The Artist
Dylan Gossett is a singer-songwriter from Austin, TX who built a massive following on TikTok posting raw, unfiltered clips of himself playing originals. By 2023, the momentum was undeniable — but the content was still just a phone propped on a table.
The Call
Out of nowhere, I got a call from someone who would soon become Dylan's manager — before he'd even signed with Dylan yet. He'd gotten my number through a contact at Columbia Records. The message was simple: the TikTok clips were working and they needed a real video, fast. Social media momentum is fragile. They couldn't afford to wait.
The Approach
Dylan's audience already loved watching him play live — that was exactly why the TikToks were taking off. So we leaned in: a well-filmed live session of him performing what would become his breakout song. I pulled location references from Frameset until we landed on the right feel — a wooded clearing by the water in Buda, TX, just outside Austin. Simple, natural, no distractions. The kind of setting that makes the song feel inevitable.
The Shoot
Dylan showed up with his guitar, his chair, and his microphone. We set up two Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras and let him play. He'd never done anything like this before — no live shows, no video shoots, just TikTok. We ran through the song a handful of times, and with each take he got more comfortable, more present. By the end, it was exactly what it needed to be.
What Came Next
That video now has over 6 million views on YouTube. Dylan has been touring non-stop, released a full record, landed songs in the Twister sequel, and appeared on Spotify billboards across the country. The song itself has over 357 million streams on Spotify. We filmed it in the woods outside Austin for almost nothing. Sometimes that's all it takes.
Behind the Scenes
What We Delivered
- Directing
- Cinematography — 2-camera Blackmagic Pocket Cinema setup
- Editing
- Color grading
- Audio mix