Logan Jackson: L&C Studios, Second Chances + Finding Balance (PNW)
KIRKLAND, WA -- Logan Jackson is an American businessman, director, producer and cinematographer from Hillsboro, Oregon. He is best known as the owner of L&C Studios, who's produced recent short films in Baman and Echoes. Jackson is also enrolled at Northwest University as a Film Production major with a concentration in live action visuals.
L&C Studios is currently located in the Seattle Area.
Jackson, joined Tyreese Smith, as they spoke about entrepreneurship, navigating the arts, balancing career and looking into the future.
Logan Jackson:
"Hello guys! My name is Logan Jackson. I am a 22 year old freelance videographer and film maker in the Seattle, Washington area. I am currently finishing my senior year in college at NU."
Tyreese Smith:
"Welcome back man. Real ones remember that we go a couple of years back to grassroots at the RPN Factory. Since then, I’ve seen you grow up a bit as you’re turning out to be an upstanding young man. I’m proud of you man. Discuss how you were able to pivot from being a student-athlete your entire life to entering the entertainment industry."
Logan Jackson:
"I have always had a passion for videography and film making. It has always been something I have wanted to give more time to, but my first love was always going to be basketball. I gave most of my time to that in order to have the opportunity to play college ball. When I decided to take a break from basketball, it sucked, because I felt I had nothing other than school. I had no identity other than being a student and I needed a change. So, I thought to myself, 'If I gave the same effort I gave to basketball to film making and videography, where could I end up?' So, I started the grind pursuing that passion like I once did for basketball."
Tyreese Smith:
"Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, it’s considered a more lowkey spot of the United States. Specifically in Oregon where it’s full of nature, hippies and the ‘paper ducks’. I know you’re currently around the Seattle area, but how is life in the PNW?"
Logan Jackson:
"Life out in the PNW is great. The weather during the fall and winter months can be tough unfortunately since its mostly raining, but the spring and summer are worth waiting for. We always have breathtaking sunsets in the Seattle area over Lake Washington, and life in an area where there are great views of trees and mountains. Usually it only takes 30 minutes to get to an area in North Bend to see amazing mountain ranges and forests. Even though most people in the area are pretty bad drivers like most people on the West side of Washington and Oregon, I have had a lot of good interactions with people in passing and enjoy this area a lot."
Tyreese Smith:
"Understanding your career, L&C Studios has been around for a good portion of the decade. I remember you started shooting photographs on the side as a high schooler and now have a body of work in film. For those who are unfamiliar, how did L&C get its start in the industry?"
Logan Jackson:
"L&C originally started as just a concept back in high school. I envisioned it as the name and structure of a studio if I ever made bigger projects. I did not want to just post stuff under my name and pray the message got to the right people. I wanted a structured business that can add a level of professionalism to my work and draw more professional attention. When I got to college, I officially launched the YouTube Channel and Instagram for my projects to come in college. After finalizing a lot of the brand and adding slogans and the mission statement, we dropped out of the first few projects and L&C gained a lot of traction on campus, followed by online traction. L&C has had a few projects reach over 2k views on YouTube, one reaching 5k in less than a year which is big for us of course. And L&C’s Instagram has continued to grow gradually."
"Over the last two years I have dove into a lot more paid gigs with branding commercials, short films, web series, weddings, and documentaries. We just recently branched out into officially launching the freelance videography side of L&C to open up ourselves to a new world of work professionally."
Tyreese Smith:
"Bro, I don’t know if you’ll beat the ‘Hollywood’ allegations anytime soon. Building this machine, earning impressions, viewership, working with friends turned artists and continuing to get better at your craft. Who knows, Warner Bros can’t keep ducking you anytime sooner. We know life for an independent isn’t easy, but how is life behind-the-scenes?"
Logan Jackson:
"My typical schedule right now in the early stages of freelance development looks like working a part time job on the side to keep bringing in revenue while building clientele. Working hard on finalizing contracts for all of the services I will be providing for people. After that it's calling people I have added to my call sheet. Trying to offer bigger businesses free promotional work to add more legit named brands to my portfolio."
"Next, includes working on editing projects that have occurred leading up to that point, and trying to finish or chip away at projects. A new thing I am trying to add to my day is making and filming some sort of content every day to post to stay consistent and get more opportunities of getting recognized online. These short videos would be informative videos for videographers, or informative videos about my pricing and services for clients. Overall it is a tough schedule to work with, especially during the school year. I feel having a background in basketball has helped me build that grit and resilience to keep pushing past my limits."
Tyreese Smith:
"The 21st Century has been an interesting time for humanity. Through digital technological advancements, the rise of a globalized network and adaptability. The biggest thing that comes to mind is the internet, while social media and now artificial intelligence are playing a part as well. How do you view the digital world from your lens?"
Logan Jackson:
"I have always seen it like I see all things. It can be a tool used for good or bad. Of course, me and plenty of others hope online media can be used for good in order to better the ones around us. Spread a good message that can impact people in a positive way, but unfortunately that is not always the reality. I have felt placed with these passions and loves for storytelling through online media to be able to spread messages to help people understand things deeper. Be more considerate for things they may not know others are going through such as, anxiety, depression, anger, abuse, and more. I hope to continue to tell stories that impact people. To help give them the motivation to be better in their community, to do more for others and think less selfishly. Along with these kind of messages and stories, I want to continue to make stories and spread messages that just bring people joy and see a side of life maybe they struggle to see. Whether that be through comedy, action, or an inspiring story that shows the beauty of humanity."
Tyreese Smith:
"How did networking at an early age have an impact on your career?"
Logan Jackson:
"I am truly thankful I learned about networking when I did and had a lot of help around me to encourage me to keep networking even when I didn’t think I needed to. I always imagine what it would look like to try and start all that I have done in college, but more later on in life. I truly find it impossible. I have got to know and meet such amazing and talented people in and out of college. I have received so many opportunities to work with amazing people. I have continued to see growth in my network because of continuing to be brave. To just put myself out there even when I don’t think said person would respond to me."
Tyreese Smith:
"It’s crazy to think about this bro, but when I think about your journey, I always fall back on this thought. Having a second chance at life. Now that may look and sound a bit vague, but I’ve always recognized that you’ve been the type to scratch and claw for what you want. How does having character guide you throughout your story?"
Logan Jackson:
"When people said, 'Man it’s been a ride' I never knew what they meant when I was younger because I hadn’t been through enough life yet. Going through many heartbreaks in life and my career of sports and my professional career, you can choose to be mad and upset by things, or take it with a grain of salt and learn from it. I have been so blessed by God for him to show me the lessons in all the hard times in my life leading up to this moment. To be able to have him grow my character and take me places I never thought I would go."
"My big plan I always thought would be the case was to get a good scholarship at a D2 or D1 college for basketball. Move onto some pro level of basketball from there. I remembered asking God why my plan never worked out when I decided to step away from the game. Now I look back and see why my plans never worked out because it was always about God’s plan for me."
"If I went to a different school for basketball, I would not have made some of the projects I have made with the amazing people I did. If I had gone to a different school, I would not have met some of the closest friends I have now that I met at school. And, one of the most important things that always proves God's plan is greater than mine, I met my wife at my school."
"To think I would have never met her possibly if I forced my plan to follow through, I can’t even fathom where I would be right now or who I would be in that world."
Tyreese Smith:
"If you had six months of free time and completely unlimited funds, what would you spend your time doing?"
Logan Jackson:
"First, I would take my wife on a two part honeymoon. First part we would go to Disneyland because she has been wanting to take me there and I have never been. Then after, we will escape to Hawaii for as long as she wants. This first because we did not get the time for a proper honeymoon because we got married during the school year. We would eventually come back home, buy Air BnB units, and start renting them out to people."
"Next I would pay off me and my wife's student loans. Pay rent on our apartment as long as they allow us. I think me and my wife would attempt to start planning big projects. Try and film a big budget film within that span of time and hire bigger named actors."
Tyreese Smith:
"I know you’re a busy guy, but what do you typically do in your downtime?"
Logan Jackson:
"My downtime usually consists of coaching at a local high school during the main school ball season. Then I turn to coaching AAU teams in the spring and fall time. I will always love basketball. I want to continue to give kids the opportunity to have a positive experience with basketball whether they want to just play in high school, or take it further, I want to be remembered as the coach that helped kids have a good time playing basketball, learned a lot of valuable skills for basketball and life, and the coach hopefully helped a kid find their true love for basketball. For the first time or rediscover it. When I am not coaching, I try to spend time with my wife, friends, and family. Most of my time is spent with my wife of course and we love taking time to try out new movies or shows together. To breakdown what made them good and bad in the eyes of a regular viewer versus the eyes of creatives. I have yet to find consistent runs in my area where I can get up and down again, and trust me, your boy still got it."
Tyreese Smith:
"Who are the most influential people in your life? What have they taught you about life?"
Logan Jackson:
"Both my sets of parents (In Oregon, and Wife’s parents) have been huge inspirations to me and have been such positive impacts on me and my life. They always vocalize how they are proud of me for my hard work and effort I give. Always express their genuine belief that I can make it as a creative visual artist in this world despite how competitive it is. They have vocalized how impressed they have been with my growth as a person and as a creative professional give me great professional feedback. I always take every piece of it into consideration due to how much respect I have for all of them. My dad on my side and my wife's side are always trying their best to help me find opportunities. Whether it be referring to people they know that need video work done, or reaching out to people and putting in a good word for me in the professional video field."
Tyreese Smith:
"Close to wrapping this up, but let’s think through this question. What do you see yourself accomplishing in the next five years? How do you visualize yourself?"
Logan Jackson:
"I truly believe I will have grown L&C Studios significantly. Will have had and continue to earn the opportunities I can’t even imagine happening right now. I believe my freelance business will have grown a lot as well and that it will be my main full time job bringing in a significant income for my family. To give even more graciously in numbers to the Church because of it. I think I would have worked with more people and met some people the world could consider, 'famous”, to build my network further. Finally, I believe I will have grown my platform significantly and will have more opportunities to reach more people. Spread the good word through my work and be able to leave a positive and lasting impact on people."
Tyreese Smith:
"Thank you Logan for taking the time to talk to me today. Do you have any words of encouragement or motivation for people? Any last words?"
Logan Jackson:
"The only thing I can say is a lot of people think in life, or in sports, 'Once I get to here it will be so much easier, once I make it on this team, once I get this job it will be easier,' It never gets easier. Life and the things you do, will never get easier. This isn’t the case because the world is against us. God has designed it this way so we can constantly grow and learn. If everything was easy and each day brought the same thing, everybody would contribute the same thing to society. Because we each go through our own lives and challenges that are harder every day, we can learn these things on how to handle hard things better. Things don’t get easier, you just handle the hard things better. It feels like the things you used to struggle with are easy now, but with that, comes to challenges that bring new teachings every day. Thank you for having me man!"
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