Buying My First HD Video CAMERA: How EXTREME Makeover: Home Edition Equipped Me

I'm originally from Flagstaff, Arizona. When I was about 20, my wife and I, after getting married, moved across the country to Atlanta, Georgia. Before that move, I worked for a guy doing commercial video production and editing.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was coming to Flagstaff, and they called my boss asking for production assistants. He recommended me, and I got to work on the Season 2 finale, the Lori Piestewa House episode (where I also met Jessica Lynch). I worked on set for seven days, and it was quite an experience.

Fast forward, I moved to Atlanta, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came here. I had been doing freelance IT and computer repair work for a home construction company, but I wanted to shift into marketing and video production. My degree from the Art Institute was in 3D animation, and I had a background in video production, having made movies in high school and college. Storytelling and video production were a big part of who I was.

As an entrepreneur, I'm always thinking about how to make my aspirations a viable pathway, not just a dream. I constantly tried to bridge that gap. One of the things I wanted to do was more video production, but I didn't have a camera, specifically an HD video camera. Back then, videos on smartphones weren't a thing; smartphones weren't even common, and if you had a video camera on your phone, the quality was really bad. You needed a dedicated video camera.

The client I was working with for computer repair was partnering with another home builder to sponsor an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when it came to town. They wanted to take advantage of this opportunity because being a main sponsor on the show provides exposure and visibility. However, to truly maximize the benefit, you have to do promotional work and amplify the opportunity.

Since I wanted to do video production, it came up that I could help them shoot content. I had worked on the set before, so I knew many people in production and could potentially gain access to things other video producers couldn't. I had a unique angle. I cut a deal with them:

"Hey, you pay me $2,000, and I'll shoot the video, edit it, and get you a final product." 

They agreed.

I didn't have a video camera at the time, but as an entrepreneur, I thought,

"Okay, I'll take the $2,000 and buy a nice professional HD video production camera with mini DV tapes."

For those old enough to remember, there were no memory cards; you had a tape you had to put in and transfer. I ended up buying a Sony camera, which our company, Noodlehead Studios (later Noodlehead Marketing), would use for many commercials and corporate videos.

That's how I got the equipment I needed to shoot that particular video. I reinvested the money I earned back into the business, in this case, buying a camera to shoot this project. Then, I had a portfolio example and a happy client. It was an all-around great experience.

The key lesson here, and something I always think about, is having an entrepreneurial mindset.

Think about what you want to do and how to get there. Your client wants something, and they want to get there.

If you can merge what you want and what your client wants, it creates a win-win situation where you both benefit. You both gain something that helps your respective businesses continue to grow. This is a lesson I've learned and applied across my life, and a key to my success.

Extreme Makeover: Behind The Scenes Video

Here is the video I produced for The Housing Group in 2007, with that newly bought camera. It was an awesome experience to work on this show twice. It was also exciting that when I went back to work on the show, many of the cast and crew I worked with the first time, remembered me!