The Interview...

So, let’s rewind the VHS of life back to late last year — that’s 2024, by the way. I know, right? These years are speeding past like someone hit the fast-forward button and lost the remote. Some of you might have seen Norm post a video on Tokyo Lens recruiting for a new member of the team. It was a video that went up and down quicker than an elevator programmed by a toddler that's eaten WAY too much Haribo. Now, this wasn’t your average job listing. Oh no. It was like a stealth mission. You basically got auto-rejected if you didn’t pay attention to the (hidden but not-so-hidden) details. Anyway, I did pay attention to the details and somehow made it through the multi-layered gauntlet that ensued. And miraculously earned an interview with the big man himself!

This is where it gets super interesting…
forget any job interview you’ve ever had in your lifetime.
This one was 98.1337% different. He greeted me, asked me some general questions to make sure I wasn't a danger to myself or others (somehow managed to pass that bit..). But then within only 5 minutes of meeting each other, Norm yeets his $3000 camera into my hands like a hot potato and says were leaving the studio. Next thing I know I'm shooting a video with him and within moments, find myself in a car!

Next thing I know, I’m in the passenger seat juggling multiple cameras filming my own interview as Norm drove me around the city of Tokyo, sharing stories and setting expectations of how hard and fast paced the job would be. My palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were — well, pretty sore actually. Like, Sony - I have questions: WHAT are you making these cameras out of? SOLID LEAD?? I think I put on a kilo of muscle trying to hold that bad boy steady…). I almost achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a tripod lol.

Norm shared the challenges, and gems like "we never know how long we will work on any given day or project - when it's done it's done". He was painting a picture of the lifestyle and how hard things could be. I knew the job wouldn't be easy, but this level of honesty was eye-opening.

But amidst the chaos, something cool happened. We chatted. Like actually chatted. Not that stiff and typical job interview nonsense, but real conversation. Two strangers, driving through Tokyo, accidentally becoming good mates. We even made a pit stop at Tokyo Tower for a little filming sesh, just casually inserting a national landmark into my job interview. No big deal.

Eventually, we landed back to the studio where Norm handed me a drive and showed me how to offload footage and organise everything “Norm style” (trust me, that’s like a whole separate post for another time…). And what's more is that as I organised all of this footage, this is where Norm dropped the "interview" questions. But between feeling like we knew each other, and having half my brain distracted with a task, I barely even noticed... Sneaky bugger!

But plot twist: the interview wasn’t the end. If anything it was a giant value-laced vibecheck giving either of us the chance to peace out at any moment. My final challenge was to take all that footage and edit it into a video over the next few days — essentially making my own cinematic interview. Stakes? High. Sleep? None. Conbini Red Bulls were consumed like health potions in a boss battle. I edited like a caffeinated gremlin in all honesty lol.

And the video? You’ll never see it! Not to be cruel (I’m very fond of you all, really!) — but it was always meant to be a private video, just for me. In that video, Norm laid out what the job would truly be like, what values he holds dear and believes a team should share. He shared what it means to work together and what a "YouTube video" means to him. I tried to carry those values into my edit of this interview. It’s now a beautiful (albeit slightly terrifying) keepsake from one of the most life-changing and rewarding days of my life.

Long story short? I passed. I vibed. And now I’m here, somehow tricking everyone into thinking I know what I’m doing. (I'll figure it out eventually!)

So what do you think of this wild hiring method? Personally, I think more job interviews should include great conversation, sightseeing, expensive tech, and a mild risk of bicep injury. Because at the end of the day, skill is great, training is fab — but if the vibes don’t vibe, it’s game over. Lucky for me, our vibes? Positively vibetastic.