Meet Hailey West | Video Editor and Animator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hailey West and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I feel like growing up, the idea of having a career in the creative field was shut down by every adult in my life. Like it can be a fun hobby but you have to go get a “real job” to sustain yourself. This mindset followed me into adulthood and it wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I realized, hey, this is a career! Not only did I realize that it was a viable option but it was one that I loved. I was excited to go to work every day and learn and grow as an editor and animator. Five years later and I’m still learning and growing and I look forward to it. Sure there are days when work can get me down but most days are overwhelmingly fulfilling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of the cool things about being a freelance editor/animator is that I get such a wide variety of work in so many different industries. Before I started freelancing, the company I worked for specialized in workplace safety videos and so that was where I got my start. Now that I freelance, I occasionally reach back to my safety roots but I have branches all over from SEO/SAAS to Online learning videos about Science/History and even videos about Space Innovation and Travel! Freelancing was tough starting out since I absolutely abhor talking about myself and to promote/market my work I have to do just that. I had to get out of my comfort zone and really force myself to reach out to companies to inquire about working with them. I do still struggle with this but I have enough connections in the Houston area now that I’m not reaching out blind quite as often these days.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a great question because I actually have some friends who are visiting from Canada this year! One of the first things we’d do is head over to the Breakfast Klub to get some amazing chicken and waffles and then head to Buffalo Bayou Park. My dogs love the park there so we’d let them run around for a bit and then walk the beautiful trail. For lunch maybe we’d head to Les Grival’s one day and definitely M n N Burger another. Possibly even Seaside Poke. There are too many good lunch spots to choose! They have expressed interest in NASA so we’d take a day out in that area to tour the facility. For nightlife we are hitting up Axelrad, Johnny’s Gold Brick and Voodoo Queen for sure.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My stepdad was someone who always encouraged me in art. He bought me my first camera and taught me everything I know about the basics of photography. When I started getting side jobs as a freelance photographer and needed better gear, he was the one who made sure I had a new camera for my birthday or an external flash for Christmas. He never wanted me to feel like I was limited and I’m forever grateful for that support. I think he would be so proud of how I pivoted in the creative industry and would love the work I’m doing now.

Website: https://vimeo.com/user134482291

Instagram: haileyerica

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hwestmotion/