Meet Merix Gooden | Cinematographer and Creative Director

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

Hi Merix, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk has made me. From taking the risk of purchasing a camera to the risk of me moving to Dallas from Louisiana. Taking risks has put me in a lot of uncomfortable situations but all of them made me grow and adapt. I took a risk two years ago to go freelance full-time after being let go from J.P Morgan Chase. Those risks and uncomfortable situations became the framework and foundation of what I am and do now. So I’d say risk has played a very important role in my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is storytelling. But with a camera. I feel like I stand out from others because of how hard I work and my consistent will to want to be better. I’m only in competition with myself, never others. I never get too high or get too low about things that happen. And I also believe being from a small place and not having as many resources /tools to becoming successful made me more hungrier to find a way out and make a new way. I’m big on being myself, so by me doing that I found a style that I loved and was passionate about. Once people began to notice and take a liking, I stayed super consistent and kept growing to the point until my peers could notice my work without even seeing a tag.

Having done a couple of cool things I’d say one thing I am proud of is me being able to shoot the cover photo and collaborate with Curren$y on ‘The Green Tape’ EP.

I got to where I am right now by giving. I give everything I want to get back, so with everything I do I give everything I got, all the love, all the passion, anything I can give to help someone I give. And with that mindset I’ve always received the same and more. But nothing worth having is easy to get. So no it wasn’t easy and it’ll never be, but its our job to create new things and figure it out. Thats how it works.

I’ve learned that doing the work is the only answer to being who you want to be and where you want to be. You’ve got to just put your head down and work, but before you know it you’ll have your work being shared and spoke about in rooms you’d never think of. Being consistent in your growth and work will allow new doors to open, new knowledge to flow in, new connections, new supporters, new motivation that will start to push you into a new and better version of yourself.

I want the world to know that I really believed in myself, took a chance, and made my imagination my job. That you can literally do anything you put your mind to.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Sooo if my friends come to Dallas they all know the first place we going is Gloria’s. They margaritas are top tier haha. But I’d definitely take them to a Dallas Mavs game and then a couple cool places like Deep Ellum, the Galleria, maybe check out a few museums on a cool vibe. In my eyes just being in Dallas is a vibe, I feel like you can get any vibe you want here. It’s very diverse and fun so I could bring my friends anywhere and we’d enjoy it just because we love being around each other.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate all of my success to God. It’s always his grace that allows me to wake up everyday and do what I do, so he gets everything. I also want to give credit to my parents, family, and friends. They support me so hard and so much I can’t even explain how much it means to me and how much it fuels me to keep going. So I’d say shout out to them and a few of my OGs/mentors, being: Ivy Awino, Tim Martin, Curren$y, and the Holiday family.

Website: merixalexander.com

Instagram: @merixalex

Linkedin: Merix Gooden

Twitter: @merixalexander

Facebook: Alex Gooden

Youtube: Merix Alexander