John Olson

Graduate Profile

About me: John Olson is a digital creative who loves the outdoors. Says John: “Living in Montana, particularly during summer, I love spending time outdoors either in my town of Bozeman or the surrounding area. Whether it is hiking, camping, being near bodies of water, or just out for a nature walk, I try to get out and appreciate the beauty Montana has to offer. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends, acting with a local theater group, and traveling when I get the opportunity.”

Areas of strength: I believe my sense of humor is one trait that helps immensely in my creative endeavors, especially in my main skills of creating and editing videos. I am also currently in the planning stages for working on a serious docuseries with a potential client that I hope with pan out and as can be seen in my portfolio and personal websites, I tend to gravitate more towards lighter motifs and have also developed a good sense of comedic timing over the years which shows up in my videos. Now that I have furthered my video and editing abilities, as well as my storytelling skills, at Sessions College, I feel I can better assist my clients, and myself, tell the stories need to be told.

Benefits of studying online:  I started my journey in August 2020 and the online format was vital in keeping me safer during the pandemic. This was because in November of 2020 I joined a high-risk category when I suffered a heart attack. My instructors and Sessions staff were amazing and understanding as I recovered the next few months while attending cardiac rehabilitation and recuperating.

Best thing about Sessions College: I feel the quality of the instructors is the best thing about Sessions College. From the creators of the various courses to each instructor, they all have passions and expertise in multiple disciplines that shows in their interactions and critiques with students.

Who made a difference? I very much appreciate all my amazing instructors and I learned quite a bit from them. There is one instructor who is my favorite because of her passion, dedication, and her encouragement for her students, and she is Natalie La Scala. She helped me explore new filming ideas and editing techniques by inspiring me to explore my creativity and take creative risks and to strive for excellence.

Creative and/or  professional goals after graduation: My goals are to work and collaborate with various individuals and organizations to make a profound difference in the world. I would love to be part of an investigative journalist team that helps bring to light injustices in the world through documentaries. I also would like to be known for creating inspiring, thought-provoking, and fun content that can bring laughter and joy.

One of the classes I found the most useful was developing and finessing my Portfolio, through Adobe, which can be accessed here: John Olson (myportfolio.com).