About Me

My name is Dayna Rosenberg but most of my friends and family call me Dayne. Here's all you need to know about me and my heart for video.

How It Started

I don't have a grand story of how I got into film making. I didn't grow up as the kid who made tons of home videos. In reality, my sisters were the ones who came up with video ideas and made them and I often just found myself a part of them.

The first real time I picked up a camera was my second semester of freshman year of college. After switching my major the semester before from Business: Human Resources to Communications: Digital Media I found myself in an Introduction to Filmmaking class. I really had no idea what I was doing in that class and I really didn't know why I decided to switch majors. It just felt better than the Human Resources path.

When I started, I didn't know what fps, key frames, J cuts, or aperture meant. I had never edited a video, written a script, or used a recording microphone. I spent years studying what makes a camera work, how to trouble shoot with corrupted files, and mastering editing platforms. 3.5 years later I graduated with a degree in Communications: Digital Media and I can confidently say, I feel like I know less about video and video production than I did in that first day of Introduction to Filmmaking.

Screenshot from my first video project "The Dordt Dutch Baking Show"

How It's Going

A few years into college I began to realize that I had a passion for what I was doing and that I wanted to get to a point where I could be a freelance videographer who worked for myself and followed the passions of the people I filmed.

I started to do some video work for people outside of class filming my first wedding, going on a flight with Midwest Honor Flight, and working with classmates to film for an artist. During this time I learned that the videos you make take a whole different form and meaning when they are made for others and actually viewed by other people.

I learned just how frightening it is to show someone your work. I learned that videos can have huge impacts and work that you do can lead to more connections and other paths. I filmed for Midwest Honor Flight two times and from those experiences bore my first documentary which to date is my favorite project I have ever worked on.

In my last year of college I knew that I had a chance at starting a business and I decided to get a bit more serious about it. The only issue was that I knew nothing about starting a business. I had no clue how to file taxes, how much to charge, how to advertise, how to get clients, what to talk to clients about but I decided to go ahead and do it anyway.

I've learned what a DBA is (and now I have one), how sole proprietorships file taxes, how to open a business bank account and countless other things. I still have so much to learn and so far to go but in just 4 years I have come so far and I can't wait to see just how far I will go in the next 4 years.

The reality is that none of us start out good at what we do.

I leave all of my old projects posted on my YouTube channel because I believe honest growth is an important thing to share. One of the things that I struggle with right now is that I watch so many other videographers work and they look so much better, more polished, more distinct, and just better. I hunt through their stuff and I can't find a time where they weren't great.

It takes time and discipline to get to the places that we are in our lives, careers, and passions. I'm no where close to where I want to be with New Morning Media, but 4 years ago me would be surprised by where I am at. So I'm happy about that.