Back in 2016, I was just a high school student who liked messing around with photos and videos. Now the thing is I went to a small school—really small. My graduating class had almost 15 people. In that kind of environment, you get used to wearing multiple hats. One day, my vice-principal handed me a camera and asked, “Hey, can you shoot a short clip for the school?”
What started as a random favor turned into something much bigger.
That little project was my first taste of what it means to tell stories visually. It wasn’t perfect (I’m sure the framing was questionable at best), but it sparked something real. Since then, I’ve been chasing moments—on camera, in edit suites, through cultural theory papers, and sometimes just in everyday life.
Fast forward a few years: I recently wrapped up my Master’s at NYU in Media, Culture, and Communication. Working closely with incredible scholars like Professors Radha S. Hegde and Helga Tawil-Souri pushed me to think differently—not just about media, but about how stories shape people, places, and power.
But let’s be real: not everything I create is deep or academic. Some days I’m shooting street photos in NYC. Other days, I’m sipping tea in a café (coffee isn’t really my thing), editing a random personal project that probably won’t see the light of day—but makes me happy anyway.
That’s the beauty of creative work. It doesn’t always need a perfect plan.
The truth is, I still carry that same curiosity from my small-school days. I still say yes to creative opportunities. Sometimes, all it takes is a borrowed camera and a little trust in the process.
Thanks for reading. More soon.
signed,
david tierney
your friendly neighborhood media nerd
