Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Harris
Hi Christian , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My video career started when my brother bought me a camera (Canon T2i) for Christmas. It was the first time professional-grade video cameras were affordable and available. So my brother was really the one who noticed this and he essentially opened that door for me to walk through. I used my camera to make little movies with my friends in college. It was really just for fun, but I think what hooked me was people’s reactions to things I made. I loved evoking something out of people, whether that was laughter, happiness, sadness, etc. There was a power to that for me. And I really enjoyed the process of building something from nothing. It was the “I created this and it effects people emotionally” aspect that made me keep doing it.
My career actually started when people started asking me to film their weddings. Shooting weddings got me through college and still at that point, it was just a means for me to make money and play around with something I enjoyed doing. It was never a career option.
It became a career when I serendipitously got the chance to shoot a short documentary series for PBS about local artists in Gainesville, FL. It was the spark that lit the fire for me. I was able to essentially tell stories about interesting people and make them the way I wanted. It was a “you can get paid for this?” moment. I shot ten episodes of those and people liked them so much that they asked me to make ten more. And that was pretty much it for me. I considered myself a documentarian from there on out.
It all became about finding ways to get paid by making emotionally evocative stories about people.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. The biggest challenge was fighting to make a living the first 5-6 years of my career. Jobs didn’t always come consistently. I had a lot of moments where I really doubted being able to carry on with it due to financial reasons. I was essentially a broke artist.
In 2021, right around COVID, I was probably two weeks from having to pull the plug on Aqueous Films because I was about two weeks away from having to dig into my already dwindled savings. The inconsistency was stressful too. Especially as I got older. I felt the need to be more financially stable. I remember saying to myself “well it was a good run and at-least I tried”.
But, from what felt like an almost spiritual experience, things just picked up right as I was about to call it quits. And since then work has been consistent and plentiful. There are still stressful times, I think it’s unavoidable as a business owner. But since that time, I’ve never felt close to having to quit.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My company name is Aqueous Films. I specialize in brand documentary work. That’s what we pitch to our clients. And thats how the company presents to the public. But we do all kinds of different work from events, corporate, weddings, and a lot more. As a business we’re professional video producers.
As an artist, I’m a documentarian. This always blends into my work with my company too. I tell emotionally evocative stories about people and the human experience.
So I’ll always be proud of work I can do that highlights people and their stories.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Orlando is an emerging city in Florida. Even in the 10 years I’ve lived here, it’s grown precipitously. It’s also a really fertile area for blossoming artists/video professionals. I’m just happy I got here when I did. Theres a lot of industry that keeps the work flowing and that’s obviously a huge plus.
I think Orlando is still a small fish compared to places like Miami, Atlanta , New York and LA when it comes to media cities. But I think that will change pretty quickly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aqueousfilms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aqueousfilms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aqueousfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjR7HO4gXhNquzofVLa9Bvg
