Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregory Joseph II.
Hi Gregory, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story begins a few months before the pandemic started. I was recently laid off from a contract job and subsequently had my divorce finalized between September and October of 2019. Really the main good thing that happened that year was me obtaining my Masters of Business Administration from Prairie View A&M University in December. Fast forward to March, I am looking for work after the temp job I had ended around Christmas time. I tried dating but in all honestly, it was too soon after my divorce to be doing that so that ended abruptly. I was in this state where I needed a reset so I stopped everything. The job searches, the trying to meet women, everything. I needed a break so I took one… mentally. Naturally, the pandemic started, which was not great news for my anxiety so I needed a reason, any reason to at the very least get out of the house every once in a while. Incoming my sister radio show, The Business Knowledge Broker Hour with Candace Joseph.
April 10th, 2020 was the first video of the radio show I uploaded to YouTube and I recorded the video with nothing but my iPhone. As the weeks and months came by, with the financial help at times from my parents, I was able to acquire equipment to further my skills and reinvent myself from a person with two degrees to a full-time freelancer. The decision didnt come without its criticisms. From my parents, who was worried that what I’m doing isn’t sustainable to my ex-wife ( who rightfully) was concerned as we still had joint debt to take care of. Which brings me to this important part of the story. In separate conversations, I informed everyone who had concerns that I was not planning on stopping what I was doing anytime soon. It wasnt because I wanted to be a jerk or avoid responsibilities but I felt as if I needed to make a decision for me by only me for the first time in my life regardless of whether or not I succeed. Safe to say I remain proud of that decision because as I created more and more content, more people started to take notice and they was left with no choice but to at the very least respect that this is what I decided for me. That factor is leading me to new gigs and opportunities to be in spaces I dont think my degrees would have ever taken me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Making the decision to work for myself haven’t been the smoothest road. The one thing I had to accept that even though I did videos back in high school, that was over a decade ago and now I’m basically a rookie again in an industry that is filled with all sorts of talented people who been doing it consistently for a long time. That alone tested my mental fortitude. I had to learn to be self-sufficient in the context of being able to reaffirm myself that I have just as much to offer as the next person and that I also come with a unique approach to creativity. Another hurdle was being patient and waiting for my chances to prove myself while also being able to self-teach myself skills I may need in the future.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a full-time videographer and photographer. I am still exploring the different avenues of my work so I don’t have a specialty per se but if I had to choose one, I would say Cinegraphs is currently the closest thing I have to a specialty. I am most proud of always sticking to my creativity. I am proud of being able to fully trust myself and allowing myself to take on new challenges and risks. I think my approach to how I present my work to the masses sets me apart from everyone else. I like to think because of how I came into this space, my disregard for trying to stay within the “boundaries” outside of a few key fundamentals allows me to really think outside of the box.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
With the pandemic, I was forced to think outside of what I considered to be the normal way of living. That goes from taking care of my mental health to how I connect to other people. Luck also played a key role when I joined the family business “The Joseph Consulting firm” to help out my oldest sister Candace. I was placed in a space where I could simultaneously reset who I am while also being productive.
Contact Info:
- Email: gregory@josephconsultingfirm.com
- Website: www.josephconsultingfirm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsgreg72/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gjoseph72/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsgreg72
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHq7mxzz8x-P97vr7vC1mA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/justsomethoughtspodcast
Image Credits
The only other person featured in the pictures is my niece Daija Sadler. We produce a show called Drunk Diaries on YouTube.
Gregory Joseph II
