Meet Jason Hamilton | Filmmaker and Photographer

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

Hi Jason, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Well, I’ve always loved working with cameras, and throughout college I made a habit of setting up photo shoots with friends and taking my camera with me on trips. It wasn’t until late in 2019 that I had started to get paid for my work on a pretty consistent basis, and then once the pandemic started and I lost my salary job I just decided that there was no reason for me not to double down and invest in myself and so in March of 2020 I founded my production company Quality Control Productions.

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’ve always had a love for cameras, even as far back as in elementary school I remember getting a toy camera and pretending to take pictures of birds in trees or bugs in the grass. All throughout high school I took film photography classes and I fell in love with capturing moments in time and sharing them with others. As I got older, and my understanding of myself and my motivations grew, I started to realize that the reason I liked sharing my photos so much was because I enjoyed telling stories, so I transitioned from photos to creating videos. In December of 2019 I created my first video project for a client (looking back I’m surprised they paid me for it, the video was terrible) and later on in march of 2020 the world shut down and I lost my job. So I took all of my savings and entirely too enthusiastically dumped everything into starting a production company named for my grandfather Howard Hamilton QC. Now three years later I’ve worked on over 1000 projects. These past three years have not been easy at all, when you work freelance you’ll come to understand that not all months are created equal in terms of pay. But what I’ve learned is that as long as you give each project the attention it deserves and make sure each client leaves happy with the work they’ve gotten, things will inevitably work in your favor. That’s the best advice I can give, regardless of what you do, is to do right by people and ask not what people can do for you but what you can do for them. At Quality Control Productions I provide a service to my clients that is entirely unique to me, and my goal will always be to be of service to others with the skills that I’ve taken time to build.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ahh man, Miami’s been my home all my life, love this city from the bottom of my heart. If you’re in town visiting I’m gonna give you the basic rundown on the must stop spots to check out. For food you have to try Dukunoo in Wynwood for some amazing Jamaican food and music, and if you’ve never tried Cuban food before (you’re missing out) definitely try Versailles and Mary’s Coin Laundry if it’s really late they’re open pretty much 24/7. Obviously it’s Miami so you’re going to want to go out and have a drink or two, so check out Over Under in Downtown, 1-800 Lucky or Electric Lady in wynwood, and Rosa’s Sky Rooftop lounge in Brickell. If you’re going to the beach and trying to avoid the overcrowded parts definitely check out Nikki Beach. And lastly if you just so happen to enjoy skateboarding check out Lot 11 and Andrew Downtown.

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 have to give a shoutout to my friends and very first clients Earl Wolfe and Yemani Mason for being the first to see potential in me and show me that people would be willing to pay for my work. Early on as a photographer I had never thought of working with cameras as a career path, it was more of a hobby so learning the value in the skill set that I had built up to that point really shifted my perspective on what was possible for me.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/j.tyler.photo?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==