Senior Zach Ervie pressed the big red button on his camera and recorded the scene around him. It was the Sunflower Festival in Mission, Kansas, the location of one of his first commercial video shoots. After filming and editing for hours, the video was posted on the internet, opening a world of business opportunities for the up-and-coming video producer.

“It was a great experience, just me going out there with a backpack and filming for hours. It really just started the path I’m on now,” Ervie said.

Ervie started producing videos on the video platform, Vine, six years ago.

“I got into YouTubers such as Casey Neistat and Sam Colder. They would take old movie trailers, re-edit them to music and post them to Vine,” Ervie said. “I started to do that also. The first movie trailer I tried to re-edit was ‘Pulp Fiction.’ I posted that and it got a few thousand likes. Then I did the ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ and ‘Stand by Me.’”

Ervie has now turned his hobby of video production into a business. Ervie’s videos started gaining traction around a year ago when he started incorporating drone footage into his videos.

“My videos blew up after that,” Ervie said. “It grew naturally through people talking about my videos.”

Ervie’s personal Instagram page and his company Instagram page, “Mint by Zach,” where he posts the majority of his videos, have a combined total of more than 1,200 followers. He has a company Twitter page and website also under the same name.

By watching other videos and films in his free time, Ervie hopes to stay ahead in his video production and expand his creativity and business.

“I’m always trying to stay up to date with what the next big thing is going to be,” Ervie said. “I like to watch movies from a cinematographer’s perspective. I try to pick up on all the little things directors do so I can incorporate them in my videos.”

Ervie is currently in his fourth and final year of high school wrestling, his main school activity. One of his favorite matches was when he competed for a spot at the State competition.

“I was in my junior year at Districts,” Ervie said. “I was on the bubble mats, so if I lost I would be done for the year, but if I won then I’d go to State. I ended up winning that match. It was the first time I had qualified for State.”

Ervie’s best friend, senior Parker Krey, said Ervie is more than just a great video producer and wrestler.

“He’s pretty funny. He’s just always trying to have a good time,” Krey said. “You can depend on him, he’s always there for you when you need him. He’s a great friend overall.”

Ervie’s former math teacher, David McDorman, agrees.

“Zach is a friendly young man,” McDorman said. “My favorite thing about Zach is he always has a smile on his face. I see a young man who is going to do a lot of great things in his life.”

Ervie is taking steps this upcoming fall to reach for a brighter future as others, such as McDorman, already see for him. He will attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) as a film and TV production major.

“If I’m going to take this seriously and go at it with full force, I needed to find a college that would take it super seriously and one that was super premiere for their program,” Ervie said. “SCAD checked all my boxes.”

He hopes to become a cinematographer, then a producer and eventually, a director. His motto for the present?

“Be alive and live,” Ervie said. “I want to be as positive as I can everyday and have a positive effect on everyone I meet.”