet new like-minded people. When the all-star game was played in Salt Lake City in 2023, I got an opportunity to shoot for a popular YouTuber named Chris White. This was yet another huge learning experience for me because I had never filmed for someone of that caliber. It gave me tons of insight into the world of the famous and all the negatives and positives that come with it.
It was especially exciting because he was one of my friends’ favorite creators, and I was filming and driving around with him like it was nothing. With all of these good things going for me I could not imagine any way it could’ve gotten better. But one Saturday I got a call from Diego asking if I wanted to shoot a concert with him. I said yes and filmed for a popular singer known as Vedo. It was exciting and new to me because up to that point I had only recorded sports. I think that concert was the funniest thing I have ever filmed. Watching the energy of the crowd and being able to be on stage with him was unreal. After this, I truly realized that everything my 8-year-old self wanted to do, was possible.
And all I had to do was work for it. For the next few months, I would continue improving my craft and buying new equipment to maximize the quality of my videos, filming anything that was thrown at me. I would film weddings, football, soccer, and basketball. I was filming anything I could. This helped me improve my ability to create and tell a story by filming many different things. By the time the next football season rolled around Diego helped me get a job shooting for West High School in Salt Lake City. I would go to all of their games and make videos on their social media.
I learned so much during the season and there was a major improvement between my first video and my last. Even though it was far from where I shot the year before, West High felt like home, it was a great environment where I met many friends and learned a ton from other people. My most recent project is one to be remembered. I got hired to shoot for a multi-billion dollar apartment corporation making them videos showing off their amenities. And that brings us to today, where at the age of 17, I have been blessed with opportunities that I will remember for a lifetime. But I am nowhere near done and am excited to see what is next on my upcoming journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were a lot of challenges I have had to go through so far. Some people are jealous of where you are and will try and tear you down. But I was blessed with a very good group of friends who continue to support me in anything I do.
There were also challenges trying to get jobs as a young teen, companies are more likely to go with an older creator, even if their work is not as good. But other than that I have been blessed with a path full of hard work and dedication.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a creator focused on making promotional videos for companies.
My goal is to maximize the company’s potential and help them gain more clients and reach their goals. I am mainly a sports videographer but am looking to expand my reach into anything thrown my way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @smittyfilms_
