Camera Op/Producer, Mike Murphy, went from the big city, corporate environment (FOX Philadelphia) to moving out to the Colorado mountains to work at a ski resort which eventually led him to starting his own production company, Postcorp.tv (inspired by his post-corporation life). Once we saw some of his posts on Instagram of him relying on Core SWX power, we reached out to learn more about his career which we’re glad we did because he definitely had some interesting stories to share! Read below to see more about how he got his start, his most memorable project, and how his Core SWX products are beneficial to his productions.
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and the company you founded, Postcorp.tv.
About 26 years ago I started working in the news business. I mainly worked for FOX for the majority of that part of my career. It was a fantastic company where I was able to learn and grow. I worked my way from News to the Creative Services world and finished up my tenure with FOX as the Promotion Manager of the FOX O&O in Philadelphia.
After moving to the mountains I took a job with Vail Resorts working as the Production Manager for a tiny little TV Station that serviced the communities around Vail and Beaver Creek resorts. It was a far cry from news in the big city. We covered local weather and snow conditions and ski racing and the Burton US Open and we were having fun chasing people like Lindsey Vonn and Shawn White down ski hills and race courses with cameras. No not terrifying at all.
I started postcorp.tv full time about 4 years ago and haven’t looked back! The POST in postcorp has multiple meanings… mostly it is to represent my Post-Corporate beginnings. The Corp is taken from Corporation which is from News Corporation but also was inspired by working for Vail Resorts for 7+ years. The Post Corporate part of my career has been the best so far.
2. What was one of your most memorable projects you’ve worked on and what made it so?
I had the opportunity to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with an organization called Waterboys. Waterboys is Chris Long’s (Former NFL player) non-profit that raises money and digs wells for clean water in Tanzania. I only had about 2 weeks to prep for the job…since I live at an altitude of 9100 feet, the guys that hired me (Nadus Films out of Louisville KY) thought I’d have a better acclimation than someone coming from sea level. When you’re climbing a 19,341 foot mountain, you need all the advantage you can get! The job was amazing on many levels, but the best part was the core group of people on the climb. The team we were hired to document and interview was made up of NFL Players and Retired Vets. The genuine camaraderie amongst these guys was truly special to witness. The days were long and sweaty and I even got stung by an African Killer Bee….but being a part of the community that was formed on that mountain is an experience I will tell my grandchildren about. Experiencing Jason Kelce belt out “Total Eclipse of the heart” in homage to our guides and crew was nothing short of magical.
3. What is your creative process when tackling a project?
Like most people in this line of work…I want to tell a good story. So, I like to talk to people about their work or their message or their product and try to distill down to one thing that makes their story special or different….and that is what I go after. The cameras and the gear and all that fun stuff is just icing on the cake. Don’t get me wrong I will totally nerd out over some gear, but to me it is the story and heart of what we are selling or telling that makes or breaks a project.
4. What Core SWX power solutions do you rely on, and how are they beneficial to your productions?
On that aforementioned climb of Mt Kilimanjaro, I filled my pack with 5 Nano M series batteries to power my EVA1 and the Smallhd on top. I didn’t know when or if we were going to have access to power and recharging so these were essential to making sure I could run all day for 5 days of climbing in some pretty harsh conditions. I also didn’t want to carry extra batteries to run the Smallhd, so that D-tap was imperative. I was never worried about power.
I picked up the Komodo last year and with it the Core SWX V Mount plate and some Micro V98’s. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the longevity on the V98’s. I can run the Komodo all day on two of them…and still have about a 40% charge on number 2 when I put them to bed for the night.
One of the great things about Core SWX products is size. We do a lot of work where we are carrying everything on our backs and the size and weight of these batteries helps lighten that load. We used to lug those big old “Brick” batteries around the mountain. Trust me when you can save a few ounces here and there it makes all the difference when trying to snowboard with all that in your bag.
5. Do you have any exciting project releases coming up that we should keep an eye out for?
We directed the shoots for some spots at Copper Mountain last spring. They are just starting to be seen in the wild over the last few weeks. That was a fun shoot. Great group of people. I’ve also been working on a series called “Hey Neighbor” with a local director. We are profiling the unique fabric of human beings that make up this mountain community. This is a passion project and more about fulfilling our own creative needs…so we are not getting paid, but these stories are worth it. The one we are currently trying to finish up is about a couple of ranchers trying to hold on their traditions and keep a working ranch rolling in the middle of a ski resort, tourism driven culture. We are pretty stoked about this story… hoping it sees the light of day soon!
Stay connected with Mike Murphy by following him on Instagram and checking out his Postcorp.tv site.