Interview With Jean-Luc Slagle from Scope Studios, United States

I’m very fortunate to have grown up in the film production world. My dad was an actor for a short time and then became an Emmy-nominated producer. I grew up with access to the tools of the industry. You should have seen my 7th-grade world history video project. The production value was off the charts.

Originally, I studied graphic design, typography, and branding, and after freelancing as a designer for larger agencies I decided to merge my two passions and start Scope Studios: a creative video agency with an emphasis on great design.

As of 2022, I am the Owner and Creative Director of Scope Studios. We frequently collaborate with and employ film & video professionals across a wide range of crafts.

I think the 2 qualities that most set individuals up for success (and being hired on the next gig) are 1. Being easy to work with, and 2. Bringing something unique to the table. If you're easy to work with, chances are you'll get asked to work on other gigs fairly quickly, which in turn will grow your experience quickly. If you bring your unique ideas and perspectives to each project, chances are those will add value to the project in a tangible way. When you add value to projects, you're likely to get invited back and the cycle of growth continues.

Scope Studios serves Ad-Agencies, In-House Marketing Teams, and Brands in Southern California. We operate mostly in Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield can be a challenging place to do great work. For those who might not know anything about Bakersfield, it's about 2 hours north of LA and doesn't have a reputation for being the most innovative, progressive city.

This "underdog" city has been a great proving ground for my work and my creative process. My thought process is: If I can work with companies here, find budgets, and do work that I'm proud of in a city like this, then I can do it anywhere.

I kind of hate the term "videography." It feels a bit reductive when we're working with teams of people who collaborate over weeks to bring a project together. I think great work of any kind always feels like something greater than the sum of its parts.

As a Creative Director, Producer, and Director I'm not always the one pushing record on the camera. However, I do find that I'm always aiming for a visual style that feels polished but very natural. A gaffer that I frequently work with calls it "Hypernatural." I love that. Warm, holistic, natural, soft, flare-y scenes are my bread-and-butter.

I think empathy leads to great creative work. I try to start by empathizing with the target audience and thinking about the phycology and sociology of their decision-making process before I start thinking about concepts.

I'm honored to be receiving 12 LIT Commercial Awards in 2022. It feels gratifying to have these industry-leader judges evaluating and honoring my work.

Bakersfield can seem like a challenging place to market a premium service. For Scope, it was really a matter of leveraging the success of every project to get in front of the type of people who value what we bring to the table.

It’s going to take many, many projects before the product you create matches the thing you see in your head. Always deliver more work than you’re getting paid to do, then leverage that work into the next project.