Behind the Lens: How Neil Built a Career in Motorsport Videography

With four years of experience in motorsport videography, he has built his career around documenting the emotion of racing, from individual drivers and team mechanics to the atmosphere of an entire race weekend.

Working independently brings its own challenges, from building a client base through social media and managing every stage of production to adapting when race weekend plans change. In conversation with Hairpin Media, Neil discusses his journey into motorsport videography, the realities of freelancing, and why telling a compelling racing story takes more than capturing the action on track.

Hairpin Media: Could you introduce yourself and share how your journey into motorsports has been?

Neil: Hi, my name is Neil. I'm 19 years old, from Belgium. I'm a full-time motorsport videographer. I also do photography, but mainly videography. On Instagram, I'm Plyde Media. I work worldwide, capturing motorsports and race cars. I've been full-time for one year now, but I've been doing [motorsport videography] for four years total.

Video: Plyde Media

HM: What are your core responsibilities with clients and on race weekends?

Neil: My core work is capturing the story of each individual. Whether it's an established racing team or a single driver, [there’s] always a different story. My core responsibility is to capture [the races in] the way they feel it and live it, the whole emotion and vibe. It's not just about making a cool video, but really capturing that feeling. 

HM: What does a typical race weekend look like? Is it planned or spontaneous?

Neil: It's both. Sometimes it's spontaneous, sometimes it's planned. Most of the time, it [might not] go as planned and you end up freestyling again. Motorsport is a really quick niche, and things can change fast, so you have to be adaptable. Planning isn't always the best approach. It's better to have a plan B and plan C. 

A typical race weekend usually starts with me arriving Friday, meeting the clients and the team, and throughout the weekend, capturing what was planned and fixed with the client. [This could be] small videos for Instagram or a documentary.

HM: Does the deliverable timeline change based on format, or do you have to submit everything by the end of the race weekend?

Neil: It changes from client to client. Some clients need it done an hour after the race finishes. Right now, we're capturing a documentary for a big Japanese brand from the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and the goal there is to have it done two months after the race, so there's a lot more time. Sometimes we also have to turn around a whole documentary just days after the event, which is really stressful.

HM: You entered motorsport at a young age. How did you build connections and establish yourself in the paddock?

Neil: What I learned is that social media is the most important part of my personal brand. Since I started this, I've done a lot of posting, bringing my followers along on the whole journey. Whether it’s about my feelings [or] my work, they get a view into my business life, but also a slight view into my personal life. 

I think the personal level between a client and me is way more important than a purely business relationship, because in the end we're all humans and we like working with like-minded people. For connections, it's a lot of talking to, meeting, and reaching out to as many people as possible. It's not always easy, since you'll get declined a lot of times [in the beginning], but that's life. You get declined ten times, and the eleventh time it's a potential big client. I think you just have to do it, and that's how you build this kind of client base.

HM: When starting out, was it more about the skills you brought or the personal connections?

Neil: At the start, it was definitely more about the skills. I tried to show off my work, and I think even [to] this day, showing your work is what matters most. The personal connection comes after that, in building a really good client relationship. But at the end of the day, it's still a business, and the work has to be good for the client. 

Video: Plyde Media

HM: What do you look for when telling the story beyond just results sheets and podiums?

Neil: It's a lot about the emotions and the people behind the whole racing scene, the cars, and [everything else]. I capture a lot of [the racing drivers], since they really matter in the whole motorsport niche. Not just the drivers, all kinds of people in the racing team: the mechanics, the team managers, the marshals, and the fans too. [That's] where the emotion and vibe come to life. I think it’s really important in motorsports, which many people don't cover.

HM: Do you craft the storyline during the race weekend itself, or is it more in post-production when you're piecing the footage together?

Neil: If we're planning the video [in advance], we more or less know what kind of shots we need. [If it is] some typical shots at a spot in Spa, for example, but most of the time we're shooting pretty spontaneously. We know which kind of shots we need: the track footage, people footage, pit lane, and B-roll of the whole track. If we [have those] types of shots covered, then we're more or less good to go. For more specific videos, we need a list of shots. Otherwise, it's pretty much based on the feeling we [get from] the footage. 

HM: What's been the most memorable or defining moment in your career so far?

Neil: That would be the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. This year was my fourth time attending, but my first time [shooting it] solo. The last two years I did it for an agency. This was my first time doing it fully self-employed, and it went really well, with really good clients too. I'm really grateful and happy for that.

HM: What's one common misconception about your role that you'd like to clarify?

Neil: I think many people think our work ends at the end of the race weekend, but that's barely half of it. Most of the work starts afterwards. Even now we're still working on projects from the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and it's two or three weeks past [the event]. I think that's a big misconception many people still have. 

Other than that, many people think it's way easier than it actually is to constantly bring the same quality, constantly have new ideas, and keep up the creativity to deliver new stuff to clients. It's not easy to have the same client at the same track, the same event, ten times a year, and still do something new every time.

Video: Plyde Media

HM: How is being self-employed different from working at an agency, covering the same events?

Neil: Despite the money, it's a lot more flexible, since clients hire me specifically for my work and not just any work. That's [the biggest difference] from agencies. Agencies have multiple videographers and they tell you to make [a certain] kind of video, but a client [who] hires me wants my style of video. 

It's also way harder, since you have to care about everything. You need to get the client, shoot, and edit it. If you’re working at an agency, they take care of the client, and you just do your job of shooting or editing. [It's] a lot more work, but I prefer it. I can do everything the way I want, not like somebody else wants. Of course, still respecting what the client needs, but how I do it is [my own decision]. 

HM: For those trying to follow a similar path, what skills or mindsets should they focus on building?

Neil: It's the typical thing,  just work your a** off and keep going as long as it needs to. I started photography at 13, almost six years ago now, and [I've been doing] video more deeply for two or three years. So I think it's really important to hang in there and work for what you want until [you] eventually get to where you want. It's also really important to just show up, to be everywhere so people see you, know you're gonna be there, and hire you. 

Building a career in motorsport videography requires more than technical ability. Neil’s experience highlights the importance of developing a recognisable style, building genuine relationships with clients, and staying adaptable in an environment where plans can change in an instant. Working independently gave him creative freedom, but also meant taking responsibility for everything from finding clients to delivering the final edit.

His journey also reflects the work that often goes unseen in motorsport media, from the weeks of post-production that follow a race weekend to the challenge of finding fresh perspectives at familiar events. For aspiring videographers, his advice comes down to persistence and visibility: keep improving your craft, put your work out there, and show up consistently.