Today we’d like to introduce you to Hava Schultz.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hava. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before my junior year of college, someone introduced me to some video content online that she thought I would like. She was right. I started binge-watching, and in the back of my mind I knew there was something different about this. At the time, I couldn’t pinpoint it, so I figured what I was watching was just really cool.
That feeling didn’t go away though. I kept thinking about it. Finally, it hit me: these people were getting paid to perform on camera and host web shows. And… I wanted to do that too.
At the time, I was a marketing major earning a bachelor in business administration. After voicing my discovery, people started asking if I would change majors. Financially and time-wise, it didn’t make sense to switch majors, even though a media-related major would have aligned with my newfound interest.
That said, I didn’t have to change everything in order to start my new path. I began to pave my own way. This meant enrolling myself in my own made-up second major— self-education of video production.
I started creating. I planned, scripted, filmed, edited, posted, and marketed my own videos. Excuses could not get in my way. An easy excuse was being too busy (historically, I have struggled with being way over-scheduled), but that wasn’t a reason to not make videos. I simply made fewer and took longer to produce my content while I was finishing out my prior commitments.
At first, I started simplistically. I didn’t have a fancy camera, and I used iMovie, the default editing software on my computer. I posted my videos on YouTube and then personally texted many friends and family members to encourage them to look at my work.
As time progressed (and so did my video skills) I started investing in myself financially. I purchased a camera and upgraded to professional video editing software. I continued my informal education. The more I made, the better I got.
Fast forward to summer 2019, when a company hired me to be the video intern on their video team. I consider this to be a major milestone because it was the first time a company hired me on the basis of my self-education. It was also exciting because it was my first opportunity to work in a professional production environment.
In December, I graduated from the University of Houston with a marketing degree. Over the 2.5-year timeline I described here, my skills have dramatically improved; I am still producing videos and posting them on my YouTube channel (“Hava Schultz”). As of this writing (early January 2020), I am actively applying to production assistant roles, ready to make the leap into the professional production world.
If you are reading this and have any connections in the video production world, please consider getting in touch with me (whether I’ve landed a full-time job or not)! I would love to get to know others in the field. And, of course, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, “Hava Schultz”!
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?
Having had no guidance, my road has not been so smooth. First of all, I’ve been learning the entire production process on my own. That means I have made many mistakes to discover how to do things right. I have faced the frustration of technical difficulties. I have struggled emotionally with the challenge of securing a production-related job without a formal media degree.
If these struggles were going to hold me back, I would have stopped long ago. But hiccups and obstacles won’t stop me from pursuing my dreams, so I find a way to get through them. It is important to be resourceful. In general, I avoid asking questions to which answers are readily available online; this is especially important for me when it comes to video creation since I do not have anyone I can ask easily. When I cannot clear up technological issues, I call Apple for help with my equipment, rather than spiraling into a state of total frustration.
Another word of advice I want to provide to anyone embarking on any endeavor is that you must believe that you will achieve what you are willed to do. Failure is not even on the table. You don’t have to know all the details of how you will reach your destination, but you must resolve to rise to the occasion each time you learn what the next step is.
This brings me to another point: the importance of staying focused. For the purpose of this writing, I want to define one’s starting point as the stage right after she has realized her calling. (After all, staying on track is impossible if you don’t know where you are going— in that situation, there is no track!) Once you discover your calling, you can start moving towards it. However, knowing what you want doesn’t necessarily equal knowing how to get there. You’ve got to start doing something, and as you go you will identify next steps toward your target.
Being public about my aspirations, people have given me a plethora of ideas of how I can utilize and expand my skillset. However, not all of these ideas make sense for my long-term goals. The most interesting suggestion I received recently was working in the artificial intelligence space since there is a lot of innovation that relies on visual technology. Although that may be a niche where a video professional can find a job, it veers too far from my path to becoming an experiential show host and creative producer.
Without the structure of a program or a network of relevant professionals, I have learned to trust myself more than ever before. Among everyone in my life, I have the best understanding of what I want to do; therefore, my opinion holds the most weight. It’s logical. The song “I’d Rather Be Me” from the musical Mean Girls has a line that says, “Everybody has opinions but it doesn’t make them true.” People (solicited or not) like to give their advice. Knowing when to consider it and when to roll it off like water on a duck’s back has been crucial to remaining confident.
Admittedly, it’s not always easy. A month and a half ago, I spoke on the phone with someone who works in video production— bolstering her credibility— and she focused so much on how much I was lacking and the unrealistic steps I needed to take that I felt horrible for several hours following the call. It took time for me to process the fact that she was close-minded and didn’t listen to me, my situation, or my goals at all. She was giving advice robotically. Contrarily, some people I have spoken to share some clever tips and food for thought. Lesson: no matter how credible someone appears to be, you know your circumstances and capabilities better than anyone else; trust yourself and filter out whatever input doesn’t jive with where you are!
If you believe you can do it— whatever it is— you’ll amaze the world; if you let naysayers get into your head— you’ll go down and prove them right. Naysayers are going to lurk in your life. Unfortunately, they are everywhere. Just as it is up to you to be the ultimate filter of what advice, opinions, and ideas you accept and reject, it is up to you to gather your strength to be able to ignore the energy of naysayers. This is especially important when you pursue a public role (just think about social media trolls!) but it is also important because people who are nearby in your life might also live by the motto, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But you have to believe it before you see it.
People don’t stand out by doing what everyone else does. That means they experiment and try new things. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Yes, you might fail. Yes, you might embarrass yourself. (I’ve done both.) But the only way to improve is with experience!
I’m still experimenting creatively, and I’m practicing all of the advice I stated here. Remember that success stories take time, and everyone started at the beginning!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
To put it simply, I define myself as an on-camera personality and video producer. At this stage of the game, I create all of my videos from start to finish. From ideation to outlining to scripting to supply acquisition to filming to editing to posting to marketing— I do it all!
Someone recently asked me about my niche, and I explained that right now, I best fit into the lifestyle category. The subject of each video I make is driven by the interest I have at the time of production. My current focus is honing my skills and building a portfolio of work. That said, as of this writing my YouTube channel has about 50 videos with topics ranging from travel to vlogs to experiences to tips.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the little bell to be notified whenever I post a new video. (There’s a lot coming out this year; my 2020 New Year’s resolution is to post a video every single week— same day, same time!) My YouTube channel is simply “Hava Schultz”!
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Choosing an industry in which I didn’t know a soul, AND being geographically distanced from the hubs, I would say networking has been a challenge, to say the least. It’s hard to meet with people who are so disconnected from what you actually want to do that they don’t understand it and/or cannot help. Don’t get me wrong— I love getting to know people, but when it comes to networking for the purpose of career advancement, these experiences can feel like time just dwindling away.
However, that is a pretty narrow-minded approach. Remember… people know people! When you talk to someone, they may not be able to help you directly, but after hearing about your goals and aspirations, they may be able to link you to someone who can. You will not know this before meeting because there is no way to know everyone in your contact’s network! Keep in mind that networks are not limited to one’s professional world; the person sitting across the table might know someone relevant who is completely unrelated to his/her work life, such as a cousin or an old friend.
That said, we only have 24 hours in a day. (And hopefully, you sleep for a third of that time!) We must prioritize with whom we spend our time. Piggybacking the previous argument, if you don’t know people in your respective field, meet with people who you suspect have far-reaching networks; the larger the network, the more likely your ideal connection is in it.
There is another approach, however. Identify people who are doing exactly what you want to do or interacting with someone in that role. Then, reach out to them on LinkedIn (utilize the 300-character personalized note on an invitation to connect) or email them if you can find their email addresses. Keep it short and sweet— briefly introduce yourself and request a short phone call to learn more about their experience. Because this is a cold approach (“cold,” meaning you have no prior contact or introduction) the likelihood of receiving a reply is much lower than starting with people you already know, but if it does work, you might hit the jackpot! I’ve landed some pretty spectacular phone calls with people I cold-emailed, and from my experience, the more people I reach out to, the more people reply. Being personable goes a long way, and finding a way to relate upfront is always a good idea.
I recommend diversifying your approach by employing both strategies. Where your strongest connections lie is a total mystery; you never know how you’ll find them. Some of my strongest connections have come from both people I knew and cold-connecting!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/havaschultz
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havaschultz/
- Other: www.linkedin.com/in/havaschultz
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