Film Student Turns Creativity Into Gold
Growing up in Memphis, TN, Prince Mackey struggled to find activities to keep himself occupied. “Memphis is a small city with not much to do, especially for young people,” he shared, “it made it hard to believe in myself.” However, once he got a hold of his family’s video recorder, he found an outlet to express himself. It wasn’t long before he figured out this was his calling.
From Studying Film to Shooting for Major Recording Artists
When it came time to go full force into his craft, Prince – now going by AUP – was joined by his brother Pierce, a.k.a. 10Percent. Although they believed in their talent, they knew that they still had a lot to learn. So, they packed their bags and headed to F.I.R.S.T. Institute. AUP enrolled in the Film and Video production program while his brother studied Recording Arts and Show Production.
While honing his skills, AUP developed strong connections within the creative community at F.I.R.S.T. “You can find family anywhere,” AUP declared, “I still have friends I met at F.I.R.S.T., they helped me and motivated me to get to where I’m at today.” His portfolio grew through his focus on creating connections and collaborating with his brother and other recording artists around the campus. This led to bigger and bigger projects which brought more and more attention to both AUP and 10Percent.
When the Hard Work of Filmmaking Pays Off
AUP’s philosophy of success is simple. “You can get what you want,” he says, “you believe that, and you will get there.” His mantra, “It will get greater later,” eventually proved true. After three years of applying themselves and generating a buzz around their brand of production, they captured the eyes and ears of Memphis rap legend Yo Gotti. 10Percent went on to sign a record deal with the CMG imprint, which brought more and more opportunities to AUP. Not only is he the primary content producer for his brother, but he is now getting more work with bigger artists in the hip-hop community. “We’ve been in rooms we never thought we could be in,” AUP expressed, “from being unheard and unseen to meeting with people who could change our lives.”
AUP’s story is one of many when it comes to F.I.R.S.T. Institute graduates. If you are a creative individual looking to break into the film and video production industry, we invite you to tour our Digital Filmmaking & Video Production program.
