Meet Eugene Wilson | Cinematographer & Stock Trader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eugene Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eugene, do you have a budget? How do you make lifestyle and spending decisions?
I have a budget for everything that I do. Finances are huge to me. I’m a saver and investor. I save or invest about 65% of my income. The rest sits in a money market account or is used for living expenses. My wife keeps me thinking about mental health balance, so we do have a small portion dedicated to vacations.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m what people call a serial entrepreneur. I am most known for my Cinematography services and 5th Media agency doing film production, but I have a natural talent for financial literacy and creating exciting businesses. I run two email newsletters. One is called Simplify Wall Street, which focuses on stock market insights, and another is DPG Cinema, which connects media professionals worldwide.

Getting to a level where one business takes care of living expenses and another goes into a savings or investing account took work. I still struggle every day to figure out ways to take advantage of my opportunities. You need to have a great team and save capital because marketing is expensive, and virtual contracts are far from cheap.

When it comes to the two entities, 5th Media and Simplify Wall Street, though they are different, the necessity for both is overlooked. I’m not saying every filmmaker or photographer must be a trader, but you MUST know how to take your $2,500 contractor rate and add another 5-10% to it when the money is in your bank account. Through stocks, real estate, affiliate marketing, angel investing, products, courses, a second stream of income, etc. It’s how you build over time.

I’m far from wealthy, but I understand the systems in place will get me there over time. All it takes is patience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not good at this type of stuff because if I’m just hanging out, I am either on a beach, golfing, playing basketball, or eating food. I’m not picky with restaurants. My best offer is a local Coney Island or Buffalo Wild Wings so we can watch the game. If this is a one-week-long trip, we would do things productive to our mental health, like playing sports, being by the ocean/lake, or a spa.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people that I am grateful for. Family members and a couple of friends who supported me, but I will take this time to specifically shout out my wife Casey Wilson. Without her patience in the very beginning, 5th Media and Simplify Wall Street may not be where it is today. When we graduated from Michigan State University, I had $13k of personal debt (not including student loans), and refused to take on any jobs because I wanted to start a business. Having someone you love not just support you but also be your co-founder is a blessing beyond words.

Website: https://www.the5thmedia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genewilsonv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimplifyWSJ

Youtube: https://youtu.be/0Efx0tFFPM0?si=lwG4F_ZyYaU6e9Jh

Other: Stock Market Newsletter: Beat the stock market in 3 minutes. https://journal.simplifywallstreet.com/subscribe DPGCinema Newsletter for Filmmakers/Photographers https://dpgcinema.beehiiv.com/subscribe