Meet Nikko Cordero | Freelance Videographer | Editor

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

Hi Nikko, what’s your definition for success?
For me, success means I get to wake up every morning and look forward to my job. As cliche as it may sound, I feel that success is measured through it’s ability to make you happy while simultaneously being able to provide for you financially. In my chosen career path of multimedia and freelance videography, there are a lot of uncertainties in terms of job security, however, I have always believed that if you are pursuing a career that you genuinely have interest in and take on projects/jobs that you are passionate about, the money will come later. When I picture the idea of success, I see myself having the ability to be more selective with which projects I take on. Although I still have a lot to learn on my videography journey, creating content for people, as well as myself, is the only thing I can see myself doing for the rest of my life as it can be my form of giving back to the world through art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art consists of video work for concerts, community/sporting events, business promotions, music videos, trailers, and even some wedding videos.

I rarely ever turn down a project because I enjoy the art form so much, so essentially if you need a video, I’ll say yes. When it comes to client videos, my most important rule is that the video absolutely has to be made personal to the client. I like to think of these videos as a big collaboration. Before we get start shooting, I always look to contact the client and ask them questions, not just about specific ideas they have for the video, but personal questions: (why they’ve chosen this career path, what they want out of this video, why they started their business in the first place, etc.). I try to form a relationship with whoever I shoot because it feels unfair if I were to create videos for people and profit off of it, when I could make it a win-win situation and help them elevate their business/social media, while simultaneously putting my name out there.

Exiting 2022, I can say that I have greatly improved as an editor by letting go of my fear and trying to learn a new effect with each video I create. Before I would often hold off on trying out new things out of fear that it would not look good enough. I often told myself “I’ll do it on a video I wont publish so I can practice.” Eventually I realized that these practice videos will never come and that I need to just let go and try out an idea if I have it. Now, I try to learn a new effect with each client video I produce in order to continue my learning. This method helped me understand After Effects much quicker and more efficiently.

This road has been nothing but easy. As many videographers just starting out can relate, it can be hard to get your name out there when you have a small network and small body of work. My best advice is to continue creating whether it be free or paid. Your work speaks for you business so whenever you can, take the opportunity to be creative. It can be really discouraging at first, especially if you have peers that are the same age as you, in the same career path, doing much bigger things. However, I have learned that these are the people to learn from and that they are your allies not competition. The film and multimedia community is all about collaboration and most are willing if not happy to help out other creators.

Something I have learned that I feel strongly improved my video quality was that simply picking the brains of professionals can take you a long way. Not only do you grow your network with these creatives, but you also gain access to lessons you could never receive from a textbook. Whenever I go out to a sporting event and see other videographers there, I introduce myself to them and get their socials so I can stay in touch with them and follow their content. This aspect of videography has been the most rewarding for me because not only do I get to meet tons of nice people, but I also get to pick their brains and ask them questions about videography and learn from each of their distinguished styles.

I have been doing freelance videography for about 2 years now, but I feel that I will never stop learning new things. As technology advances and more creators arise, there are so many new techniques for approaching media and film that have yet to be discovered. If there’s anything I want people to take away from my brand and my story it’s this: you would not have the opportunity if you did not deserve it.

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.
If my friend were to visit, I would definitely take him to Convoy first to show them all of the Asian cuisines that are offered in San Diego. After our breakfast or lunch, I would take them to a beach nearby to chill out for a bit and maybe catch a few waves. I would then take them to tacos el gordo for a mid afternoon snack and then bring them to the famous Mount Coronado to look at the city.

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?
My dad is definitely the first person I think of when I think of my greatest influencers. Despite not having a college degree, he was able to grow a successful career and is now able to provide for my mom, myself, and my sister. Even when I as a kid, my dad instilled in me the idea that I should be my own boss in a career that I am passionate about in order to be financially successful, while still being able to enjoy life as well.

When I was younger, my one and only goal was to create big budget movies that I wrote. However, once the pandemic hit, my dad gave me the idea to start charging for freelance videography work. I initially did not even care to pursue a videography career because I had never really thought of or heard of it before. After doing some research into what exactly professional videographers do, I was intrigued and learned from creators like Daniel Schiffer, Peter McKinnon, and Sam Kolder. Because of my dad, I was able to dive deeper into a different aspect of filmmaking that allows me to shoot projects that I personally identify with. Although I eventually would like to pursue feature filmmaking, I am enjoying my time learning the ropes of a freelance videographer.

Instagram: @n2kfilmedit

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikko-cordero/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nikkocordero/videos

Image Credits
Photo #7 – Shot by Emile Velasco, Editor: Myself