Friends Feature: Jim Pidgeon
Chester & Friends isn’t much without the friends. We’d really just be a creative company run by our partner AJ’s cat, Chester. Sometimes the friends are clients. Sometimes the friends are our network of creatives. And, sometimes, just sometimes, the friends are us. To kick off the Chester & Friends blog, we thought we’d start with a fitting series introducing the core Chester team (you know, for people looking to kill five minutes of their lunch break not watching something mindless on YouTube).
So, let’s move onto our friend in Bellingham, survival skills master, Jim.
“A great comedy reminds us to not take everything so seriously, laugh more, and enjoy life.”
NBC's "Parks & Rec"
Growing up in a small town in New Hampshire didn’t offer a lot of career opportunities, so Jim spent most of his childhood in the woods learning primitive survival skills and observing nature. Unbeknownst to him, these skills would eventually contribute to his future career path. However, living in the wilderness can be lonely, so shortly after high school, Jim traveled the country for several years exploring and reflecting on what he wanted to do with his life.
Jim attended Prescott College in Arizona to further develop his survival skills and apply his knowledge in different environments. While at Prescott, he started several programs to teach people how to use what is around them to take care of their basic needs. This was great, but believe it or not, teaching survival skills is a challenging way to connect with society and make a living so he decided to continue his journey of occupational self discovery. Along the way, he tried on many different hats, none of which scratched the itch until one day while visiting a friend in Bellingham, Washington, he was asked to help with a short film and discovered his love for filmmaking and the creative process.
It was over 20 years ago when he landed in the PNW, which he now calls home. And over those 20 years he’s produced hundreds of videos and built a network of amazing filmmakers and artists. From national TV spots to feature films, his experience and understanding of collaboration and storytelling is vast.
Jim’s specialty is creative problem solving and connecting others to create something big. Survival skills and his occupational trials developed tools that allowed him to adapt and see around corners, keeping him ahead of a potentially bad situation before it becomes a problem. AKA, he’s The Producer.
His fascination for how things work is what fuels his drive to learn more, which continues with every new project and challenge he takes on. Jim is inspired by people who are truly passionate about what they do and where they want to go. Helping people succeed is equally important to his definition of success.
Do you have a dream and want to share your vision to make our world a better place? Talk to Jim.
Stay tuned for more Friends Features on the Chester & Friends blog - and let us know if you want to be our friend and join the party.