Meet Danny Spence | Video Editor & Owner of Austin Boogie Crew Records

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

Hi Danny, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Workaholism is an immensely prominent way of life in our society that I’ve felt the consequences of throughout my video editing career. Employers regularly expect 12-16 hour days (60-80 hour work weeks). Early on, the fear of opportunity loss kept me from saying “no” and demanding healthy boundaries. When my mental and physical health declined I learned this wasn’t sustainable.

The most important thing in life is quality time with my wife, friends, and fam. I need it to operate. Over time I’ve made peace with turning down opportunities that could jeopardize that. We’re not put on this earth just to work. Striving for a balance makes us better to everyone around us.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a music-oriented video editor with over a decade of experience in documentary. What sets my storytelling apart is its emotional honesty and imaginative style informed by 20+ years of DJing.

The biggest challenge I faced was moving to L.A. from Austin in 2015 with no jobs lined up. Getting my foot in the door was a struggle. I networked my tail off for a year plus until I got my shot, graciously accepting an assistant editing job I was overqualified for. Once I was in there, I cut a few pieces on an AE rate to show what I could do. Then went to my post-producers, asked for a positional bump/editor’s rate given what I was producing, and it was granted. The lesson I learned there is advocate for yourself because no one else will until you’ve developed a good reputation. Treating my coworkers with kindness, remaining creatively open, and staying even-keeled are the practices I’ve tried my hardest to stick to.

I’m most proud of my work with Uproxx on seasons 1-4 of Honda Backstage, a doc series exploring artists’ struggles with mental health, discrimination, and music industry politics. Stepping into the lives of musicians like Leon Bridges, JoJo, Avril Lavigne, and Miguel was inspiring and helped me work through issues of my own during the creative process.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Get breakfast tacos at Home State Get ramen at Tatsu
Go dance at Melody Lounge in Chinatown
Play arcade games at Eighty Two in Arts District
See art at LACMA or The Broad
Go dig for records at Amoeba in Hollywood
Lay around and swim at Hermosa Beach
Go walk at the Arboretum

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?
Shoutout to my mom. She gave me the gift of unconditional love, validation, and encouragement.

Website: https://austinboogiecrewrecords.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spenceisgood/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/spenceisgood