Creativity Squared: Enjoying the Process Over the Result with Connor Cassidy

Connor Cassidy is a video editor, cinematographer, and photographer specialising in commercials and non-fiction storytelling. Based in Northwest Arkansas and deeply embedded in the sports marketing industry, Connor combines his love for the outdoors with his film school training to tell authentic stories across all platforms. 

Person 

I’m a maker. I’ve always enjoyed the process over the result - building the camera, lighting the subject, finding and capturing the shot, and figuring out how to tell the story in post-production. Sports and entertainment have always been my passion and are at the forefront of my work. Most of my days are spent in front of a couple of computer screens, editing whatever assignments I’m working on. I love editing, but I also love having a camera in hand to capture stills and video. Shooting sporting events is hard work, but they have been some of the most fun weekends I’ve had in my career, and I’m fortunate to work alongside a stellar team while on shoots. Some of the most memorable projects I’ve been on have been miserable and sometimes dangerous in the moment – chasing sunrises amongst buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, on the starting grid shooting NASCAR engines firing at the Daytona 500, or 36 sleepless hours documenting Post Malone in NYC – I’d never trade the experiences for anything. I’m very lucky to say that I love what I do.

Product 

Creativity is inherently subjective and can be very nuanced. My Dad used to always say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” so I try not to pass too much negative judgment on people’s hard work. Still, there is a wide spectrum between outstanding and downright terrible creativity. Creativity is about getting from point A to point B in some way other than a straight line. If you’re selling a product or delivering a call to action, the content must resonate with the audience and make them react. Even if it’s a split second of attention-grabbing action, design, or a sound cue, those can be creative ways to draw attention. For example, a great sports promo uses interesting soundtracks and compelling visuals and speaks to both the avid sports fan and non-fan. Creativity, like art, plays upon emotion. It’s a unique interaction between environment, visuals, and sound. Ultimately It’s all about how it makes you feel.

Process 

Editing is a lot like cooking. It’s organised chaos, and attention to detail is paramount in reaching a quality product. I employ basic principles and orders of operation that are analogous to cooking to ensure efficiency and organisation. Know your recipe, prepare your ingredients, arrange your ingredients, prepare your workstation, and arrange your tools. Anthony Bourdain said it best in his book Kitchen Confidential - “As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system,” he continues. “The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it: you know where to find everything with your eyes closed, everything you need during the course of the shift is at the ready at arm’s reach, your defences are deployed.” Same with post production. Your ingredients - the media, logos, overlays, plugins, presets, sound design, music, toolkits, LUTS, VOs, slates, animations, etc — must all be organised and at the ready. 

There’s no winning recipe, but reps and experience help you learn useful dos and don’ts: always have sharp knives. Don’t burn the garlic. Don’t use too many drone shots.  Avoid Imagine Dragons songs in your edit. Spend more time finding the right music track and designing the soundscape. Attention to detail is will help reduce client feedback and errors. Mistakes are ok  and we all make them, but never make the same mistake twice. Learn from it the first time and figure out how to not only prevent it, but actively take steps to ensure you can avoid similar situations in the future.

Each project has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. I enjoy working in the commercial world because there are certain constraints. Generally, I only have 30 or 15 seconds to tell a story or drive a call to action. Plus, there’s always a deadline we are hustling to hit. The moment you might slam your head through your monitor because you’ve heard the same piece of stock music 80,000 times, it’s been QCed, delivered, aired on TV, and it’s time to move onto the next project. 

Press 

Legos were a huge part of my childhood. I’d spend hours constructing vehicles I found interesting, often completely ignoring the directions. If it didn’t exist, I’d made it from scratch - I was particularly proud of a sidewalk snowplow I once built from multiple other Lego sets. I find the camera build process and editing very similar to Legos, just with a higher price point and better practical life application. 

As a kid, I always had a camera in my hand. I learned a lot from shooting and editing my own work. It teaches you to have intent and be efficient with your time. Although I love watching traditional movies, I’d much rather watch the latest Warren Miller, Matchstick productions, Stept Studios, or Red Bull films, which were releasing insanely creative edits from all over the world. Curtis Morgan’s film, 'Art of Flight,' really shaped the kind of creative I aspired to be. Cool music, cool visuals, and cool people. To a 13-year-old, these skiing and snowboarding edits were the pinnacle of filmmaking, and I dreamt of working for a notable sports brand. I remember asking myself, “How cool would it be to work as the camera guy on that trip?” I still ask myself that question. 

That dream lead me to study film at University of Colorado Boulder and working for some extremely talented directors there -- Nick Martini, Michael Clarke, and John Snelson – each put me in some great situations to be creative and hone my craft while at school. I landed every avid sports fan’s dream job as an associate producer at ESPN, learning from and working with the best in the business in New York. Now at Boomshot, I get to work with many of the same colleagues I worked with at ESPN, but they’re now in new roles at NASCAR, FANDUEL, SEC Network, and Fox Sports. It’s an industry full of incredible people and working with a small, talented creative team at Boomshot has been really rewarding. 

Of course, too many creatives or opinions can often cause friction or dilute the creativity of a project. I put passion into everything I do and expect the same passion from my colleagues. When you have a team firing on all cylinders, it can be a really symbiotic and rewarding experience. Working at a smaller scale company like Boomshot is perfect for sometime like me and I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible people who elevate the quality of my work.  I’m very fortunate to play a small contributor and to be able to make a living doing what I love.