Meet Nick Baird of Studio City in North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Baird.

Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Santa Barbara; skateboarding, biking, and surfing was just part of the everyday culture. There was one problem, though I could do all those things, I wasn’t great any of them. I would hang with my friends that were way better than me and I’d have trouble keeping up sometimes. I decided the best way for me to fit in was to pick up a camera and filming them doing awesome tricks. Soon I was invited to every skate, bike, and surf session.

My friends would want me to replay all their tricks immediately after recording. If the take was bad, I’d re-record over the previous take as if it never happened. Not knowing how to edit on a computer, this was the best way for me to start editing my videos, in camera. This went on for a while until I got a camcorder that was compatible with a computer and started to teach myself Adobe Premiere Pro. It went from skate videos to writing and producing my own backyard movies with friends, the possibilities seemed endless. I kept at it, and my writing/editing took off and improved all the way to college.

I decided to go to Cal State Northridge for editing and producing. I continued to make my own films to the point where the school hired me to do their recruitment and outreach videos. After college, even though my talent was in editing, I noticed so many other talented editors my age that it was intimidating. I kept up for awhile but I started to see that my producing skills and client relations really set me apart from the all the other editors. Thus, I made a career decision to leave editing, and focus on producing.

It wasn’t easy at first, having to take the low paying PA jobs again and working long hours. But slowly opportunities started popping up and fell into producing and marketing Films and TV shows. I dived into almost all aspects of pre-production, production, and post; sending me all around the U.S. and abroad. Learning all these things, my current positions not only allows me to do all of this but also develop original content and create pitches for new creative content.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course not, but nothing ever worth it is smooth. I have been fired, unemployed for long periods of time, and took low paying/degrading jobs to pay the bills. These factors can beat you down into nothing, but you’ve got to keep a positive mindset. You may be unemployed, but you never stop working for what you want in life. Figuring out what your good at, finding ways to prove it to others, and just grinding till you find your path. But here’s the kicker: once to do find that path, the work is only just beginning…

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The company I work for is Studio City, based out of LA; we create over 9,000 promos every year! Our clients include, but not limited to, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Steve, The Talk, Dr. Oz, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Family Feud, and The Wendy Williams Show.  I work in the Special Projects and Development Departments respectively of the company.

Special Projects I deal with everything that comes in outside of our daily shows. From primetime TV show promos and launch/syndication campaigns to sizzle’s and pilots, whatever the studios need I get it done. My job is to be the point person on all these different projects, managing them from concepts to the conclusion.

Our Development Department is just that, creating new and original shows and content. My duties are to manage, help with creative, and finish projects so that our concepts are ready to be pitched to networks, channels, and digital.

What were you like growing up?
I was kind of that dorky kid that tried to fit in. I liked outdoor/aggressive things like Skateboarding, Biking, and Surfing. But after, I usually came home and played video games for hours. I hated reading and writing but loved watching movies and TV shows, I was/am a very visual person. I also love to travel and capture the world through my lens even at a young age. At the end of the day, even at a young age, I like listening and telling stories. And my story is only beginning…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @huskybaird

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