Today we’d like to introduce you to Eugene Wilson V.
Hi Eugene, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the suburbs of Metro Detroit where my first creative obsession wasn’t film, it was music. I started playing drums for my church at seven years old, recorded and mixed for various local artist, produced a few albums, joined the Drumline and Symphony band at Michigan State and assumed that was the path. When I got to Michigan State I enrolled in music composition to write scores for films, but later realized I was more drawn to the film creation process which led to a switch to MSU’s media production major.
My first break came from my music instructor. He gave me the opportunity to film the Spartan Marching Band and one good experience turned into various word of mouth referrals to Olivett College, a few internships with Fox Sports, then the University of Michigan. Since I had momentum going into my senior year after I spent two years running my freelance video business out of my dorm room I chose to stay freelance after graduation.
Today I operate as a hybrid media agency. I still work in the field as a Cinematographer, but I also run my company 5th Media, a media production agency with a network of clients I serve directly. I have found a way to have the creative freedom of freelancing with the stability of an agency.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not. Time management with loved ones, remaining confident during rejections, navigating a path without a clear map, limited access to information and resources, the list goes on.
I’m a husband, father of two with a third on the way, and two dogs in the mix. In today’s economy, some people look at that picture and wonder how I sleep at night running my own business. I’ve even been called a little crazy! I call it not being afraid of what can come and putting what I want out of life first. There were stretches where the work dried up, the doubt crept in, and the weight of responsibility felt like 100 tons. I learned early that there are things I can control and things I can’t so how I show up the next day is on 100% on me.
The biggest obstacle I keep coming back to is time management. There’s this idea in entrepreneurship that to be great you have to be available around the clock, or that success requires being absent from the people who matter most. I believed that for a while, but once you see the impact that has on your marriage and your relationship with your children, you start asking different questions.
There’s a Bible verse I remember from bible study; Mark 8:36: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
I knew I didn’t want to be the man who made it financially but came home to a broken family or a broken spirit. So I stopped answering calls after 8pm. I started working 10pm to 3am when the house is quiet if I had family plans during the day. When work took me out of town, I brought my family along if we could drive it and if the profit margin still held at 30% or better, I put them on a plane with me.
I still work a lot, but I have never been so efficient with my working hours and I force myself to be intentional about which moments are worth missing family time for, and which ones aren’t.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about 5th Media?
5th Media is a Michigan-based media company built around one idea, increasing production capacity for marketing teams.
We specialize in commercial video production and documentary filmmaking, working with brands, agencies, nonprofits, and founders from concept through post-production. The work ranges from single-day shoots with one cinematographer to full crews with multi-day productions. We scale to what the project actually needs.
What sets us apart is the long-term partnership model. We don’t approach every project like it’s the first time we’ve worked together. Over time we learn how a client’s team communicates, what their brand sounds like, and how to make their production process more efficient, not just deliver a video and disappear. The average client relationship at 5th Media is five years. That number says more than any reel.
What I’m most proud of isn’t any single project, it’s the trust we’ve gained from various clients. On one side I work as a freelance cinematographer, hired directly by agencies, production companies, and brands who need a DP they can trust on set. On the other side, 5th Media operates as a full-service agency with its own client roster handling everything from concept through delivery for brands and organizations who want a long-term production partner, not just someone to call when they need a camera.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.the5thmedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genewilsonv/
- Other: https://www.itsafterhours.co/
