Meet Chauncey Jackson | Indie Filmmaker

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

Hi Chauncey, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Before starting my own business, I worked for CNN for six and half years before being laid off in June 2011. Before being laid off, I learned the skill of video editing and video producing. I’d never forget that day but it was the day that motivated me to create my own business. One Chaunce Media Group was simply created on Twitter back in November 2011. At the time, I was an aspiring videographer networking around Atlanta. My older sister suggested that I get on Twitter to promote my videography work to gain more attention and possibly potential clients. I was a little reluctant to create an account because I didn’t have much to say on twitter but I just made one anyway. During my early years as a videographer, I began meeting a lot of indie rappers and singers who went by unique stage names like Pretty Boi Ni, Catur, GLO, and Dria. I was trying to find a create username so the first name I came up with was “onechance”. I liked the name, however I realized that there was already an R&B group named One Chance who had a popular hit song in the mid-2000’s called, “Look At Her”. So, I had to try to come up with an alternative name. I remember on a few occasions while at events or film sets that people never called me Chauncey, they just called me “Chaunce.” I wasn’t really bothered by it but it happened all the time. So, I changed my twitter name from “One Chance” to “One Chaunce”. Since I loved the name of my video and film business, I just needed a creative and memorable slogan. A few months went by and I was getting my haircut and I was thinking about a slogan that would represent OCMG. Coming up with the slogan didn’t take me long. I like using puns so since One Chaunce is a pun, I had to make my slogan a pun. I ran the slogan by my sister and she chuckled at the slogan, “You only have one chaunce in life.” My sister has always been a huge supporter of me since OCMG was just an idea so I made her the co-owner and co-founder of One Chaunce Media Group. As twins, we think and move differently and we are, as far as we know, the only brother/sister based video production company in Atlanta, Ga.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The road is never easy and I think it shouldn’t be easy. I believe that 2013 was one of the worse years I’ve ever experienced, but it was a blessing in disguise. I lost my job and my car within 2 months. Then I had to move back home with my mom which was a huge blow to my ego. I had to rely on public transportation which we all know is an inconvenience. Uber and Lyft weren’t around during that time so the struggle was very real. However, the only thing I had was my Canon Rebel T3i and my iMac computer. I was actually making payments on the iMac through Rent-A-Center. I had to pay $50 a week and I didn’t want them to reprocess it because I already lost my job and my car. In order to keep the computer, I had to go out and really grind. Getting your name out there was difficult in Atlanta but being a film editor had its benefits. I used to go on Craigslist a lot to find editing jobs to make extra cash and to pay for my computer and to help my mother with bills. It took me a while to get back on track but I stayed the course and focused on my goals. Being a video editor and putting in the hard work was beneficial towards the growth of me now being an award winning filmmaker.

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.
I would say the places to visit in Atlanta are Jack’s Pizza and Wings, Hudson’s, Little Five Points, CNN Studio Tour, World of Coca-Cola, and Krog Street Market.

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?
I would like to thank God first and foremost for blessing me with parents who taught me the importance of hard-work, integrity, and discipline. My older sister, Delca, has really supported me and was there when things got too hard or too difficult for me to handle. My wife, Rue, who kept me accountable for the moves that I make regarding working with actors and clients. She sees the vision and her continuous support adds more motivation for the growth of OCMG. My mentor Vandon Gibbs who’s the most direct and honest person I met in my early development as a filmmaker. I appreciate all the words of encouragement over the years. People like Natalie Scarlett, Ali Froid, KL Allen, and Cory Henry have impacted my life in a very positive way because of what I learned from them. As a small film company, I’m just grateful for the crew members like Evan Emerson, Leon Farris, Drew Alexander, Rio Robinson, Kenneth Forrester, Jim Ross, Justin Corn, and Barna Lumpkin, Jr. I couldn’t have produced the films to the best quality necessary without these guys. Lastly, all the actors I’ve worked with since the beginning, I hope I was able to leave an impact in your personal and professional life.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chaunccee

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chaunceyjackson

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chaunccee

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Youtube: www.youtube.com.com/onechaunce