ABOUT JON LICHT

I am a person that has gone through many struggles to reach my goals. It started from my elementary to high school years, where I had the dream of joining the military. I was in the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program in high school and excelled in many of my classes. But I was told by a coach while working out telling me that I would never be able to make it through boot camp. I was a defensive lineman, so I carried a little more weight, but I never let that hold me back. I used that to push myself further. In 2006, after I graduated from Lexington High School in Lexington, Tennessee. I went to an Air Force recruiter that told me they did not have any spots open to join, so I went next door to the Army Recruiter signed up. Within a month, I was sent off to basic training to achieve my goal and become a U.S. Army Soldier with the 101st Airborne 1-327th Infantry.  I served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. During my last deployment in Afghanistan, I was wounded from a 107 rocket, taking shrapnel to my back, head, and arm, ending my Service in the U.S Army with many medals including the Purple Heart.

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I moved on from the army and tried to get a job in 2012. During this time I wasn't sure what I wanted to be, I started in the Hotel business where I started as a manager and worked my way up to be a general manager of a Microtel hotel. I found a hobby in fixing things that were damaged and found myself enjoying repairing and improving the building structures. I transferred to become a Chief Engineer for a Marriott property. Then I found a group called the 501st Legion that does Star Wars costuming. 

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Being in the 501st, I learned how to make armor, and I took the skills I learned and grew on them. I began learning how to use 3D printers, resin, and other mixtures to build any costume or prop that I could come to mind. I enjoyed getting the photographs of members in costumes and helping them with the blasters and other props they use. I enjoy doing this, but to me, its an enjoyment that I do as a side job. 

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My main passion is being able to be behind the camera, taking photographs, or Videos to capture moments. It is also the reason why I returned to college at Reinhardt University to further my education in the Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Digital Storytelling. During my time in college I was able to be an Athletics Camera Operator at Reinhardt to live broadcast sporting events, help make music video parodies on YouTube with Castanet Creative Services, assist with major network TV shows like Lifetime Movie Network, and Camera Operator at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Buckhead GA.

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I look forward to furthering my expertise behind the camera and take my work to move up in the growing demand of Video in the Atlanta area.