Your Mount Everest Isn’t The Peak

I thought my career was made. I couldn’t have been more wrong…

“Hey Trevor, would you like to shoot behind the scenes for a Super Bowl segment starring Anthony Mackie? 

This phone call changed my life.

…At least I thought it would.

How could it get better than this? Shooting behind the scenes for a Super Bowl segment AND my footage would air on the broadcast. It was the most hype moment of my career. I was ecstatic. Every feeling you think you would have when your moment finally arrives. From now on, I’ll never have to worry about finding another gig. They’ll just fall in my lap.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I arrived to The Four Seasons hotel in early February 2023. Two days before the Super Bowl went live on tv. It was a race against the clock for the production company that hired me. Shoot the footage with Anthony Mackie, get out, edit, and send it to Fox Sports. We were there for 8 hours, Anthony was only there for about 30 minutes. 

The director came up to me and asked, “How does it feel to have your footage on the Super Bowl?”

“Wait, WHAT?”

This was not communicated to me before, and I was even more hype. My career was about to go to the moon. This was it—the kind of opportunity every filmmaker dreams of. I thought this was my ticket to endless gigs.

Super Bowl Sunday arrived, and I was watching with my soon to be wife. I filmed my hype as hell reaction, and it got a decent amount of attention on social media and then…

Nothing

Nothing happened.

The phone didn’t ring off the hook. The flood of opportunities I expected never came. One month, two months, four months, six months went by before I even received another call for a gig. That’s with me going around asking everyone in my contacts every other day for gigs, leads, anything. It was so disappointing and discouraging. I mean, HELLO? I have footage that aired on the freaking Super Bowl. Good lord.

But it lead to me to an important discovery. One success, even if it’s a massive one, does not immediately lead to another. It takes time and unfortunately there’s not a, “and then Steven Spielberg gave me a call” ending to this story. I mean, it just happened bro, give me a break, come on. That experience taught me something crucial—your biggest achievement doesn’t mean you’ve reached the top. It’s just another step in the climb. 

My next big climbs? I directed an epic music video for the 80’s cover band, Guardians of the Jukebox.

I was the director of photography on a music video for The Funeral Portrait.

I did a shoot with Steve Yu and Matt Dickstein for Cody Rhodes that aired on WWE TWICE!

I hope this is encouraging to hear. Keep pushing yourself and finding your successes. Don’t let one experience define you. Do I really want to be “You’re the Anthony Mackie Super Bowl BTS guy!” as my legacy? Heck no. I’ve got other goals and aspirations my dude. 

So, if you’re waiting for that next big thing, keep pushing. Don’t let one high define you. There’s more out there, and you’re capable of achieving it. I guarantee it.

Keep that chin up. It gets better, I promise. Your Mount Everest might not be your peak. It’s just a reminder that there’s always another mountain to climb.

Your Mount Everest Is Just the Beginning.