Meet Graham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Graham.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
If it wasn’t for my love of Music and Film, I would have never made it to California. As a young trouble-maker in Northern Virginia, I grew up constantly being drawn towards audible and visual patterns, which was only increased by my family’s love for the arts. My parents both being graphic designers, highly encouraged creative exploration, and my brothers heavily influenced my musical affirmation. Memories of my father blasting “Undertow” by Tool in the minivan still flash to my frontal lobe from time to time. As soon as my oldest brother, Alex, introduced me to Guitar Center at age 9, I instantly felt all of my past and future lives calling out to me. Music soon became my life, as well as an inherited knack for graphic design. Throughout my adolescence, I simultaneously evolved my crafts as much as I got in trouble. Whether it was with school or with the law, I frequently ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mother is a worry-warrior for how much she put up with.

At my worst, my good friend and I were supplying goods to local cannabis dealers, using the infamous “silk road”, which traded bitcoin (when it was worth $5-$10) for products from around the world. This sparked an educational “experimental phase” which led to a lot of self-discovery and reflection about my impact and potential in the universe. After getting kicked out of one High School and narrowly graduating from another, it was clear that four more years of that cycle was not in my future. If I didn’t find a way to leave my hometown and chase what was locally deemed a “pipe dream”, I knew I would forever regret my future decisions. A few local bands and one failed start-up clothing company later, I had finally saved up enough money barbacking to move out to California. 2 weeks later on August 1st, 2016, I was driving out west with my hand-me-down car filled to the brim, and having no job and no living situation lined up other than my brother’s couch for two weeks. Within the first two weeks of arriving in LA, I was able to secure a part-time job and use most of remaining savings to rent a room off of Craigslist. Everything changed with Craigslist.

LA Story: Life in a Sphere

The day I moved into my first LA residence (NoHo), I happen to meet one of my new roommates, Richard Wynne, who is an incredibly talented producer and guitarist for Shwayze and many other artists. Even weirder, he is also from the same hometown of Fairfax, VA. Shortly after living together and musically coexisting, Richard happens to tune in to some of the muffled acoustic improv and spontaneous riffs resonating from my room. He later invited me to come to his recording studio at Thud Studios (NoHo) where my world of music completely evolved. Richard had an extremely unique way of writing, with no hint of hesitation when it came to exploring new sounds for hours on end, vinyls of Jaco Pastorius and endless repeats of drum samples echoing into halls. As our friendship grew, I was lucky enough to experience incredible opportunities that have subsequently led me to be where I am now, whether it was accompanying Richard and Shwayze at a VIP party, backstage at one of their shows, and eventually shooting my first of many music videos for Richard and his now Fiance, Maite Francois. Once Richard and Maite met, the music and the opportunities only got better.

I always thought my life would mainly just consist of music. I grew up loving films but never expected it would evolve from a calling into a full-time career that I live and breathe. As I was expanding my musical network and knowledge with TABOO, I was simultaneously playing with random bands that I would find on flyers in Cafes and on Craigslist, one of them being an alternative rock band, “Bear Squared”, whom I would write and play drums with for a few years to come, and the singer somehow also being from my hometown. Another was “Red Giant” a band my brother Luke Bishop was a part of, which all three groups (TABOO, Bear Squared, Red Giant) supplied wonderful experiences of playing shows all over SoCal, including The Rainbow and the Whiskey A Go Go. On top of music, I was attempting to create new start-up companies with a high school friend who would later help get me my first camera and filming opportunity. About three start-ups in, we were developing an app based business called “Houzr”, which connected Real Estate agents with photographers, videographers, and media outlets.

As I was creating the app design and layout, we realized we also needed to have a portfolio to get the business going. We managed to gain contacts from Keller Williams and other agencies and got an opportunity to film a mansion in Los Feliz. Due to my friend having just won settlement money from a traumatic lawsuit, he offered to buy a camera package if I would film and edit the first houses. I learned my Sony camera and Premiere Pro best I could in a week, and we were on our way. We eventually partnered with great minds, hiring several interns and getting extremely close to funding at VC conferences. The company unfortunately never received proper funding and ended up departing as people gained bigger job opportunities from Houzr. At the same time, I was using my newfound love for film and editing to shoot my first videos for TABOO. I was now playing percussion/drums for Richard and Maite under the name of Blck Bx (now known as TABOO, @whoistaboo), shooting and editing their music videos, capturing BTS as they did Radio and podcast interviews (Disney Radio, Dash Radio, etc.), working with legends like Jerry Poindexter, keyboardist for James Brown, and hand-painting large murals at Thud Studios (later influencing my brandname “Graham’s Hand Print”). Although most jobs were unpaid and I was barely able to pay rent or eat, I was absolutely in love with what I was finding in my new home and the opportunities provided.

Music saved me, but Film is where I found myself.

As I was now doing Music and Film in 2019, I also continued to pursue start-ups with my friend, the latest at the time being “Heaven”, a Cannabis Discount app that gave shops exclusive discount codes for customers from organic social media incentives while also helping get slower-selling stock off the shelves. My job started as editing quick selfie videos of IG influencers and also taking photos along with an incredibly talented photographer, Braden Walker, who (you guessed it) was also coincidentally from my hometown. Heaven eventually lost all of its funding, Corporate heads splitting ways as my last jobs for the company were product and event photography. I now realized I definitely did not want to do product or event photography either, but that was not the last time I would work with Braden Walker. As 2020 came around, I was frequently playing shows, Bear squared just released an album, Richard and Maite were blowing up, and I was really starting to find my way in Los Angeles. And then Covid happened. All sense musical opportunity completely changed and felt now impossible. Would the age of live concerts cease to exist? I still continued to do as much social media marketing and expansion as possible for Bear Squared but that also soon dissolved as I adapted to the new industry environment.

A couple of months into quarantine, I noticed a post from Braden, who was now doing content creation for the Cocoon and looking for an editor. The Cocoon is a revolutionary House in Malibu, CA that showcases amazing artists from around the world through performances, segments, and interviews. I offered to help edit videos in hopes that it would help gain an opportunity with Cocoon, especially considering what seemed like such a dark time. I soon began full force and eventually was contacted by the owner to be a full-time editor. It just so happens the owner was Cisco Adler, the co-producer and writer for Shwayze and some of his biggest hits. Somehow Life and yet again circled back in a new way, and I now felt I was continuing my pursuit of Music and Film in a universally connected sense. I felt my confidence and instincts slowly becoming stronger as I recognized how I could really manifest my future.

As soon as I started editing full-time for Cocoon, it has only accelerated every aspect of growth in my life. Due to the Covid environment, Cisco started a new company with partners including Donavon Frankenreiter called “NoCap”, which is a groundbreaking live-concert streaming experience that you can watch from anywhere, and features some of the biggest artists in the world. Through these brands, I have been able to edit videos featuring artists I could have never imagined. Flash to 2021, and I had now directed my 1st debut music video with TABOO who is now signed with a label and continuing to grow, had my first Director of Photography role in a short film (“Bodie”, coming soon!), and have edited countless videos featuring artists like Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Wonder, Foo Fighters, Sublime with Rome, Tycho, MGK, Bea Miller, DJ Lethal, Yung Pinch, Weezer, Molly Moore, Jack Griffo, and many more.

I always thought I would find my way in music, I never expected I would find myself in so much more.

With big budget cinema editing/composing in my sights, I continue to improve in creating the best quality I can in whatever I’m doing and manifesting the life I know I can create.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was my own obstacle, always getting in trouble with either school (when I was there) or the law. If it wasn’t for Music, Film, I would’ve never made it to California.

Money was an obstacle, working multiple jobs and random gigs while doing tons of free projects and failed start-ups to try and gain connections and grow.

Having an average of $10-$100 in my account at the worst.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Today I would call myself an Editor. I love to do it all but am focusing on making films and editing/composing for big budget projects. I mainly edit music-related content (music videos, performances, shorts, films, promos, trailers, graphics, etc.), but can provide whatever an artist needs to help develop their brand (Filming, Photography, Editing, Composing, Graphic Design, Website Design, Brand Marketing, etc.)

My style is nostalgic and features vintage media elements and visual aesthetics. Films by Martin Scorcese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, and others are great inspirations for my work and styles.

My Influences,

Visual Influences: Hoyte van Hoytema, Janusz Kamiński, Wally Pfister, Emmanuel Lubezki, Roger Deakins, Robert Elswit

Music Influences: Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, James Newton Howard, Trent Reznor

What makes you happy?
Helping others find their true and best selves through artistic creation. Nothing makes me happier than collaborating with artists and discovering the best quality in whatever we’re doing. I hope to use whatever I gain in my pursuits to give back and create communities of incredible talent, helping find true potential and artistic creation wherever, and hopefully creating foundations and places where people can feel comfortable exploring that manifestation.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: grahamshp.com
• Instagram: grahamshandprint
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graham.m.bishop