My Driving Force: Capturing Emotion Through the Lens
My life has been a thrilling, never-ending journey, driven by the desire to capture profound moments through my camera and digital videos for as long as I can remember. Nothing ignites my passion more than the challenge of portraying raw emotion and telling an innovative story, all seen and shaped through my lens. A single image or a fleeting sequence can speak volumes, and for me, that's where the magic truly happens. It's an incredible privilege to translate feeling and narrative into visual art.
My Story: A Lifelong Journey Through the Lens
Hey there! I’m Noel Stojkov, a visual storyteller and Video Service Specialist at Tennessee Tech’s Office of Communications & Marketing.
My life has been a lifelong journey immersed in the world of cameras, storytelling, writing, and digital video. For as long as I can remember, my most profound passion has been in crafting and telling resonating stories kept alive through the lens. This dedication truly shines through in my work on numerous highly recognized and award-winning projects.
I was one of those incredibly fortunate people who knew their calling early on, beginning with my first camera at the age of six. I continued to hone my craft throughout college, gaining invaluable experience at a local PBS station, on local movie sets, and with a small university documentary team in central Michigan. These experiences even included captivating the attention of my media peers and sharing lunch with historical women's baseball players from the league.
These diverse environments allowed me to develop adept skills in researching, developing compelling storylines, precise storyboarding, impactful editing, and strategic project promotion. Although I’m not working in television and photography as much as I did a few years ago, they shine through in my work on the Tennessee Tech’s video production team, capturing my life skills with a new lens. Skills that have enabled me to meet many famous, inspiring, and creative individuals, like Ken Burns.
Marketing and leadership courses I completed during my MBA helped mature my filmmaking skills into a marketing strategy approach. Most recently, I’m bursting with excitement to incorporate my drone into future projects. Each step of this journey has fueled my drive to create visuals that not only tell a story but also resonate deeply and leave a lasting impression on the audience, built on collaboration, curiosity, and relentless attention to detail.
I craft everything from TV spots and feature‐length documentaries to brand commercials and event recaps, overseeing cinematography, lighting, editing, sound design, and storyboarding.
To balance creativity, when I’m not behind the camera or in the edit suite, you’ll find me teaching barre classes because movement, whether in dance or film, always tells a story. Becoming a barre trainer has taught me how to care for myself while promoting healthy lifestyles for others.
To satisfy my curiosity, I enjoy exploring our wonderful world, traveling through local city trails and mountain paths to Mount Fuji, and a few in between. My camera allows me to see things in a different way, and reminds me that the most minor details often speak the loudest about who we are and how we sometimes surround ourselves, making our journeys more meaningful.
Will you join me on my next adventure?