Meet Brendan McCourt | Video Producer & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brendan McCourt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brendan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After being downsized from a corporate creative job, I started reflecting on what I liked about my career. The work itself was often rewarding but the politics and rigidity of corporate office jobs were less than appealing. I had been in those roles for a decade. I definitely learned from them and I also developed some discipline from previous remote work roles, so I knew I had it in me to go out on my own. I wanted to set my own hours, choose the projects I wanted, dress more comfortably, play my music loudly… The freedom to be myself, be my own boss, and work when I wanted to work was so incredibly appealing. It’s still work, but more on my terms and the time is spent with people I enjoy collaborating with.

At the time the market didn’t seem as flooded as it does now plus I had some client contacts, so I just went for it. Luckily since I was downsized along with most of my department, I had a severance package and was collecting unemployment benefits which provided a little cushion and the time to get my business going. There have been slumps over the years for sure, but many in my field experience that. The key for me was to expand and diversify my skill sets and service offerings, rather than pick one style or project role. Being more of a generalist with certain specialities allows me to take on a wider range of projects and clients.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up taking as many art and music classes as possible in school; sometimes over the summer too. I went to college on a music performance scholarship, but decided I didn’t want to end up a middle school band director. No offense, but I wanted to be a rock star! After a FOX reality show, Island/Def-Jam deal, and famous producer development deal went sour, I shifted focus to things that could pay the bills and were still creative. Actually, in the early days I was building these skills because my bands needed photography, graphic design, multimedia and video.

I’ve worked in creative marketing roles for over 20 years, both as a full time employee and as a contractor or vendor. In 2014, I started a photo and video business where I’ve produced marketing content as well as talkshows, indie films, and also a lot of entrepreneur content including live streams. I did my time in the wedding circuit too – never again, haha. Being a curious creative, I’ve also had a hand in event, portrait, headshot, lifestyle, and product photography, and all phases of video and film production, in addition to personal pursuits in landscape and nature photography, and painting. I’ve been in the local music scene as a drummer for live and studio sessions, concert photographer and music video director.

Basically, I enjoy creative pursuits of all kinds. Making a career out of just one never felt right. And as we all know, creative pursuits can be difficult to monetize, while not sacrificing your soul and creative drive. So these days my main gig is in commercial photography and video production and working with small businesses. Those clients help pay the bills so I can do all of this other stuff.

There are plenty of people with cameras in San Diego, so setting yourself apart can be difficult. Clients sometimes struggle to see the value in working with someone like me with a wide-ranging background and lots of experience, attention to detail, professionalism, etc. For them having *any* video is enough so they opt for the most affordable option – which is something that took a while for me to accept. Or they buy in majorly to someone’s aesthetic, paying less attention to the quality of the end product. I tend to avoid the one-off or turn-and-burn projects, opting for more intentional, visually interesting, and emotionally engaging storytelling that can help businesses and ideas come to life online. I go for longer-term partnerships, creating series of videos and a longer lasting flow of content. Usually, the longer we work together, the better the results, the communication, the collaboration, and ease with which that all comes together. I offer media training services as well as standard talent direction on set, so the clients that stay with me can get better and better on-camera, calming their nerves and coming across as their authentic and intelligent selves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Having relocated from Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, I’ve had plenty of visits from family and old friends. No trip would be complete without visiting the sea lions and seals in La Jolla by Children’s Pool. And of course the popular spots like the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, Birch Aquarium, and Scripps Pier have been favorites for visitors of all ages.

Catching a Padres game would top my list for downtown, maybe followed by some sloppy bowling at Tavern+Bowl East Village. Bub’s is great for a pregame. For a nicer meal I’d say Choi’s or Huntress.

I lived in OB for a long stretch and we still take our pup to dog beach. The Holding Company has possibly the best rooftop beers in San Diego. Fish tacos at South Beach or burgers and Kiwi delights at Raglan are a must.

Our views really set San Diego apart as a beautiful city, so any rooftop bar or restaurant you can find, the Top of the Hyatt downtown, or Mount Soledad… plus Balboa Park, Kate Sessions Park, Mission Trails… we have so much to be grateful for and a lot of land and coast to protect, respect, and keep clean.

For thrill seeking visitors like my nephews, jet skiing in the harbor or Mission Bay is always a hit. Kayaking the bay, Liberty Station, or La Jolla shores and the sea cave offer unique experiences as well.

Overall, just get outside and get moving, then later find a brewery with a food truck and you’re set.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is by far the hardest question. I often work alone, but there have certainly been influential people in my creative life so far.

Huge shoutout to my adorable, fluffy, super chill dog Milo. He’s been a grounding force in my life for over a decade. Oh yeah, my wife too… just kidding. Of course my wife has been a great supporter, counselor, and sometimes second shooter over the years. And now our baby boy fills my heart every day, reminding me why I work hard and stay moving in a positive direction.

In the film scene, director and producer Chris Cashman has been a great mentor and collaborator over the years. He’s brought me on a number of projects and taught me much more than I can sum up here. One major project was his feature length doc about the Xolos, called Club Frontera, which had us crossing the border for 3+ years of sometimes wild and always unpredictable adventures as we gained the team’s trust and ate our way through Tijuana. Tacos and Tecate taste better after a long, hot day of filming.

Website: https://BPM.photo

Instagram: @bpm.photo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanmccourt/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bpm-photo-san-diego-3

Image Credits
(All images were shot by me. No need to credit.)