Growing From Freelancer to Company Owner
A Conversation with Nick Gould, Owner, Avenue One Productions
Like many early cinematographers, Nick Gould began his journey as a photographer, capturing moments with his Canon Rebel T3i during his freshman year of college. The following year, he ventured into the world of moving pictures and discovered a deeper passion for filmmaking and video editing than he had for still photography. Fast forward five years where he spent time hustling and grinding as a freelance filmmaker, working on projects like music videos and anything he could get his hands on.
With the experience, passion and hustle in mind, it was time to turn his freelance career into a production company.
Meet Avenue One Productions.
To accelerate his journey, Nick chose to collaborate with agencies that already had established client lists, believing this approach would yield more promising opportunities than partnering directly with brands.
Nick: When building my client list, I found it easier to work with agencies because they generally have multiple clients they work with for various projects each year. For me, I get to work with awesome agencies who are used to video production so it takes out some of the confusion you’d get with new clients who don’t know much about video production.
Nick quickly discovered a significant advantage in transitioning from freelancer to Avenue One Productions: the ability to scale. With a team in place, Avenue One can tackle projects ten times larger than he could as a solo freelancer, leveraging contractors and collaboration. This shift allowed Nick to take on a creative lead and managerial role, moving beyond the limitations of being a one-man band.
Since its launch, Avenue One has worked on a diverse range of projects for corporate and social accounts, including live streaming, interviews, corporate videos, and large-scale campaigns. Dedicated to elevating each project beyond the last, consistently pushing creative boundaries.
One thing Nick embraces at Avenue One is the opportunity to learn from every experience, viewing each project as a valuable lesson for the next.
Nick: Be the best communicator. So many production companies take days to respond. It’s not efficient. Deliver projects on time. I can’t stress enough how many clients have told me their last production team stopped responding or turned things in super late. It’s an easy way to lose business. Be honest. If something gets screwed up, be the first to say it. Or if you’re feeling things aren’t going as planned, figure out a solution at that exact moment. Don’t leave it to post to fix something that could have been avoided!
And in that same manner, he’s also been able to unravel the myths surrounding entrepreneurship and the role of a production company owner.
Nick: You’re going to work more than a 9-5. I found that true in the beginning, over time you should be able to work a bit less if you structure your business correctly.
Nick Gould is the owner of Avenue One Productions. You can see their work and capabilities at avenueoneproductions.com
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