So you want to be a videographer in Thunder Bay? It’s not as easy as it sounds. To be a Thunder Bay videographer you will not only have to be good with a camera, you will have to be business savvy. This is because unlike larger film hubs, the Thunder Bay videographer scene is small - Which has it’s positives and negatives. We’ve outlined them below:

Positives to being a Thunder Bay videographer:

It’s a small town so there is less competition. But beware - the companies & freelance videographers that do exist are very talented so you will have to push yourself to keep up!
If you are well known in Thunder Bay it will go a long way. Thunder Bay is a very “who you know” based city so if you can use that to your advantage then do it! Utilize any contact you have.
Confederation College offers multiple film/media courses. You can learn about the industry without straying too far from your parents basement.
Despite it’s size, Thunder Bay has a huge art scene so it’s easy to make good contacts in the industry, whether they’re a videographer or other artistic individuals, it’s always good to have strong allies.

Negatives to being a Thunder Bay videographer:

It’s a small town so there is less work opportunities than a big city.
If you don’t want to run your own company it will be very difficult to make a career out of being a Thunder Bay videographer. This is because Thunder Bay’s video production scene is mainly made up of small companies with a handful of employees at best. Most companies only work with a few people so you will have to make some solid connections to keep the cash flow coming in.
If you’re coming from a standard film course or large film set background, Thunder Bay’s film industry is totally different. As stated in the point above, it’s very small crew productions, most team members can do it all and you should be expected to as well.

There you have it! Hopefully some of these points will help you on your journey to becoming a Thunder Bay videographer. Like anything, it will take time and effort - But that’s the fun part! Check out our portfolio to see what the Thunder Bay video production industry has to offer and if you have any questions about getting involved don’t hesitate to reach out. Thunder Bay is a great city and we’re happy to reside and operate here!

We’re always looking for new shooters so if you think you’d be a good fit drop us an email!

So You Want To Be a Thunder Bay Videographer, huh?