Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Blassingame
Hi Jacob, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Jacob Blassingame, I grew up in St. Charles, Missouri and attended St. Charles West Highschool. During highschool, I participated in several different clubs and sports such as Cross Country, Baseball, Track & Field, and Jazz Band. During my time at SCW, I was not really sure on what it was I wanted to do with my future when it came to work until I ended up taking a video production class during my sophmore year. During that class I found a passion in videography and media, and it wasn’t until early on in my Senior Year of highschool that I decided to go all hands on deck with it, and decided to study Mass Communications TV/Film and Advertising at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau in addition to continuing to run Track and Field and Cross Country at SEMO, a Division 1 NCAA program in the Ohio Valley Conference, I am a Digital Content Producer for the Marketing Department in addition to an intern with SEMO’s Athletics, and a photographer for the Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau’s local newspaper. Through these experiences, I have been able to grow my passion for media from not only videography, but to photography too where I have been blessed with amazing opportunities and experiences in the process. Additionally, I have participated and been apart of several OVC Championship teams competing in the Steeple Chase, 1600m, and the 8k.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It by no means has been a smooth road. I try to always look at the bright side of things and stay positive when it comes to things, but a huge bump in my goals came in my Junior year of highschool during the Cross Country season. At the time, I was ranked as one of the fastest runners in the state, but it changed when I had a season ending injury take place just weeks into the season. This injury made it very difficult for me to find my love and desire in the sport that had been my rock for so long, and it was not until I met my team and coaches in college where I found that love for the sport and drive to push myself again. The time of injury however, I learned a lot about things that I enjoy to do besides just running, and this is where I really began to develop my love and passion for videography and film. Rather than having practices after school every day because I was injured, my friends and I would create shortfilms with eachother spending hours and hours what felt like every night working to make our best work. I think that without getting injured there is no way I would be in the position I am today, and I am forever greatful for all the steps that have brought me here today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a photographer and videographer based out of both St. Louis and Cape Girardeau. I currently find myself shooting majority of Sports Photography for Southeast Missouri State University’s Athletics deparment, but I have recently made it my mission to branch out into all of the different fields in both photography and videography in an attempt for me to broaden my creative mind, and find what it is that I am truly passionate about and want to specialize in/pursue in my future. I am most proud of the progress that I have made in my time doing what I do, and the opportunities that I have been presented with because of my constant effort in finding my own style and developing my skillset furthermore in my craft. I believe what sets me apart from others is my openness to criticism and never being satisfied with the work that I put out. I can appreciate and acknowledge that I have gotten a lot better at what I do overtime, but after every shoot I still feel and know that I have a long way to go if I want to be great at what it is that I do. I’ve really focused recently on making it my goal to visualize and shoot whatever it is that I am shooting from how I see it, and also in a manner that people do not typically view whatever it is I am shooting. Actively thinking about and breaking down what makes a shot tell a story and makes the viewer think about it is my mission with every sporting event and everything I ever capture.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
It is an uphill effort in order to get better at what I am doing, sometimes it is good to slow down and think, which can be very hard to do when shooting/covering a sporting event.
It is key that I am intentional with my shooting and am constantly visualizing the shot and coming up with a different way to capture/convey a moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jbmedia.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jb.media
- Twitter: https://x.com/jblassingame_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jb.media.production
