What’s you name?
Josh Enobakhare
Where are you located?
Camarillo, CA
If you could describe what you do for a living on your own terms, what would you say?
I’m an adjunct professor in the TV & Film Department at Santa Barbara City College
I’m a freelance Digital Media director in Los Angeles
I’m a digital media producer at Hillsong Church Los Angeles
I lead up youth lighting for Hillsong Church Los Angeles
Aside from your given title, would you say there are any other titles or hats you wear in this position?
Encourager, time manager, accountability partner, trainer, problem solver
Is this what you’ve always wanted to be when you grew up?
It pretty much has been, at least since early high school
Can you put into words your career history to date?
Santa Barbara City College: 01 / 2014 - Present
TV & Film Production Adjunct Professor
FP114 (Video Editing) - Teaches the fundamentals of video editing from development to distribution through hands on experience.
FP175 (Film Production) - Teaches the fundamentals of pre-production, production and post production in the feature film and music video industries.
Olufemii.com: 01 / 2012 - Present
Digital Media Director + Video Editor
Produces, directs and edits music videos and commercials for A-list clients in the domestic and international market.
Clients include Coca Cola, Uggs, Tevas, Sean Kingston, Nickelodeon’s Kel Mitchell etc.
Hillsong Los Angeles: 07 / 2014 - Present
Digital Media Producer + Youth Lighting Director
Shoots photography for weekly distribution on all social media platforms
Shoots and edits video for monthly campaigns and events
Leads up the Hillsong Youth lighting team
ActionVillage.com: 11 / 2011 - 12 / 2013
Video Producer
Video producer at one of the nation's largest action sports retailers
PDXImprov (defunct): 09 / 2008 - 04 / 2012
Creative Design & Marketing Director
• Co-Founder of Portland Improv, organizer of several flash mob events. Many events involving thousands of participants.
• Created and sustained the organization's brand ID and vision
• Onsite Event director & Video editor
If there was ever a time where you weren’t working for yourself, how did you make the leap from working for someone to working for yourself? Was it an easy transition?
I’m still in that process of going completely freelance. I believe the key to achieving complete financial independence as a creative is:
Finding and filling a specific need in an unreached niche market
Effective personal branding
Strategic networking
A honed in focus of perfecting your skills
Coming back to the present, (haha) what is your morning routine before you start the day?
Snooze button 2 times. Then Subway.
Describe what you do between stepping into your work space and then calling it a wrap at the end of the day (Basically, your average work day):
In the morning I drive north to Santa Barbara and teach 2 film production classes. After teaching I usually drive to LA for a shoot, then I drive back home to video edit.
What is your favourite part of the day?
Magic hour. The last hour before the sun sets. Creates boss lighting for film production.
How do you define internal and external success in all that you do?
It can be easy to get caught up in external success, which involves the validation from others. The joy that comes from external success, however, can be fleeting due to its subjective nature.
I think internal success is all about recognizing value based on your personal life goals. A lot of the time this disregards the opinions others.
What has been the biggest success so far and why?
Oh wow I’ll have to think about this. I’d say joining the Hillsong creative team.
With all that success there’s bound to be some overwhelming moments, how do you overcome the bumps along the way?
Often as creatives we measure our value based on the level of our abilities, or based on our personal gains or failures.
Finding our significance in anything other than Christ can be a risky venture as we experience the ebb and flow of life. People and situations fail us, we don't reach earthly career goals.
What's incredible is that our worth has already been determined for us (regardless of our bumps and successes)! Christ valued us to the point of carrying the burden of our sins at the cross. Here's a vid I made about this concept not too long ago: Identity.
Ok, so you’re sitting at a cafe across the table from your biggest career inspiration, who is it and why?
It would be this guy Salomon Ligthelm. He was a lead video producer at Hillsong Church for years. He directs gorgeous internationally syndicated television ads and, shoots incredible music videos for A-list artists. When he releases a video on Vimeo the whole world seems to take notice.
In my opinion, he has single handedly set the visual style that Hillsong has adopted for all of its video content. The incredibly high quality in Ligthelm’s visuals has been adopted by so many churches around the world too.
It’s so interesting reading about the glorious art that came out of the church during the Renaissance period. I believe that today’s church is finally reclaiming that territory in the form of gorgeous video media.
Check out Salomon Ligthelm’s portfolio.
Now, someone new to the career field is sitting across the table from you, what advice do you give them?
Choose a specific area of expertise.
You're asked, “What area of film production are you in?”
Never state, “Oh I’m good at everything.”
It will be assumed that you are mediocre at everything.
State your specific area of expertise, (DP, video editing, color correcting, VFX, screenwriting, etc) and you will be respected as an expert in that field.
If you are actually good at everything, it will be evident without having to be told.
Would you go back and do any of it differently or just the same?
I would have learned graphic design too ;)
So if that little kid you used to be before looked at you now, do you think they’d be excited to grow up?
Oh definitely!
What do you want to do next?
I’d love to continue to learn visual effects
What is your favourite saying/inspirational quote?
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will”
Romans 12:2