Oct 17, 2022
Meet our Senior Director of Content, A.J. Hamil!
Today we’re introducing AJ Hamil, our Senior Director of Content.
Our high-quality content is what separates us from the competition, and it’s clear why global brands come to us when they need industry-approved content. AJ Hamil, Senior Director of Content here at Visiting Media has been leading our team of editors, photographers, videographers and designers for over a decade – pioneering innovation in the field. He is what you call dependable; always there when you need him for anything, who personifies the company culture we’ve developed to this day. Get to know one of our key executives who has helped take Visiting Media from start-up to grown-up.
Describe how you got started with the company.
It all started in 2011 at a kickball game. I was poached by a rival team and accepted into this large network of friends. One of them worked for Ben and when Ben put out the call looking for photographers I was fortunate enough to know the right person at the right time. Ben and I met and I started right away as a content creator.
What energizes you at work?
It ultimately boils down to two things. First, solving problems by coming up with different ways of approaching them until we find the most optimal one. Secondly, come up with ideas that would improve our day-to-day routines and make us more efficient in general. This means eliminating monotonous tasks which computers are better at anyway – leaving only those jobs for humans who can be more creative about it.
What attracted you to working for Visiting Media?
Visiting Media was starting from scratch. Ben and my skill sets complement each other very well and his ideas and vision for where we could take the company were very appealing. In the early years, there was a lot of experimentation to come up with best practices to figure out the optimal setups and techniques for capturing and producing the content, building out our capture network/post-production team, and traveling. I got to travel and meet new people which being a recent transplant to Oregon was a nice bonus.
What’s your go-to productivity hack?
Find time for clear uninterrupted work. That usually involves getting up early or staying up late. Some of my most productive times have been in those twilight hours when nobody else is on. Aside from that is always having something on you to take notes; that great idea that came to you while you were thinking about something else… you won’t remember it tomorrow morning, so record it now!
What work-related app could you never live without?
Productivity tracking software. I don’t use it all the time, but it helps keep me efficient with my time and on track. I can look at a week and see what programs and web apps I’m using the most.
What are some of your favorite aspects of seeing your department/team grow over the years?
The content team started with two people stitching and publishing a few dozen 360° photos every month to a well-oiled machine that can turn out hundreds of 360s a week. We work together to overcome the day-to-day challenges of producing content at this scale and have really grown together as a team. We have hit some impressive milestones recently with over 32,000 360° photos and 36M sq ft of 3D models captured and produced. The team has overcome the challenges involved with producing so much content.
Where do you see the Content Department growing most over the next year?
I’m expecting our Traditional and CGI Content teams will see the most growth over the next 12 months and the work they are producing is stunning.
What differentiates our Content from others on the market, in your own words?
We do our best to handcraft an experience for our customers and their customers. Our capture standards are higher than others and we painstakingly edit our content by hand to ensure it always looks the best it can.
What is a hobby or interest of yours that people might not expect?
I like woodworking and building things with my hands. The largest project was my office, the most polished is my walnut sit/stand desk, and the most recent is a cedar fence with a retaining wall. My next project will probably be a swingset/playhouse for my kids.
What is your favorite book?
The Dune series sparked my interest in SciFi at a very young age and I keep coming back to it again and again. I have also seen all the movies and mini-series and enjoyed Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation and am looking forward to Part 2.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
For three years now we’ve made it a family tradition to escape to Canon Beach for some rest, biking, beach exploring, and ice cream eating adventures.
Do you have any upcoming travel that you’re most looking forward to?
We are hoping to make it to Scotland and the surrounding areas next summer. My spouse and I have been watching a lot of historical fiction and have fallen in love with the region.
Oct 17, 2022
Meet our Senior Director of Content, A.J. Hamil!
Today we’re introducing AJ Hamil, our Senior Director of Content.
Our high-quality content is what separates us from the competition, and it’s clear why global brands come to us when they need industry-approved content. AJ Hamil, Senior Director of Content here at Visiting Media has been leading our team of editors, photographers, videographers and designers for over a decade – pioneering innovation in the field. He is what you call dependable; always there when you need him for anything, who personifies the company culture we’ve developed to this day. Get to know one of our key executives who has helped take Visiting Media from start-up to grown-up.
Describe how you got started with the company.
It all started in 2011 at a kickball game. I was poached by a rival team and accepted into this large network of friends. One of them worked for Ben and when Ben put out the call looking for photographers I was fortunate enough to know the right person at the right time. Ben and I met and I started right away as a content creator.
What energizes you at work?
It ultimately boils down to two things. First, solving problems by coming up with different ways of approaching them until we find the most optimal one. Secondly, come up with ideas that would improve our day-to-day routines and make us more efficient in general. This means eliminating monotonous tasks which computers are better at anyway – leaving only those jobs for humans who can be more creative about it.
What attracted you to working for Visiting Media?
Visiting Media was starting from scratch. Ben and my skill sets complement each other very well and his ideas and vision for where we could take the company were very appealing. In the early years, there was a lot of experimentation to come up with best practices to figure out the optimal setups and techniques for capturing and producing the content, building out our capture network/post-production team, and traveling. I got to travel and meet new people which being a recent transplant to Oregon was a nice bonus.
What’s your go-to productivity hack?
Find time for clear uninterrupted work. That usually involves getting up early or staying up late. Some of my most productive times have been in those twilight hours when nobody else is on. Aside from that is always having something on you to take notes; that great idea that came to you while you were thinking about something else… you won’t remember it tomorrow morning, so record it now!
What work-related app could you never live without?
Productivity tracking software. I don’t use it all the time, but it helps keep me efficient with my time and on track. I can look at a week and see what programs and web apps I’m using the most.
What are some of your favorite aspects of seeing your department/team grow over the years?
The content team started with two people stitching and publishing a few dozen 360° photos every month to a well-oiled machine that can turn out hundreds of 360s a week. We work together to overcome the day-to-day challenges of producing content at this scale and have really grown together as a team. We have hit some impressive milestones recently with over 32,000 360° photos and 36M sq ft of 3D models captured and produced. The team has overcome the challenges involved with producing so much content.
Where do you see the Content Department growing most over the next year?
I’m expecting our Traditional and CGI Content teams will see the most growth over the next 12 months and the work they are producing is stunning.
What differentiates our Content from others on the market, in your own words?
We do our best to handcraft an experience for our customers and their customers. Our capture standards are higher than others and we painstakingly edit our content by hand to ensure it always looks the best it can.
What is a hobby or interest of yours that people might not expect?
I like woodworking and building things with my hands. The largest project was my office, the most polished is my walnut sit/stand desk, and the most recent is a cedar fence with a retaining wall. My next project will probably be a swingset/playhouse for my kids.
What is your favorite book?
The Dune series sparked my interest in SciFi at a very young age and I keep coming back to it again and again. I have also seen all the movies and mini-series and enjoyed Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation and am looking forward to Part 2.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
For three years now we’ve made it a family tradition to escape to Canon Beach for some rest, biking, beach exploring, and ice cream eating adventures.
Do you have any upcoming travel that you’re most looking forward to?
We are hoping to make it to Scotland and the surrounding areas next summer. My spouse and I have been watching a lot of historical fiction and have fallen in love with the region.