Meet Olivia J | Director, Cinematographer, Video Editor

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

Hi Olivia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have always had a love for art and performing arts. I naturally gravitated towards these fields as a child. I’ve been doing some form of creative endeavor since I was able to walk and talk!

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 have been in the creative world for basically my whole life. I started singing in chorus when I was in elementary school, and then went on to sing in my church choir throughout middle and high school. I also started playing viola in middle school, and played all through high school. I minored in theatre in college, and I majored in broadcast journalism. It was during my time in college when I discovered that I loved being behind the scenes just as much, or arguably more, than being in front of the camera. After I graduated, I started freelancing as a videographer and video editor.

I have been working as a cinematographer and video editor for over 10 years now. I cut my teeth on events, which I felt was extremely useful to helping me hone my craft. When you are filming an event you have to be quick and solve problems efficiently, that has proven to be an asset to me as I moved into other areas of content creation.

Over the years, my brand has developed into being about exploration and curiosity. I truly love learning about almost anything, and that pursuit of knowledge shows up in my work consistently.

I have also learned to embrace my varied interests instead of forcing myself to conform or create a “niche”. Today, I feel that I don’t have to choose and I have the freedom to express myself in any creative form I want.

I currently play viola with the Alpharetta Symphony, I create content for Youtube, I freelance as a cinematographer and video editor, and i’m thinking about singing and acting again. For me, I don’t want to live a limited life. I truly love and appreciate every art form, and if I am able to express that, then I consider it an honor to share 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.
I would definitely suggest going to the HIGH museum. I would suggest seeing any show that was happening that week, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Altanta Opera, anything playing at the FOX or Buckhead Theatre. I would also take them to Buckhead Villiage, Colony Square, and the Beltline for shopping and good food!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been so many people and organizations that have helped me throughout the years that there is no way I could name just a one. Some honorable mentions that have been instrumental in my growth and success have been Aperturent, NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), Jennifer Bird with Bird Mountain Media, and Val Lee with VTL Productions.

Website: https://imoliviaj.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/imoliviaj

Twitter: https://twitter.com/im_oliviaj

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImOliviaJ

Other: Also my video production company website is https://silveririspictures.com/

Image Credits
I took the images of me against the flower backdrop and the black and white image they are self portraits. No other credits needed for the other images