We had the good fortune of connecting with David Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision I made regarding working for myself (specifically for contract gigs) is to say no. Never to perform work for others if it’s not worth your time. If someone offers you exposure for your labor, only sign on if it’s going to be a helluva lot of fun. Similarly, if a client seems like they might be troublesome, or if you’re approaching burnout, remember that when you’re your own shop you control prices. Never hesitate to charge more. Always be the first one to see the value in what you offer to others.

Surprisingly, having a price that makes people uncomfortable clearly sets a line where you are not to be taken lightly and most clients will have greater faith in your decisions. The business you lose out on is what would have burned you out.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since 2019, I have been focused on repurposing existing media. Taking a piece you’re familiar with (for instance, the movie Wizard of Oz) and recontextualizing it through editing, visual and audio effects and insertion of other elements allows us to build an entire movie out of a sequence of vignettes that we call ‘segs.’ It’s still Wizard of Oz, but it’s also a Khalil Gibran poem, WW2 air-raid footage, an opium-drenched bedtime story, the Weather Channel, etc.

As we passively watch media, our brain continues to try and patch together these references as well. Most of us will also aggressively change the look of the seg, which allows us to stretch the boundaries of how much information a scene can hold, but the loss of fidelity makes watching the movie feel like struggling to remember a dream. The scene becomes alien and disjointed, but more vivid than you can imagine.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The arts in LA are a lot of fun to explore. I’m personally a big MOCA Geffen fan, and its location means you get Little Tokyo and the Arts District without having to drive.

There are tons of great restaurants here, but prices have become so ridiculous lately that we’d have to skip the scene restaurants and head out to Monterrey Park for the best Chinese spots.

LA is also blessed with an incredible diversity of outdoor space, and you can never go wrong hiking. Everyone needs to get out of the sprawl once in awhile.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The art collective Dream Video Division gets my shoutout. Just a powerful group of friends, talented artists and editors and are constantly raising the bar of each other’s work. Finding a tribe that will allow you to contribute to something larger holds so much magic. We make each other laugh, we surprise one another with our work, we teach, we push one another keep exploring what can be done in the space.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boilingsky/

Other: The collective: www.dreamvideodivision.com insta: @dreamvideodivision

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