Customized Employment Empowers Connor’s Journey to Video Editing

Photo credit: Jaspreet Singh

In our latest Story of Success, Connor discovers a successful career as a video editor with the support of Easterseals Southern California’s Customized Employment Services. 

When Connor graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a degree in Communications, he had no idea what he wanted to do for a career or where to start looking. Fast-forward just one year later, and Connor is now one of the most talented and hard-working video editors at Marketing Empire Group (MEG) in Temecula, CA.

Connor started on this career path after being connected with Easterseals WorkFirst Employment Services through the Department of Rehabilitation. During the business exploration process, Connor expressed an interest in photography and videography, but he didn’t have much experience and wasn’t sure he was qualified for a job in the field.

That didn’t stop Connor’s Easterseals Vocational Specialist, Desiree Rivera, from encouraging him to pursue his interests as a possible career. She first supported him in securing an internship with a local videographer, which opened the door to even more opportunities. While attending a business mixer in Temecula, he met Kyle Onstott, CEO of Marketing Empire Group, who shared about a potential internship opportunity.

“I told Kyle a little bit about me, and he was like, I’d love for you to intern for us,” said Connor. “So, I told Desiree and she connected with MEG, and it kind of just went from there. At first, I was brought on for three days a week, then four days, and now I’m full-time. And I’ve just been making videos ever since.”

When Connor first started his internship, he had minimal video editing skills, but he showed a lot of determination to learn. His willingness to grow has paid off tenfold, eventually earning him the title of Corporate Marketing Production AI Strategist at MEG.

“Before the internship, I was barely making videos, maybe one or two a year,” said Connor. “When I got hired, my videos were ok…my video editing skills have grown tremendously, and I feel like with every video I make with MEG or freelance, it’s always leveling up.”

Marketing Empire Group’s CEO Kyle says that despite Connor’s limited experience when he first started, he has quickly become one of his best employees. Kyle saw a willingness in Connor to work hard and learn various job tasks. So, he was happy to invest in the proper resources, training and support to ensure Connor had the tools to grow and thrive.

“Connor is a rock star,” said Kyle. “If you could send me 10 more Connors, that would be amazing. What I noticed with Connor early on is he'll pretty much do anything. And if he doesn't know how to do it, he's going to be very proactive and learn how to do it. The growth that he’s had in such a short period of time is absolutely amazing. If you look at the very first video that he did compared to the videos he’s doing now, it’s a very different ballgame.”

Since starting his video editing career at MEG, Connor has enjoyed having a structured job and more confidence in himself and his skills. He has also started doing freelance videography and goes to events in Los Angeles almost every weekend to work on various projects.

“I’m very happy for Connor and everything he’s done and continues to do at Marketing Empire Group,” said his Vocational Specialist Desiree. “I love checking in with him and hearing about all of the projects he is working on.”

Kyle is grateful to Easterseals for their efforts to make the hiring process seamless, and he encourages other companies to consider working with Easterseals or hiring job seekers with physical or developmental disabilities.

“The support [from] Easterseals was really the biggest thing,” said Kyle. “It wasn't like, hey, here's a person that wants to work, and here you go. It was more like, let's see first if this is a good fit for both parties. Desiree was always there. She was always checking in. She was always finding out if there's anything else Easterseals can assist with and help with.”

Read this blog post by Marketing Empire Group's CEO Kyle Onstott to learn more about how working with Easterseals Employment Services has benefited their business.

To learn more about Easterseals Employment Services, visit our website.