Christopher Misch, 27-year-old entrepreneur is the Chief Editor and Founder of Next Projection, an online publication of all things cinema related. With his team (of now more than 30 people), Chris brings together serious moviegoers thoughts and insights and provides a forum for likeminded individuals all over the world …
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
I am the Chief Editor and Founder of Next Projection, a Toronto based online publication with global reach that attempts to bring the best of today’s and yesterday’s films to movie fans around the world and, in the process, stimulate a thought-provoking discussion of cinema. Together, with our movie reviews, awards coverage and insights, we have become a trusted resource for serious moviegoers. My job description primarily revolves around building the Next Projection brand and expanding our readership base by networking with key figures of the Toronto and global film community.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
Truthfully, there have been several different incarnations of the Next Projection. About a year ago it was a lonely little blog where all the original content was my own. It wasn’t atheistically pleasing, but it was effective in it’s own right. Early in the winter I was approached by a close friend (Hamza Khan from Cider Productions, a creative multimedia agency located in Toronto) who specializes in design, interactive development, photography and video production, and after several meetings and months of discussion, the site in its current form came to be.
Since I can remember, film has always been my passion, but it took one short film for me to realize that the way into the industry I cared so deeply for was not in front of the camera, but something else. Next Projection is my way to give back to cinema and its members by highlighting other people’s true talents, whether that be the talented crews on the production side or the passionate writers on the critique side.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Easily the best part of what I do on a day-to-day basis revolves around the interactions with my team. While we all come from varying educational backgrounds and countries of origin, what unites us is in our passion for cinema and our eagerness to share this passion with others. It’s exciting to be collaborating with such a driven team of individuals.
The most challenging part is that the film industry itself is such a difficult industry to crack. There are only a few top tear film websites, and millions of other blogs attempting to get their big break. It takes the right networks and strategies to take advantages of the opportunities that present themselves.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
We have come a long way in a very short period of time – from a one man operation to a team approaching almost thirty individuals in less than a year. It’s invigorating to think about where Next Projection is going be a year from now, let alone five. I would like to believe that our current rate of growth in readership will continue to the point where we will establish ourselves as one of the premier film websites in the world. Getting to that point requires the right team of individuals, and at the moment I truly believe that the team we have in place has what it takes to get us there.
What does success look like to you?
Success is earning a living doing something you’re passionate about and that people find value in. It comes in many different shapes and sizes, but those who have it know they have it. ‘It’ is a feeling deep inside that only the individual can feel. It offers motivation during the good times, as well as hope during the challenging ones.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Believe it or not, being a finalist for the first-ever Notable Award in Sports and Entertainment has been an incredibly humbling milestone in my career with Next Projection. If nothing else, it is confirmation that we’re doing something that people appreciate. It’s a tremendous feeling.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
My only advice is to find an industry and field of work you are truly passionate about and then use all of the tools available (with a strong emphasis on social media) to get there. We only live once, we might as well spend it doing something we love.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Personally, I make monthly donations to UNICEF Canada. As an organization, Next Projection sponsored the 2011 ReelWorld Festival whose mandate is to increase the representation of culturally diverse film artists in the Canadian film industry and to celebrate this diversity in video and film.
What to you is notable?
Being successful doing something you love and something you’re passionate about. That’s notable.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
Currently Blackberry, but my loyalty to RIM is becoming unstable at best.