Conversations with Nathan Mercer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Mercer

Hi Nathan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve had a camera in my hand since high school. I was the unofficial photographer for my baseball team and would film fake commercials with my friends. I had an idea I wanted to do something creative with my life, but never saw any feasible path to get that done. It wasn’t until I started doing highlight videos for a summer camp I worked for in college that I realized video production would be a career and lifelong passion for me. A small production company in Pittsburgh laid the blueprint for how to get started and on the 4th of July 2018 at a pool party that overlooked the city, I made the decision to start my own business and get going with the rest of my life. I had no idea where that decision would take me, but 1 Facebook inquiry for a videographer was all it took to get me to pack up everything I could in my car and drive west to Phoenix. The rest is in the making.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road from where I was to where I am now has been as smooth as sandpaper. The client I came to Phoenix for was a lesson in setting proper expectations, scope creep, and making sure my eggs were in multiple baskets. I was informed on April 1, of all days, that the client would be moving in a different direction and I was suddenly in a new city with no job, no clients, and no income. I’ve definitely had struggles with places to live, car problems, finding clients, funding gear, going back into the employee role, and establishing myself as a legitimate business. However, I love and appreciate every step.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a video producer, but I am a growing video strategist. I make that distinction because beyond making a video that looks good, there needs to be intention behind why that asset is created. For this reason, I say I create “video assets”. As opposed to liabilities. My goal is for the videos I create for my clients to bring them business, save them time in their business, or improve the relationships around their businesses. When the average videographer hears “I need a video”, from what I hear, it is rare that the response to that is “why?”. It’s not a given that video creators go in-depth with a business to really uncover what a business actually needs beyond a 30-second attempt to go viral on Instagram. Those viral videos have their place, however, more often than not, businesses need more functional videos that are created for a much smaller segment of the people interacting with them. These videos could be brand message videos on their website, testimonials, tutorials and courses that live behind a paywall, or training videos for internal staff. I see video as an integral tool for a business to function rather than just icing on the cake to make a business a bit more attractive. Video is closer to the butter in that recipe than it is to buttercream.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up a God-fearing, sports-playing, movie-loving, joke-telling, Jack-of-all-trades who enjoyed the idea of becoming a “Renaissance Man”. I had interests in 20 different directions and had friends in every different group in school. I played baseball in high school and college as well as improv into adulthood. I would say I’m an ambivert that enjoys to perform when the lights go on, but am very comfortable staying at home all week only leaving my room for food and personal maintenance. I enjoy aesthetics. I star-gaze, love the ocean, and a good candle. I also love competition, philosophy, and intense debate about trivial subjects like sports or writing choices in film and television shows. I’ve always had a desire to travel, but never gave myself the permission to. That is slowly changing and I plan to go overseas next year… somewhere…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nathanmercervideo
• Youtube: Nathan Mercer Video