James Te: From High School Edits to Grammy Nominated Artists
Interviewed by Ayla Ahmed
From filming highschool memories to working with Grammy-nominated afrobeats sensation Asake, James Te shares how he is transforming his passion for videography into a successful career. Don’t miss our exclusive sit-down interview where James opens up about his experience in the creative music industry so far and what he’s learning along the way. Thank you, James, for sitting down with us!
Ayla: I remember High School. You always had your camera out at parties, getting all up in our faces. Speaking for myself, and a lot of our friends, It’s been incredible watching your journey. So, when did you first pick up a camera and what were you trying to capture at that time?
James: I first picked up a camera in grade 10, beginning of high school. The reason why was because I always liked to document what me and my friends were doing, and that was—pretty much—all my videos were at the beginning. I recorded all my friends just hanging out, going to places like Folk Fest Edmonton and making compilations out of it. At the time, I really liked the VHS look, but I didn’t have a camera at the time. So I would be using an app on my phone to make all my edits and stuff like that. That then sort of branched out to my friends asking me to edit their videos for things like skiing. That’s how the editing aspect of my art came about.
“I remember that I was always the guy with the camera. I couldn’t tell you exactly why I picked it up, just that I’m so happy I did”
Ayla: I love that, initially, you just wanted to capture the moment. So, what was the turning point that made you realise that capturing these moments could be more than just a hobby?
James: So I’ve been doing this for almost two years now, this February. During that time, I got my hands on my first camera that my uncle gave me. From there I started to take it more seriously. I began reaching out to my friends who wanted to start their own clothing brands and collectives, seeing if I could help out. A lot of them really messed with the VHS look and it slowly started picking up from there. When I started working with artists and clothing brands, I realised that people actually liked what I had to offer and did want to work with me. And definitely when that money started coming in, the gears started turning and I realised it could be more than a hobby.
Ayla: I’m so impressed with the way you are managing to cultivate this passion into something real. What have been the most surreal moments of your career so far?
James: So, I’ll give you my top 3. My top highlight is when I got to shoot for Asake at Rogers Place. That was honestly a dream come true. My goals in videography is to shoot concert videos for artists in the music industry, which is exactly what I got to do with him. To be able to shoot for an artist that big was surreal. I mean, he’s a massive afrobeats artist; he’s Grammy-nominated and has a song with Travis Scott. I couldn’t believe I got a chance like that.
This next one is definitely the highlight of my life right now. I’m working with this artist called Yakiyn, from Dallas, Texas, who I admire so much. I’ve been working really closely with him and our collaboration so far has been an incredibly cool experience.
This brings me to my next highlight. So the reason I got the chance to work with Yakiyn was through my now friend, Cordell, who’s also a videographer from Edmonton. He’s worked with artists from Top Dawg Entertainment—the label of SZA and Kendrick Lamar—like ScHoolboy Q. Big names. When I first started doing videos, I looked up to his work. He was someone who was actually doing this for real. Now, I am working directly with him in collaboration with Yakiyn. So being able to form a close relationship with him, both as friends and colleagues, has been amazing.
“Everything seems to be happening so fast. I posted my first video in February 2023 and now, less than 2 years later, I’ve had some of the most amazing opportunities”
Ayla: Did you ever imagine that your passion would lead you to work with such big names in the music industry?
James: Honestly, no. Obviously it was a dream to be in this space, but I never knew it would really happen. It just happened really fast. I’m less than 2 years in and I’ve already been given some amazing opportunities. These are all helping me get my foot in the door, to eventually lead me to some larger opportunities. I mean I remember being a kid and just messing with my phone, getting in people’s faces. And now, somehow, I’m here.
Ayla: Jumping back to your work with Asake, can you walk me through that experience? How was that different from anything else you’ve ever done?
James: Although Asake’s concert was the second concert I worked at, it was the first one of that size. I’ve never shot anything like that before, it was insane. They gave me an “All Pass” pass for the end of my lanyard, I’d never had anything like that before. I could walk anywhere I wanted, just had to flash my pass. They gave us a full buffet, it was delicious. I got to be at the absolute front of the stage. Seeing him come out for the first time was crazy. I mean, I love his music; I genuinely have always listened to him almost on a daily basis. Then to be front and centre of his concert, literally there to work with him, there's nothing like it. But when I’m recording, it’s sort of like tunnel vision. At the end of the day, I was there to work, so I didn’t get to “enjoy” the concert in the same way as an audience member. Still though, I am so grateful to have been there and to have met the people I did.
Ayla: From what it sounds and looks like, your main passion in videography lies in the music industry and working within that space. However, have you ever worked outside of music?
James: I have actually. Jeune Studios is a clothing brand I’ve had the opportunity to work with. Some of their pieces have been worn by some pretty big names both inside the music industry, like rapper and singer Coi Leray, and outside, like NBA Basketball player Zion Williamson. So, they hold many social events, like pop-up shops and parties. I always record these types of events for them. They post my content on their events pages, which is always amazing to see.
Ayla: So you’ve worked with so many different people over the past 2 years. How has your style and approach to videography evolved overtime? With this, how do you keep your vision authentic and stay loyal to your style?
James: For me, all my work is VHS work. I’ve kept my style almost the same. Simple, easy to look at, and still looks cool. I try to not do too much with editing. It has mainly stayed the same, but with the new experience I’ve gained, the whole process has been more efficient and enhanced. Every day, I’m learning something new and, if I feel like it’ll make my life easier, I find a way to implement it into my work. In terms of your second question, I think if you're working with an artist and they appreciate your work I think it's really easy to meet in the middle and stick to your style. No one has to compromise too much. I mean, they hired you because they like YOUR art.
Ayla: Outside of your work, when you're not working on a specific project, what do you look to for inspiration?
James: I always look to other music directors. For example, Cordell. He inspires me so much. For VHS work, there’s this group called Pink Flamingo. They mainly film cars, but their VHS style was actually what first attracted me to my art.
Ayla: Although you’ve clearly had quite a bit of success already, it’s a tough industry. How did your family react to you deciding to pursue videography professionally? Were they supportive or sceptical?
James: So as of right now, I’m also in my 4th year of Uni. Initially then I told my family they were honestly quite supportive, especially my brother and sister in law, they think I should go all the way in. My dad is surprisingly supportive too, especially since I make some money. But at the same time, with immigrant parents, they do see it more as a hobby. I mean my brother is in medical school, so that sets the bar high. I mean, my parents don’t expect that of me which is nice, but they are still more adamant on me finishing school. I understand that though, so I will.
Ayla: Yeah, the creative industry is very intense and uncertain. I understand why many immigrant parents are concerned about it. What challenges have you faced in this industry, both creatively and personally.
James: Honestly, I think burning out is actually a really easy thing to do. It is so easy to have a block. Sometimes you just stare at your screen and have no idea what to do. You're trying to balance making something new with something that looks good and is true to your style. Especially with school right now. I want to put more focus into this career but, like I mentioned, I have to get this degree. But you have to find it.
Ayla: Looking forward, are there any dream collaborations or personal projects you're hoping to dive into next?
James: Yea 100%. My favourite artist is Travis Scott, so I would love to work with him one day. I’m also a huge R&B fan, it’s one of my favourite genres, so artists like SZA would be incredible. Going towards the future, I would like to lean more towards directing. Video directing, creative directing, any sort of directing. I just love being on set.
Ayla: What advice would you give to young creatives who are just starting out and want to break into the video world?
James: Put yourself out there as much as you can. Networking is the most important part, it was the only way I was able to get the opportunities I did. Go to events; every city has creative collectives. It's of course not easy to be that extroverted but it's important to build those connections.
Ayla: What's one thing about the videography world that most people should know, but don’t.
James: From my experience so far, it's a very friendly environment. Everyone is always willing to help out. But the most important thing is being yourself. Especially when meeting new people, they can recognize when someone is faking their identity.
“You need to stay true to who you are, that way you’ll never have to ‘fake’ anything. When people like what they see, both in the art and the artist, they want you on their team.”
- James Te
Images Courtesy of James Te.
All views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of N/A Magazine.
Posted Friday October 18th 2024.
Edited by Ana Sunjka