From Bartop to Desktop: Meet the Intern – Andrew Harrison

I wake to the sound of my alarm going off, and I begin the rituals of my daily routine knowing I have another long night ahead of me. I enter the workplace to the exciting bustle of another bar shift. My coworkers and I stock up and man the bar as the huge dinner and late night crowds make their waves. Mixing and shaking cocktails, lugging around beer kegs, and punching in orders to the kitchen was my bread and butter for almost 5 years. This year, though, I decided to make an effort to return to what I loved most, and regain that passion for the creative arts that sparked so much inspiration into me when I was younger. Several months later, after dusting off the ol’ resume, finally creating that new demo reel, and applying with my fingers crossed; I bursted with excitement when I received an email stating that I will become the next Jpixx Intern!

My video journey started in the year 2008, when YouTube had just splashed its way onto the internet, and created an unprecedented platform for smaller creators. From there, I met my first collaborators who would go on to become my best friends, Chandler Perry and Joey Cathey. What started out as a few high school kids filming goofy videos, to make our friends and family laugh, gradually snowballed into a serious passion.

Over the years, we went on to compete in timed film competitions, submit our work to film festivals across the country, and always looked to push the envelope on the next project. Whether it was our first silent film or an entire project filmed in virtual reality, we were always anticipating the next big idea. Although, we always found time to return to our comedic roots every now and then. Being behind the camera is what I love most, but the amount of fantastic and talented individuals I’ve met through this medium is something I’ll always cherish.

I will say that the transition between industries was intimidating at first. Having to focus on becoming a better bartender created a period of time where I wasn’t spending as much time on my artistic passions as I would have liked, but it didn’t stop me from partaking in some awesome projects along the way. There was a pivotal moment when my best friend, Chandler Perry, came to me with an offer to be a part of an upcoming project. He began to pitch a short comedy about a sailor, a pirate, and a merchant stranded on a deserted isle with a chicken. He had me at the word ‘chicken’ and I was all in! Typically, I would be spending my weekends behind the bar, but this weekend I would be spending it on a remote island off the coast of South Carolina.

Throughout the entire production, the weather and conditions became rough at times, but it didn’t matter, I was having the best time of my life with some talented people and I knew this is where I belonged. Several months later, I stumbled upon a video that had a profound effect on me called “The Toolbox Fallacy”. It was as if the creator was speaking directly to me, and from there on forward, I had enough of the “what if’s”, it was a make or break decision and I was determined to return to the video production field. Every now and then, when I feel like I’m in a creative rut, I will go back and watch that video for inspiration, and it never fails to put things back into perspective for me.

Having already been familiar with Jpixx, I was beyond excited to get a good look at the inner machinations of their work. My first day of training, I joined a small crew to capture some photos and video for the Virginia Beach Educational Foundation. I have to admit, leading up to this day, I was anxious, but as soon as we started unpacking the equipment, and a camera was put into my hand, the nerves started to wear off.

That is until I had to face off against my boss in a 1v1 exercise bike challenge. After a couple burning thighs and trying to hide my sweat, I came out victorious! It was interesting to see the flow and rhythm between Jon, Lizzie, and Savannah. Their professional yet laid back approach to their work made it seem effortless, and the interaction between clients created a really positive vibe for the rest of the shoot. They were excited for us to record the great work their foundation is doing, and we were happy to provide them with our talents.