Meet Hudson Hufham: Entrepreneur & Filmmaker

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

Hi Hudson, what’s your definition for success?
The answer to this question changes daily, and it’s a battle I’m constantly fighting. It’s unfair to discuss my optimal approach towards success without first discussing how I fail in this area. In the short term I have the tendency to make success all about getting my to-do list done, which leads to frivolous activity that brings no value to my work or the people around me. As long as my happiness and success are on the other side of accomplishment, I’ll never be happy. As soon as I accomplish something I’ll have already repositioned my success marker to the other side of my next goal. Bigger picture, I can quickly make it about just being better than the person next to me. If comparison props up my pride, then I’ll naturally surround myself with people that make me feel good about myself, but don’t push me. This will never lead to growth and doesn’t foster meaningful life-giving relationships. These are broken ways to think about success. They hurt people and they hurt me. Instead, I’ve had to rethink my definition of success into something that doesn’t hinge on the outcome, the money, or the circumstance – all things largely out of my control and fleeting in nature. I’ve already decided that I’m successful today, not because of anything I’ve done, but because of who I am, a child of God. This frees me to live without the pressure to perform, and I can now enjoy both the big and small things in life. Success is obedience.

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.
I grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit and always knew I didn’t want a typical desk job. I asked for a gum-ball machine when I was 4, and immediately turned it into a business, selling to my loyal customer base, my family, ten cents for a gum-ball. A year later I turned my room into an art studio and sold my drawings to my, yes, family. Throughout high school I was intentional about developing skills that were out of the ordinary, and in turn, was able to monetize those. It started with sleight of hand magic, which I would perform on the street or even on stages for large audiences – it paid well for high school! One of those skills I became intrigued with was video. It started with a GoPro just filming fun things that my friends and I did, which led to drone videos for real estate agents, which then led to wedding films and more. My wedding film company, Hud Productions, is the business I’m most proud of. Over the last four years it’s grown more than I would’ve ever imagined, and I’ve been given so many amazing opportunities. Video always came naturally for me. It’s something I wanted to do, not something I had to do. I spent many late college nights, not at the bars, but at my desk watching YouTube videos on video editing and cameras. Instead of spending my money on drinks, I spent it on traveling the world and documenting it. The most important thing here is that it all came naturally. I never looked at someone else’s career and said, “I should do that because I can make a lot of money there.” In a sense, building my business has been the the easiest thing I’ve done because I’ve just followed my heart. They say if you love what you do then you’ll never work a day in your life. I wake up excited for the work week! I’m fortunate to only need to work about a third of the year on Hud Productions. I spend the rest of my time on commercial video projects for local businesses and international ministries (Yolt Creative is my commercial film company), or researching investments, and I’m currently working on a faith-based poetry/photo book called As You Wander, which should be out by April.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Grab a delicious lunch bowl at Gusto near Ponce, then walk or bike down the BeltLine to Piedmont for some spike ball, frisbee, or yoga, in the park. One of my favorite restaurants is Nino’s Italian. It’ll make you feel like you’re in Italy. Honestly, I’ve only been here 6 months so I’ll take all of the recommendations I can get! Hit me up on instagram @hud_huf and let’s do something fun! 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?
Oh man! Where to start… I’m so fortunate to have a family that has never pushed me into a particular career or preconceived framework laid out for me. They’ve supported my risks and loved me through my failures. They taught me what it looks like to be genuine, consistent, and selfless. I’m incredibly thankful and wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am without them. I can’t go without thanking my Father in heaven, who has given me the meaning behind my success and reshaped my dreams and desires into something so much bigger than myself. I’d also like to thank Rory Vaden, author of Take the Stairs. After reading this book on self-discipline two years ago, it lit a fire in me to not only work harder, but also read more! I’ve fallen in love with reading, and more importantly, the art of curiosity. I’ve read over 50 books since then and it’s completely changed how I think and see the world.

Website: www.hudhuf.com

Instagram: @hud_huf and @hud_productions

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

Twitter: @hudsonhufham

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2vy2diZzkyWpz0A3t_RD8w

Image Credits
All photos taken on my camera and edited by me.