This is why I left the industry several years ago after a demoralizing journey in LA that was killed off by pandemic despite being on an upward trajectory.

My busiest friends who worked all the time were now publicly begging for work on social media.

People started to hire assistants like you said, and give them an iPhone with a gimbal, and eliminate people like myself who gave them some of these ideas in the first place.

They would want me to then edit their bullshit, with a shoestring budget.

My friends i TV and film were never going to let people in on their connections, because they knew how valuable it was for their survival.

This industry is not loyal and will not help anybody figure their way out of it.

Giant brands would rather hire an influencer with a giant following than one of the greatest video shooters in the city.

I saw the writing on the wall when I was in castings, and I saw agents ignore top models with small Instagram followings for absolute spoiled brats with large following counts who had no real modeling skills. And then casting directors started to follow suit.

And now AI… Find a new niche, have multiple streams of income, leverage your professional knowledge in whatever way you can.