Today we’d like to introduce you to Skylar Shankman.
Skylar, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first came to Boston in 2007 to attend Northeastern University. At the time I was a psychology student. I had federal work-study money and decided to work in the photo lab on campus since I’d always had a passing interest in photography. I began to learn more and more about photography and dark room processing and eventually I took my first photo class and was so excited with what I was doing I decided to switch majors and try and become a photographer full time. With the help of some faculty and staff at the school I began taking side jobs doing photoshoots for bands, corporate events, and the university itself and eventually I branched out into making videos as well. By the time I graduated I had already developed a small client base and so I spent my time working with them and also taking any jobs I could find which led to bigger clients and more opportunities in different fields.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Overall I would say that it has been a pretty smooth road, although I definitely have had to adjust my course over the years and the industries I specialize in now are not the ones I originally though I would be in when I started. One of the big challenges for me was learning how to market myself and branch out into different areas for photo and video opportunities. Personally, I’m a very introverted person and so it was a bit of a struggle learning how to network and “pitch” myself and my services to others.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a photographer and full service video production specialist. I would say that I specialize in creating very concise and emotional videos that tell a unique story. Currently I do a large amount of work in the medical field for local hospitals, non-profits, and PCA/Nursing unions. On the photography side my work is very travel oriented. I like traveling alone and each year I visit a few countries that I’ve never been to before. I’ve created a large portfolio of solo travel images that document the world around me which I call “Looking at People”. I think what sets me apart from other production companies and something I’m very proud of is the fact that I do everything myself and am able to work very closely with my clients and their subjects during each step of the production process. I am there conceptualizing with the client, filming the footage and conducting the interviews myself, and editing each story. I think this allows me to be very in tune with what people are looking for and what they’re trying to say with their videos since I am there for each step of the process. I am also very proud of the fact that over my career I have been able to connect with some really amazing people and that they’ve trusted me to tell their very personal stories to a larger audience.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I wouldn’t say I was a very artistic person, or at least I wasn’t someone who was interested in studying and producing art. I was a good student and I liked to make people laugh, and I didn’t really know what I would want to do with the rest of my life. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t want a traditional 9-5 job, I’d worked in various retail and summer jobs since I was 14 and I couldn’t imagine doing something like that for the rest of my life. I think once I got to college was when I really started exploring art and alternative career options, and I found my interests beginning to expand.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SkylarShankman.com
- Phone: 845.863.9047
- Email: SkylarShankman@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/skylarshankmanphotovideo
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