Today we’d like to introduce you to Séamus Hyman.
Hi Séamus, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started learning to make films in high school because my school offered a filmmaking class. I had always loved movies and wondered how they were made (in particular, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly). My best friend convinced me, so I decided to try it out! From there, I fell in love with the camera and decided to make a career of it.
I studied Television and Digital Media Production at Ferris State University and began working in their Media Production Department after my first year. I graduated in 2020 and found myself in a tough situation finding a job after my internship was complete. I ended up working in a factory to save up to buy a camera to fully launch my freelance career. Through that, I was able to work with several different companies such as Short’s Brewing Company, the Perrigo Company, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and various other clients. I currently work at Smallegan Real Estate as part of their marketing team while also dabbling in freelance when I am able.
In 2023, I made my community theatre debut at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. During my second show there, a few of the company members and I decided to create an idea for a web series about community theatre called Thank You, Places! We spent the next year creating a script, shot list, and readied ourselves for auditions. During the summer of 2024, I took a month off to travel around Asia. The project lulled for a bit, but when I came back, we hit the ground running. We auditioned in December of 2024 and started filming in January 2025. We ended up filming the pilot episode within that month with a cast of 15 and a crew of 7. We spent the rest of 2025 finalizing the edit and released the episode on YouTube in January 2026. Since then, we have filmed the second episode and have been crowdfunding to get the rest of our 6-episode season funded!
This has been my journey; apologies for the many grammatical errors that might be in there.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been anything but a smooth road! Graduating in the midst of COVID created many challenges in finding work, but I persevered to stay in the field that I studied. I had to work jobs here and there to help support my freelance work at times, but it worked out because my media work had spread, so people were impressed with the work I could do. Regarding the pilot I helped create, that too had its challenges. The three of us who were at the head of Thank You, Places! had to work our full-time jobs while also creating a pilot and managing everything that went into it with other folks who had full-time jobs and hobbies. In the end, we continued and did our best to create something for the community, by the community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Excursion Studios LLC?
I am a freelance videographer who has worked with several different companies, most notably Short’s Brewing Company, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and Avant Theatre Ballet. I specialize in promotional videos for upcoming products and performances. What sets me apart from others is my ability to create high-quality content with a team of one. I am proud of creating a relationship with each of my clients, which helps the end product.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think networking is always important, most of my clients and jobs have come from those I know. Find a mentor who can teach you the way they do things but allows you to craft what works best for you. I find the best way to learn is by doing, so having someone to guide you and let you try on your own as well.
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