Nelson Jimenez – Bright Future, Brilliant Attitude

Written by Rachel Dawn Hayes.

It’s refreshing, if not uncommon, to find someone that networks for the genuine purpose of learning, and that’s the exact aim of Nelson Jimenez, a senior Radio-TV-Film and Corporate Communications major at The University of Texas at Austin.

“In any field, [networking] is all about relationship building. Don’t focus on making connections just to get hired, connect with as many people as possible so you can learn as much as possible,” he says.

Nelson was introduced to Women Communicators of Austin (WCA) when he volunteered to film the student member outreach video WCA on Campus: Why to Join. The video, which can be seen below, debuted at Banner Brunch on May 2, 2015.

An El Paso native and military son, Nelson also lived in Germany for 5 years. As an only child living abroad he immersed himself in coloring books, reading, and fell in love with indoor activities, especially film. “Film gave me an escape from an unusual, sort of lonely childhood,” he says.

That love grew to full-on passion and drove Nelson to make good grades that resulted in a full-ride scholarship in the program of his choice at The University of Texas at Austin. “I could have done business or pre-med, but I’ve been passionate about film forever, so it was my first choice,” Nelson recalls.

Nelson aspires to be a production manager or assistant director for a television series on HBO or Netflix. As this post was written he learned of his acceptance to UTLA, a semester-long University of Texas remote program in Los Angeles. The program will place Nelson in an instruction-internship hybrid and is located next door to Warner Bros Studio. Of course, he was already prepared with Plan B:

“If that hadn’t worked out, I was moving [to L.A.] regardless to make connections and gain experience,” Nelson says. “In this industry you just have to start at the very bottom. You have to humble yourself. Sometimes when I’m making coffee or picking up lunch for talent, I think, ‘that’s not my job, but I’m going to do it, because I have to keep growing and learning’.”

Nelson’s ambition and tenacity have already made him a success, but so have his genuine talent and communication smarts. He shared some tips and thoughts around video trends and how they are transforming corporate communications:

• Historically, video has been an underrated form of communication—but humans are mostly visual learners. If we want to learn or want others to learn, there has to be an experience. The best way to experience, next to hands-on, is seeing it in video.

• Video is no longer a destination, it’s on-demand and in the hands of the audience. Communicators should take advantage of this. Video is a portal to convey any message you want to anyone you want.

• YouTube, Netflix, Hulu Plus—all of these mediums, platforms and tools will continue to grow. Advertisers are more willing to invest in these than in traditional mass media, because they have a better chance of reaching and connecting with their audience through this personal media.

• When hiring someone for a video project, look for pros with demonstrable storytelling experience, not just promotional. Look at their portfolio. Their work should grab you—you should be invested in the story they’re telling, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re being sold.

Finally, Nelson has a message for his fellow student communicators—and truthfully, it’s one we can all benefit from.

“It’s one thing to be in demand because you’re talented. It’s totally different to be in demand because people genuinely enjoy working with you. When you go above and beyond and do things that ‘aren’t your job’ the latter will be the case.”

Nelson is available for freelance work and creative consultation. View his portfolio at vimeo.com/njimenez or contact him at Njimenez.texas@gmail.com .

 

Watch the student member outreach video WCA on Campus: Why to Join here: