About Joshua Mallett
Ever since I was a kid, I would dream of the day I could afford to make professional-looking films that had that cinematic look. I used to run around my yard with my Grandmother’s Quasar camcorder in the early 90’s making my own homemade movies, but they never seemed to look like those in Hollywood. In fact, I am STILL perfecting the craft to this day, even when I have all of the resources. I was fascinated with being both in front of the camera and behind it. My uncle always had his video camera around, and if I wasn’t annoying him to constantly ‘make me disappear’ (by recording me, quickly turning the camera off, leaving the frame, then having him turn it back on), I was asking him to film our homemade movies as I chased my little cousin around in a scary mask. I just wanted to make movies.
Uncle Efrain was the first Hispanic editor hired by NBC News Chicago. The first job I ever had was shadowing him at weddings for $50 a night, attempting to learn the trade as he videotaped them back in the VHS days. But home video just had a look that I did not like. Unless I had been able to afford tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment (and let’s be honest, I grew up with a single mother trying to raise 4 boys), I was not going to achieve that cinematic Hollywood look that I so desired. As a result, I put those dreams on the back burner and started pursuing a music career at the age of 14.
I fell in love with music just as much as I did with making movies. In fact, music is my lifeline. In the mid 90’s, at an early age, I found a way to record music digitally to my home computer. Essentially I was able to record music at a fraction of the cost of making films. I aspired to rock stages like many of my music idols and, before I graduated high school, I had launched my Independent Record Label RiP Records. With this, I started a music career professionally known as “Rip“. In 2004 I borrowed one of my uncle’s video cameras to film my first-ever music video; it was terrible. I attempted the same feat in 2008 and although it was a little better than the last, it still didn’t have that professional “Hollywood look” that I wanted.
Fast forward a few years later to 2010 when technology started to afford people like myself options for better-looking video using consumer-priced cameras. I was introduced to DSLR cameras by Joe Ramos of Joe Guerilla Films. With the little-known thing as “depth of field” that these DSLR’s offered, I could finally make more cinematic-looking films! Joe ended up filming my “Watching Me” music video off my debut solo album “Fashionably Late” (yes, it took me 10 years to release my debut solo album on my independent label, hence the album name). It was his first and last time fully filming and editing a video for me. Ever since then I saved up enough to buy my first DSLR camera and started filming all of my own music videos from that point on (to this day I have a total of 15). So I have Joe to thank for re-igniting my past filmmaking desires and opening me up to a world of new technology.
In 2013, I was nominated for 8 Madison Hip-Hop Awards. I ended up taking home 5, two of which were related to video: “Videographer of the Year” and “Video of The Year” for my self-produced music video “Supernatural’.” Even after years of experience in the music and video industry, I still have an equally burning desire and passion in my heart to pursue both; it is a 50/50 love. I couldn’t pick one over the other, even if I had to. I’m not sure where my future will take me. Nobody is certain of their future. But one thing is for certain: It will be something related to music & video!
1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
email: booking@joshuamallett.com for business inquiries
