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The Line Between Confidence and Awareness

There’s a fine line I’ve been thinking about lately.

On one side, you have to be confident in your work. You have to know your value. When you’ve put in the time, built the relationships, and delivered consistently, you shouldn’t shrink yourself when you walk into rooms with clients or partners.

But on the other side, there’s also the ability to read the room.

Not everyone you interact with are in the same situations. Some colleagues you work with are extremely busy. Some are moderately busy. Others may not have much going on at all.

Some clients may not have industry standard budgets, some colleagues could be in different tax brackets, have employees instead of being a solopreneur, or be in a different stage of life in general. How you communicate with different groups matter.

You want to carry confidence without sounding arrogant. You want to represent yourself honestly without making others feel small. This translates to speaking to clients; you can be clear about your value without sounding dismissive.

I recently witnessed a situation…

A guy was talking amongst a few very successful entrepreneurs and throughout the conversation he kept trying to validate his status and experience so the other two individuals would see him as an equal. This is what I thought to myself on the ride home.

I should have pulled him aside after the conversation. That’s my mistake because it could have been a start of a positive and genuine work relationship.
You don’t need to validate yourself to anyone. If people around you choose to walk around looking down on others then that’s a personal problem for them.

This balance has been on my mind lately because as your career grows, it’s not just about the work you do, it’s about how you show up in conversations in-person and when you are not around.

Missed last week? Read it now.

This Week

Shot a few more productions with NASCAR. That relationship continues to be a phenomenal experience.
Started pre-production for a feature film I am shooting in April.
Continued exploring ways to build beyond just production work.
1. I have started the process of buying land, but more details will be shared privately on another post.

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Lately I’ve been thinking about what building beyond weekly thoughts looks like for this newsletter.

The idea isn’t just to ramble alone, but to gather a group of people who are also thinking critically about their careers, businesses, and decisions. People who are trying to figure out how to do meaningful work and build something sustainable long-term.

I’d love to start experimenting with group conversations, maybe small Zoom sessions where we can compare notes, talk through real challenges, and share perspectives.

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Expanding My Impact

Another area I’ve been expanding into is working directly with schools. Recently I’ve been consulting with a few high schools about their film and media programs.

What I’m trying to show them isn’t just the technical side; the cameras, the software, or the editing. Students already learn that in class or from Youtube University. What they don’t always learn is:

How do you actually turn these skills into a career?
How do you sell creative ideas?
How do you position yourself in the real world?

It’s been interesting helping bridge that gap between classroom learning and real industry experience. After speaking on a 8 person panel in front of 1,700 high school students, we split up into groups and during that time I spoke to a variety of creatives. I will upload and share audio in my next posting.

What I’m Thinking About

Out of everything that happened this month, the thing I’m most proud of actually has nothing to do with film.

It’s the balance.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I handled work and family in a way that felt healthy. I was present when I needed to be and for the first time in years, I opened my Bible.

What’s Next

– I’ve booked my first international shoot, that is not “Canada”!
– Sharing the process of buying acres of land and future plan of use.
– Expanding conversations with people willing to connect.
– A Freelance Stability Tool will be shared for free by mid April.

We’ll see where it all leads.

Gene,

After Hours 🌒

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