Yo WFUN Nation!

A lot of people don't know this, but I used to do offline freelancing as a videographer and video producer. 

A lot of my freelancing stories are actually a gift from that hustle era.

Nuks, era daw o. 

Back then, I was so sure I'd make it big as a wedding videographer pa, like Jason Magbanua-famous. Whew

Man, I had it all planned out in my head, too. I'd shoot for the most prestigious venues, build this epic video production house, maybe even expand internationally.

*cue cinematic music*

I even bought all the equipment - five camera bodies, six lenses that cost more than my monthly rent, and extra doodads and additional photo gear that made my wallet and my then GF (now wife) cry. 

Seryoso, I went ALL IN.

What you see above is a partial collection of all the gear I used to have. My mga giant gimbals and weights pa ako nun and weird sliding plates. There’s actually several sets of gear pa na hindi ko na-catalogue.

Was also able to shoot destination weddings and other international documentaries din, so I partially achieved that goal.

But you know what's funny? 

Today, I barely touch those cameras anymore. I saved a camera + lens set for sentimental reasons, but most of them I sold or gave away. I'll use that when Julian wants to learn story + filmmaking. (Speaking of which, grabe these Gen Alpha kids and their natural content creation skills no?)

Instead of shooting weddings, documentaries, and running a videography school, here I am writing long emails to you guys about freelancing and purpose. 

Plot twist much?

Looking back, all those years of doing videography wasn’t "wasted" time pala. 

Those experiences of dealing with bridezillas and narcissistic corporate clients? Taught me client management.

Those endless editing nights? Built my resilience. (also built my tolerance to coffee lol)

Those times I had to calm down panicking marketing heads and producers?

Elite-level bola skills unlocked! (don’t tell them that though haha)

Kung tutuusin, lahat pala yun preparation for what I'm doing now - helping other freelancers navigate their journey.

Hindi ko man lang na-imagine to years ago.

The universe has a funny way of using ALL your experiences - kahit yung mga feeling mo failures (a lot of the things I share are mostly MY cautionary tales lol) - to prepare you for something bigger.

Pero here's the catch: you need to keep showing up.

Keep doing the work.

Keep learning.

Keep trying.

Even when it feels like you're not moving forward.

Even when you're not sure if this is "it."

Even when other people are giving you that "ano ba yan" look.

Kasi sometimes, success doesn't wear the outfit we expected.

Minsan instead of being that famous videographer you once dreamed of being, you might end up being an awesome videography mentor.

Ahem lol

1000+ graduates of our video school later, I can safely say na I don’t have anything left to prove for this old road I took.

Instead of being a social media manager, you might discover you're actually brilliant at building social media teams.

Instead of just writing copy, you might find yourself teaching other freelancers how to write copy that convert.

The key is to be persistent enough to keep going, but flexible enough to recognize when the universe is redirecting you to something better.

I also didn’t plan to become a mentor for freelancers in the first place. But here we are. 

So , I'm curious - what did you originally plan to do, and where has life actually taken you? 

Sometimes our biggest wins come from the most unexpected turns.

Stay focused but persistently flexible,

Shoden "Plot Twist King" San

P.S. Speaking of unexpected turns, there was also a time when I thought that the milk tea business was my calling. Grabe what was I thinking?! 🤣 Ikaw may kwento ka rin ba for me?

🎉 Pst. Don't Keep Me A Secret. I know you liked this email, so Refer this newsletter to your freelancer friends na gedemet! (kung naisahan ka dun sa mga pranks ko in some of my emails and gusto mo ng kadamay, share mo na!)

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☠️ Too many emails from me? I totally understand the need to declutter your inbox. Haha ako nga nagsabi na mag-declutter ka e. I hope my tips have helped you work smarter as a freelancer. No hard feelings. Just click below (may maliit na link dyan na kulay grey).