THE 505 PODCAST 135. From Moms Basement to MILLIONS of Views: The Story of Brady Bessette
What's up Rock Nation, today we welcome Brady Bessette. In this episode we dive deep into Brady's YouTube journey, how he's balanced YouTube and his cinematography career, and what he feels makes an incredible DP. Brady is a Cinematographer and lighting extraordinaire! Whether it's on YouTube or making movies, Brady just wants to create. This was our first podcast ever outside, so we hope you enjoy!
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Trailer
0:54 - Intro
2:03 - One Handed Crack
3:43 - Brady’s first big YouTube video
5:24 - Motion Array
5:53 - Brady started making videos in his mom’s basement
6:23 - Creators need time to be bored
6:52 - Brady’s vlogging era
7:44 - When YouTube pressure hit
8:58 - Understanding his YouTube audience
9:58 - Brady was a fraud
11:09 - Brady posted on YouTube for 2 years straight without missing a week
12:35 - YouTube lead to DP work for Brady
13:34 - Brady’s first brand deal
15:24 - The business side of YouTube
17:32 - Brady hates YouTube
17:50 - Brady’s outsourcing system
18:23 - Brady’s process for YouTube videos
21:20 - Brady talks camera gear
23:33 - Brady’s process evolution on YouTube
24:40 - Brady gets nerdy about lighting
26:17 - The role of a DP
28:03- How Brady decides the lens he wants to shoot with
30:50 - When Brady decides to try something new
31:55 - Prep days
33:59 - Story is #1 priority
34:57 - How important pre production is
35:56 - Balancing YouTube and being an actual DP
37:29 - Repurposing content for Social Media and YouTube
38:36 - The most slept on gear for a DP
40:42 - Why soft light sucks
42:11 - Brady stopped playing it safe
43:18 - Why Brady doesn’t shoot wide open
45:08 - The importance of learning all aspects of filmmaking
47:47 - What makes a great gaffer
48:50 - Brady wants to scale
50:23 - Brady dropped out of college
52:24 - Brady gave himself 2 years to make this career work
54:35 - You have to have delusional confidence
57:40 - How to get to the next level in your career as a DP
59:49 - Dealing with burnout as a creator
1:03:34 - No longer wanting to be a gaffer
1:04:19 - What Brady hopes to take into 2025
1:06:42 - Why Brady doesn’t really watch YouTube
1:08:35 - Where Brady draws his inspiration from
1:09:27 - Advice to your 18 year old self
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