Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Jandora.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nicholas. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m originally from Martinsburg, West Virginia and I started doing sketch comedy videos with my friend in high school, just for fun. When I got to college, I had a few people ask me if I could shoot music videos, so I started doing the run and gun style videos with a miniDV camcorder for like $50 a video. Throughout college, I shot music videos as a side hustle to help pay for food and rent during college.
My senior year of college in 2016, I linked up with Lil Skies (who was a senior in high school at the time). The first video we did together, we basically just shot at my college house in Morgantown West Virginia. Once I graduated, I knew I didn’t want to take a normal job so I decided to pack up all my stuff and just move out to LA. I slept on couches and random hotels and airbnb’s (when I had the money) for a good few months while Skies was recording his first album in LA. Eventually, as Skies career started to grow that helped me grow as a director where I started getting bigger budgets and gigs with other artists that I looked up to. It was a slow and steady grind with a lot of hard times but I just kept my head down and continued to knock out videos any chance I got and slowly climbed the ladder to where I am now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It for sure has not been a smooth road. When I first came out to LA, I was really struggling to make money and get my foot in the door in the LA scene. Sleeping on couches and super sketchy hotels definitely motivated me to work harder because I did not want to have to move back to my hometown. But even during the darkest times, I still felt blessed to be out in LA and doing what I love to do. I knew eventually the money would come if my heart was in the right place and I focused on making solid content rather than trying to get the quick bag.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jandora Media – what should we know?
Jandora Media is basically just me as a video director. My main focus currently is music videos but eventually, I am trying to steer it into the direction of television and movies. I’ve worked with artists like Lil Skies, 24kGolden, Arizona Zervas, Ty Dolla Sign, Tay-K, Asap Ferg, Yung Pinch, Lil Gnar, and Landoncube to name a few. I think what sets me apart from different directors and companies is the direction of the videos I put out. I try and bring a narrative to the majority of the videos I shoot, since there are so many music videos out there it’s really tough to stand out from the pack. I really try and focus on making videos that put the artist in a new light and give their fans something they haven’t seen before. It’s really tough staying completely original nowadays because every idea derives from something else but I am just happy to be able to create for a living and work with artists that have a mutual respect for the work we create.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think just being an easy going guy has helped me a lot. I always make sure everyone working on my set is respected and that the vibe on set is always friendly and welcoming. I try and stay as humble as possible when working on a video and am not afraid to change ideas and compromise certain things to make sure the artist gets what they want with the video. I think it’s very easy to get lost in the sauce as your career builds, so I always think back on the times when I was struggling and appreciate where I am now and always treat people how I want to be treated.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @NicholasJandora
- Twitter: @NicholasJandora
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