Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Walsh.
Hi Patrick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to LA in 2016 to attend Occidental College. When I applied I imagined my career trajectory leading me to become a diplomat or traveling internationally advocating for human rights. It was about six months before I was using all of my spare time to make films and comedy sketches with my friends.
Over my four years I was fortunate enough to have film work become my priority and school work as a hobby. This led me to gain understanding of corporate production while also getting to experiment and learn new techniques in the classroom. Graduation came quickly and hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no plan and no clue where to start. Like many who have been in my position, I took any job that was paying. I created fashion films, music videos, and edited any footage that people had laying around.
The pandemic was a massive turning point for me. I found the world of User Generated Content (UGC) and finally had steady enough income to allow myself to think about pursuing the dream again. I was getting the opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands in the world: Target, DoorDash, Bumble, Adidas, and so many more. What stole my attention, however, was knowing that I had blinked and spent five years without creating anything that would lead me closer to my goal of being financially stable from my narrative writing and directing.
Rededicating yourself to a hobby can be tough, but for me it was liberating. I have a lot of work experiences that I could brag about, but nothing fulfills me like getting to realize my creative vision in the exact way I choose. Since then I’ve gotten my groove back. I’ve made short films, a pilot, some sketches, and am always looking for the next opportunity.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Apart from being a lifeguard in high school, I’ve never had an office job. That comes with a lot of struggle. The biggest and hardest to face is the ever looming doubt wondering if the concept of “Patrick” is a profitable business venture. I think the longest project I’ve ever worked on was three months. That means I’ve never had a break longer than three months from being concerned about how I’m going to pay rent and cover my bills. Highlights are fleeting. Whether it is professional or personal, finishing a project, for me, is a short celebration, generally a few hours, followed by the compulsive need to figure out what I’m doing next. It’s complicated sinking months if not years into a project only to celebrate it for a few hours, but for me, I enjoy the process. I love writing, I love the creative collaboration, and although I do not enjoy editing, watching something come to life before my eyes makes it all worth it. As long as I have something to look forward to, I have no trouble getting out of bed in the morning.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In short, if you can watch it, I can make it. This covers everything from UGC to traditional live action shoots. When advertising on social media it is important to be current and authentic to the platform. For example, when UGC first exploded one prevailing trend on TikTok was for users to record their audio with wired headphones. The would practically, put the mic into their mouth, often causing the audio to peak. Don’t even get me started on the pops and hisses of “P’s” and “S’s”. It went against every best practice I had learned to instruct talent to film in this manner, but anything of higher production value would have felt inauthentic. When Augmented Filters were dominant on socials, I spent my nights learning how to code in the computer language native to each competitor. It is incredibly easy to dismiss the thought and effort put into a 15 second piece of UGC, but I pride myself on bringing the same attention to detail on that level as I would to something with ten times the budget. There are thousands of choices for project and it is noticeable when the appropriate care and attention was not dedicated.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Most people are surprised to find out that I am heavily introverted. It’s been a huge challenge for me. This industry does have a lot of “all about who you know” tendencies and my natural behavior is to meet no one and never leave my house. My advice is simple: do it. Write the email, schedule the phone call, reach out on Instagram. The worst thing that will happen is that they say ‘No’. I was once the guy celebrating going to a networking event where I only spoke to the one person I already knew, and literally the last thing I worked on prior to this interview was sending emails following up with my acquaintances.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.playhouse.productions
