Aidan Haley still remembers the night in May 2001 when he realized he wasn鈥檛 destined to be a professional alpinist like his cousin Colin Haley.
鈥淭he two of us were bivied in a tent under the northwest face of Mount Stuart in the Cascade Range at about 8,000 feet,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the most exposed pieces of granite in the lower 48. We were going to climb the Mount Stuart Couloir the next morning, and I was pretty anxious.鈥 Aidan shook Colin awake and confessed he wanted to bail. 鈥淭hen I asked whether he ever got scared before a climb,鈥 says Haley. 鈥淭here was this long silence, and finally he was like, 鈥楴o, dude. Never.鈥 It was just this complete lack of comprehension.鈥
On the couloir the next day, Aidan took a few photos of Colin. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥極h, wow, this is pretty cool, too. Maybe I could do this as my career.鈥欌 Fifteen years later, have been chosen as finalists at Banff Mountain Film Festival, Telluride Mountainfilm, and 5Point Film Festival, and his clients include The North Face, Patagonia, National Geographic, Outdoor Research, the National Park Service, and REI. Most recently, he worked on Krystle Wright鈥檚 .
Age: 30
Job: Filmmaker
Hometown: Tacoma, Washington
Home Base: Boulder, Colorado
Morning Ritual: 鈥淓very morning, I take a moment to enjoy the beginning of the day before I jump into work. Usually with coffee.鈥
His Favorite Gear: 鈥淚 edit on my MacBook Pro using Adobe Premier. Fancy technology will make your job possible, but it won鈥檛 make you a better editor. You have to be able to make do with whatever tool you鈥檙e given.鈥
Who He Looks Up To: Ben Knight, Krystle Wright, and Ben Sturgulewski
Career Highlight: 鈥淕rowing up, I鈥檇 come home from school and watch Matchstick Productions鈥 ski films; I idolized them. This past summer, I spent two months in Alaska editing a film for them.鈥

How He Made It: 鈥淚 started out as a photographer. I only took one relevant class during undergrad, but I got my first internship right out of college at an agency in Paris鈥擨 knocked on their door. Everybody says that nothing will be handed to you in life, and that鈥檚 true鈥攅specially professionally. If you want the job, go introduce yourself.
鈥淚 started diversifying my skill set around 2008, because tons of accessible digital cameras started coming out and threw photojournalism into a monumental shift toward video. I moved to Los Angeles and learned a ton as a commercial director鈥檚 assistant, but eventually I joined an outdoor media company in Seattle, because I wanted to combine adventure sports and filmmaking. I built up my contacts for a few years, and then set out on my own. At every juncture, I put myself in positions where I鈥檇 learn a lot; in this industry, it鈥檚 so important to have a broad range of skills.鈥
On Making It Without Credentials: 鈥淚 never went to film school, but I only taught myself maybe half of my skills鈥擨 surrounded myself with people who knew a ton about filmmaking, listened to what they told me, and worked my butt off. If you want to make movies, I don鈥檛 think film school is the ideal route. You gotta be out in the field to get true experience; it鈥檚 the difference between talking about making shit and actually making shit. When you start out, your work probably won鈥檛 be any good, but over time it鈥檒l get better and better.鈥
Jumping Hurdles: 鈥淲hen I started freelancing, I was terrified about not having a steady paycheck or structured schedule. You have to push through and embrace those insecure aspects. Think of it like this: A lack of structure is actually freedom鈥攊t means you can work on different types of projects. I do general commercial work, not just adventure films, and I鈥檓 wrapping my first feature film. If you stay nine-to-five, you鈥檒l only have a few hours each day to work on passion projects; that鈥檚 hard to manage. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, freelancing is tough, especially at first. Building connections, a portfolio, a name鈥攖hose take time.鈥
Workspace Setup: 鈥淚 work from home, but this coming year I鈥檒l probably be working in a shared creative space with some other people. Being stagnant is a crutch, and hearing others perspectives will open your eyes.鈥
How to Schedule Playtime: 鈥淢y advice is to do whatever it takes to finish an assignment well and on time, and also schedule big chunks of vacation between projects. For instance, I鈥檓 going on a surf trip to Indonesia pretty soon, but I won鈥檛 be talking to anybody about work while I鈥檓 there. You have to take gaps to feed your soul. I enjoy editing and creating, but no matter how much you like your job, you gotta recharge. When I鈥檓 not on vacation, I still take breaks to go trail running and climbing.鈥
What People Don鈥檛 Realize: 鈥淢y peers with nine-to-five jobs often think I don鈥檛 work very much or very hard, which is completely wrong. Often, my job is nine-to-nine. If you want to be a freelance filmmaker, think about the last time you worked 24 hours straight, then imagine doing that for an entire month. Growing up, I took a lot of shortcuts on my homework鈥攜ou can鈥檛 do that and be any good at filmmaking. Editing is a meticulous job, so if you screw up one tiny step at the end of a five-hour process, you gotta go back and repeat the whole thing again.鈥
Not Letting Your Career Become Your Identity: 鈥淚 let my work dictate my life when I was younger, and now I try to consciously separate myself from my job. Don鈥檛 get me wrong鈥擨 love being a filmmaker, and I don鈥檛 see this ride ending anytime soon鈥攂ut there are hurdles in every career, and you have to keep your eyes open. I may get burned out, or eventually I may not be able to find consistent work. The only consistent thing in life is change, and you have to be ready to reinvent yourself in case things don鈥檛 work out. That鈥檚 tough to do if your career is your sole identity.鈥
Owning Your Work: 鈥淚 shoot occasionally, but I鈥檓 mainly an editor鈥攖hat means I have to work on other people鈥檚 projects. But there鈥檚 a difference between someone seeking you out because they want you, specifically, to edit for them, compared to having to search for work yourself. In the latter case, you鈥檙e working for someone, not with them. Editing is a huge time suck, you know? It鈥檚 important to feel a sense of ownership鈥攜ou are your hours. This past weekend, I literally spent three days straight in front of my computer; it was draining, but I was inspired because I felt in control. When you collaborate with a great team, work feels less like a job and more like a craft. Of course, it鈥檚 nice to choose your own off-hours: Right now, I鈥檓 sitting on a beach with my surfboard, getting ready to go paddle out and spend the day in the ocean.鈥
Staying Creative: 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about diversity. If you work on different types of projects, your mind will stay flexible and sharp. When you鈥檙e first starting out, that鈥檚 easy to do: You have to keep learning different techniques and fresh ways to tell various types of stories. Farther along, I think working with creative people is what鈥檚 most helpful for coming up with new, interesting ideas. The outdoor industry isn鈥檛 really into team sports, but that鈥檚 what filmmaking is like鈥攊t works best when it鈥檚 collaborative.鈥
What鈥檚 Next: 鈥淚 recently shot my first feature film, and now I鈥檓 editing it. It鈥檚 called . Michael Polish directed it, and Kate Bosworth produced and stars in it. It鈥檚 been a blessing to be a part of. This fall, I鈥檒l be working on a branded video for The North Face about trail running. To be honest, I鈥檓 always excited about my next project, but I try not to get caught up in what might happen way down the road. Deal with what鈥檚 in front of you, and the rest will take care of itself.鈥