photo credit: Tristan and Jenna Shouldice
The hustla king himself: Brent Hodge
{The Hustla Series highlights the amazing people who are taking their careers into their own hands and killing it. It is important to note that the purpose of sharing these stories is not so we can imitate their paths (because we all know that’s impossible), but instead hopes to serve as a source of inspiration to keep hustling.}
To start The Hustla Series off right I’m starting with the man that sets the bar for all other hustlas to aspire to: Brent Hodge.
When I met Hodge 4 years ago he was working at a bar called 1181. He made good money at the bar, but decided he wanted to be a director. He had a university degree in marketing and no film or editing experience, but he bought a camera.
He started making emo-videos (he has since taken them down from the interwebs but GOD I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU THEM!). He slowly taught himself how to shoot, edit, and direct. He did many videos for free (including my adult bat mitzvah video, something for Vancouver’s streetpaper Megaphone, and probably something for anyone else that ever asked him to) to hone his skills.
Through a friend who worked at the CBC Hodge convinced them they needed some videos during the 2010 Olympics, so they hired him on to make one short for CBC Radio 3. They were so impressed with his tenacity and initiative that they kept him on for the next year. Then he made his first documentary with the CBC. And then his second with CBC about Dan Mangan.
And now he has his first solo doc coming out this Fall about the incredible niche world of Bronies (adult-males that are into My Little Pony) that we are pretty certain is going to make him super famous. For example, he was just featured in WIRED. And it all began when he bought a camera and never stopped hustlaaaaaing.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcAED5k5IuM&w=560&h=315]
