If Casey Neistat moved out of New York City, then what the hell is going on over there? Well a lot of amazing things happen in NYC but for me, I needed to make some drastic changes to achieve creative and financial peace. Here’s how I did it.

My journey from Rappers to Hackers was interesting, to say the least.

To summarize, this article is how I left the cutthroat world of Hip Hop for the cutthroat world of Technology and how dramatically shaking things up can ultimately lead to a better quality of life. In New York I met a ton of artists and began experimenting with video techniques which essentially became my film school. Like many people who never went to film school, I made a bunch of mistakes along the way. But it was the best way I knew how to learn and express myself. I didn’t actually get into music video directing until 2006 and it was completely by accident.

Look at how clean my shape ups were back in the day. Home made baby!

So I had a friend who worked at Def Jam Records and one day he asked me if I’d like to make a video trailer titled “Blue Magic” for Jay-Z’s new album “American Gangster”. I thought it over. For a second. And I said yes. So I shot the video with some friends in an hour. We filmed in an apartment building, a bodega, a food cart and on busy streets from the Bronx to Midtown Manhattan. I remember the first time I met Jay-Z at Quad Studios where he was putting the finishing touches on the album. His handlers wanted him to watch the trailer before meeting me. It made sense. If he didn’t like it, it would be a complete waste of everyone’s time. So after about an hour of waiting in the reception area, they said Jay wanted to meet and brought me into the studio. I was super nervous. I felt like I was about to meet the Pope or Oprah or something. The first thing he said to me was “I see you’re getting your name out here”. What in the hell?

This is the height of my gritty renegade look, Jay-Z’s “Blue Magic” Trailer.

So I made the trailer and seemingly overnight it went viral. A few press outlets proclaimed that “The trailer’s gritty style evoked Jay’s earliest videos like “Where I’m From” or “99 Problems” and sent the message that any kid with a camera can go out there and work with major recording artists. “Gritty?” I thought to myself. I guess my bad lighting and grainy footage is now trendy. The results were millions of online impressions and views which ultimately helped the album to reach numerous top 10 lists by the end of 2007. Although the intention for the trailer was a "straight to YouTube" campaign, the Internet response was so overwhelming that major networks eventually picked it up to air as broadcast content. And so that was the beginning of my addiction to music videos.

Listen carefully, you can hear my bank account flat lining.

The music video industry in 2007 had absolutely no rules - it was about building my reel by any means necessary, regardless of cost. It was about undercutting and disrupting as many boutique video production companies as possible. Not the best strategy looking back. I should have been more of a collaborator. More on that later. Anyway, I got a few music video nominations and commercial awards - I got to work with some of my favorite artists and even some of my favorite brands like Nike, Levi’s and Heineken. All of this lead to press write ups in Wired, Rolling Stone and eventually I sold some sugar water.

Guys, I got an idea! No one drinks soda in this way.

Another fun fact? I was chosen to be in that spot because Sprite was looking for someone who wasn’t white or black (an ambiguous ethnicity if you will) to lead the campaign. I guess Sprite must do well in Asia? Unfortunately, all that goodwill and the reputation I had built as a “renegade filmmaker” started to dissipate once the commercial aired. Most of my peers who supported my “authenticity” thought I sold out. But here’s what they never told me: I was exceedingly unlikely to ever see any real money from music videos. Most of the income I generated during this time were from ancillary opportunities like that Sprite commercial. And on the rare occasion I got a “decent” budget, I had to make damn sure that all of it was spent on production value.

One of these rappers I can still text emojis to.

The DSLR revolution happened and suddenly the playing field got very VERY crowded. Eventually I got jaded working with temperamental rappers and record labels and being asked to work for peanuts. My daughter was born and the pressure began to mount. I lashed out. I turned down music videos for Ludacris and Diddy. Looking back, I think I was burned out from being the “low budget guy”. The gift I had of ushering in a new era of renegade filmmaking suddenly because a curse. My dwindling creative passion for music video directing lead to a decrease in work and my savings. With a new family to take care of, I had to make some serious moves.

The first miracle I witnessed firsthand? My Dad getting off the ventilator after 3 months.

Around this time, my Dad got really sick from a double pneumonia and a severe strain of the flu. He was in critical condition for over 2 months and completely sedated. This put a lot of stress on my family and I became withdrawn and distant. The doctors said he wouldn’t make it. But my Mom wasn’t having it. She stayed by his side and prayed and kept my family together through a whirlwind of emotions. 5 months later my Dad was released from the hospital and it was probably the first miracle I witnessed firsthand. My entire perspective switched right after that experience. Life was too damn short.

The defining moment in my path to creative and financial peace.

The first step was a brief but fulfilling stint creating branded content for various media publishers in New York City. But I was getting burned out. I worked 14-15 hour days and even weekends. Commuting from New Jersey into Manhattan was costly and claustrophobic. But I’m from Queens so I'm used to suffering. I was used to spending half my day on trains and being bombarded with noise. But I felt myself going around in loops and I wasn’t being challenged. I knew I had to make some changes because things were getting too real. What it came down to was - I wanted a better quality of life for my family.

Gang gang. The Duo Security Creative Team, part of the $2.35 billion acquisition by Cisco Systems in 2018.

My wife and creative partner Nancy introduced me to Sam Valenti from Ghostly who introduced me to Dug Song, CEO of Duo Security. It was literally perfect timing. The skill set of everyone I work with in Ann Arbor is as good as, or even better than some of the creative agencies that I've worked with in New York or Los Angeles. The number one thing that stands out in our work is understanding the technology and hacker culture, in a deep and meaningful way. We’re really good at figuring out the emotional connection of our product and how to hone that into a story. I also began to realize that Rappers and Hackers have a lot in common - they both want to overcome limitations, they both have a strong distaste for authority, and they both sometimes dabble in illicit activities. Our creative mission to democratize information security led to a $2.35 billion dollar acquisition by Cisco Systems in 2018. Is it luck? Perhaps. But I like to think that it was about providing value with my skill set to a completely different industry as much as it was about being at the right place at the right time. I didn’t have to sacrifice my artistic integrity or my quality of life because I’m constantly being challenged with new ideas from REALLY smart people. But now I have the time and support to do them right. It’s the emotional response of our creative output that motivates me every day.

Channeling Jeff Goldblum with this outfit.

In my spare time I've also created the A2 Tech Film Showcase that highlights and empowers diversity in filmmaking. I've even started to dabble in animation, to push my storytelling craft into a whole new direction. I’m still that same hungry kid from Queens so I probably won’t stop making music videos because - STREET CRED. But now that I’ve discovered another industry for my skill set, I have a better perspective, a better grasp on my creative emotions and way less stress. I’d encourage anyone who feels like they’re stuck in a rut or not feeling challenged to explore opportunities in other industries - and adapt your skill set to that role. Hopefully, like me, you may discover that the prospects are better while discovering other talents you never knew you had. The A2 Tech Community reflects a lot of the values I believe in. People embrace creativity and collaboration to make something just a little bit more REAL. And I’ve also realized that a healthy quality of life actually DOES exist! Before I go, here’s a little peek into what my life in the tech industry looks like these days.

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. - Louisa May Alcott

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