We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Shaibi (chriscameraguy) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
From a very early age children are indoctrinated into a system that creates polite, well-behaved, employees. Learning how to unlearn that and think for yourself is the first step to beginning to accept the task of creating a functional and viable business. That was the biggest hurdle for me personally. Once I broke those mental barriers, it was like awakening for the first time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started filming music videos in 2019, I had no previous experience or formal education. I was inspired by the punk rock ethos of “do it yourself” and utilizing creative expression instead of technical know-how. I lived and breathed filming and editing, I was completely obsessed. After 2 years of devoting all my time to honing my craft, I began to get contracted to film music videos and commercial work so often that was I was able to quit my day job. Initially juggling both a 9 to 5 job and managing a growing film production business was stressful to say the least. I had to sacrifice sleep, friends, family, romantic relationships, partying, vacations etc.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend was visiting, I’d definitely have them check out my photography studio, its located in Downtown LA/Little Tokyo. There’s a ton of interesting businesses and delicious restaurants in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d definitely give a shoutout to the film that inspired me to begin my filming journey. It’s a short titled “Larry’s Dead” directed by Tim Armstrong.

Website: https://msha.ke/chriscameraguy/#top-picks

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chriscameraguy

Other: My reel: https://vimeo.com/714638736

Image Credits
Yosra shaibi Ali Mohamed

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