My name is Robert Chase, hailing from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and I now live outside of Atlanta, GA. I am proud to say I’m the newest Poor Bear Stories team member as of April 2023. Through the incredible help of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, I found my bug for filmmaking at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Go Teal!), where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies. There I specialized as a camera technician and cinematographer. I was also heavily involved in the on-campus entertainment organization, ACE, where I met the love of my life and partner in petty crime, Maggie.
After graduation, I put my nose to the workplace grindstone at Third Wave Digital, a marketing company based in Macon, GA. While there, I participated in and managed a vast host of small and large video projects for exciting clients, including recognizable names such as NASCAR, Sunoco, and 7-Eleven. I also developed my skills by being a camera operator, editor, motion graphic designer, talent director, and drone pilot. Best of all, under the epic thunder of NASCAR, I also started my love of sports videography.
As such a familiar story nowadays, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for me. I found myself lacking consistent work, facing hesitant employers, and making the choice to put a pause on my video career for the sake of survival. I sat with a lot of skills and nowhere to put them. I thought this would be my foreseeable future until good fortune and grace allowed me to meet a fellow SOWF beneficiary, Jacob, owner of Poor Bear Stories. He saw the potential in me and gave me a chance to work towards my dream again. I can confidently say that this company and the foundation have changed my life in more ways than I can count.
And so, I find myself here! I am so excited to work with the talented team here at Poor Bear. In everything I do, I strive to learn and grow from those around me, and I can already see I have much of both in front of me.
I look forward to putting my best self forward for this company and for this company to help me find my even better self.
