Meet May Nyback | Videographer, Editor & Content Creator

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

Hi May, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
This is one of the most challenging questions to answer because the truth is – whether to keep going or to give up is truly what separates those who succeed or not. Success is often not measured by a born talent, but a mindset of keep going even it gets hard.

I believe there has to be a balance between being a dreamer and being a realist. Believing in your dreams, believing you can create your own world and make anything come true is important. It’s the idea that pushes us in our lives. It’s a symbol of hope to hold onto when life seem to go against us.

The other side of it, to be self-aware of yourself and the situation, is also important. If you don’t set realistic goals, you may end up not achieving any of them. And that can set you back even more.

To finally answer the question, I believe it comes down to the reason you are doing something. If you are doing it because it’s your passion, it’s the thing you love to do and that makes you happy, then go for it. If you’re able to fall in love with the process more than the end result, then I think you should keep going until you achieve your goals.

But if you’re only doing it out of attention, numbers, or money, then you might end up not finding happiness. You would only be doing it for the reasons you think would give you happiness in the end, when in reality you should already enjoy doing it.

It depends on your goals and intentions with what you’re doing. As a creative who is miles away from where I want to be, I push myself everyday to keep going. It’s not easy. It’s difficult to keep creating when I put hundreds of hours into a creative piece only to be seen by a few people.

The most powerful thing I have is my mindset and it tells me it will happen one day. I will achieve my dreams. If I keep staying consistent and not give up, then eventually it will happen. I remind myself of the reason why I started in the first place. It wasn’t for views, opportunities, or money. It was because it made me happy and I wanted to tell stories that inspires other people.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe what sets me apart from others is my story and my authentic voice. I grew up in Oslo, Norway and moved to California by myself when I was 19 to pursue my dreams in LA. This is also my biggest achievement in life. Having a dream since I was 10 years old, and actually making it come true early in life. Because of this journey, I quickly learned how to be independent and do things for myself.

Growing up queer in a not only a heteronormative society, but homogeneous country, I stood out early in life. From being adopted from Asia in a very white-dominated society to being a non-binary queer person around cis straight friends. I also made a short-film documentary about this exact story.

Because I always felt uncomfortable and that I didn’t fit in, I started creating my own reality in movies, tv-shows, and the Internet. It was my escapism. From there on I started falling in love with making videos and telling stories, which eventually led me to my professional career today.

Today I work as a videographer, video editor and content creator for a company called 1500 Sound Academy founded by Grammy-award-winning musicians. I got the job a few months after I graduated college and I think it was because of how hard I had worked on my passion and craft over the years.

I started my passion for videos and editing when I was about 15 years old. I was obsessed with YouTube which is where I learned majority of what I know today. My parents bought me a DSLR for Christmas that I had wanted, and from there I practiced a lot. I started bringing my camera with my everywhere and I was up editing videos until 2 am.

At the time, I don’t think I thought much about having it as a career or making money from it. It was something I loved to do every day and that I’m continuing to do outside of work. When you do it so much, you eventually become really good at it and I guess I eventually became so good that people wanted to pay me to do it.

Looking back at it, a lot of what I achieved was because of my optimistic mindset to never give up, and believe that this was all for something. When you have hope and believe in the future – that no matter what happens to you, it’s all a part of the journey to success. And with the mindset that the more you fail, the more you will succeed.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is that while life isn’t fair, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. Sometimes that means you need to work harder, learn from your mistakes, and trust yourself more than others. If you can use what happens to you in a positive way, then nothing can stop you.

I’ve learned to truly embrace who I am and my story in my creative work. I don’t use the things that happen to me as an excuse, rather I use it for my storytelling and to stand out from others.

My mission as a creative storyteller has always been to inspire people who are similar to me. I want my stories to inspire others to go after their own dreams and to not let their circumstances hold them back. I want people to understand that your mindset needs to be ahead of your actions. Your actions will follow what you believe in so if you believe you can make it, you will take actions that support that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s a reason why I moved to Los Angeles. We have everything. From our sunny beaches to a fascinating city with amazing food.

During the day, you could go to Santa Monica, Malibu, or Venice Beach. Other than the massive beaches, Venice has beautiful canals that makes up for a nice walk. If you want to be entertained, then walking down the boardwalk is always fascinating. In Santa Monica, you could entertain yourself at the pier or you could go to 3rd Street Promenade for shopping and dining.

There’s also great hikes here. My favorite is probably the hike up to the Griffith Observatory. It’s steep, but the nice view on top always feel like a great reward. My favorite place to go if I want to relax outdoors is probably Los Angeles State Historic Park that is located in Downtown. This is probably one of the most underrated places in LA.

For nightlife, entertainment, and restaurants, you need to check out West Hollywood. Their most famous street, Sunset Boulevard is known for some iconic landmarks, great places to eat, and lots of entertainment – everything from performing venues to comedy shows.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Everything I achieved in my life was because of me. I never got significant support from anyone to help me get to where I am today.

Website: https://www.maybackfilms.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maynyback/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mayback

Other: TikTok @maybackfilms

Image Credits
Last photo (on the stage) is courtesy of 1500 Sound Academy. I’m the person to the left filming on stage for work.