Videomaker Andrii Melnychuk: How to Enter the Industry with One Old Camera and End Up Collaborating with Apple, Chandler Moore and 24kGoldn

Written by Matthew Kayser

The creative field and show business are industries where networking and connections determine demand for your work. Without contacts or recommendations, even the strongest portfolio barely opens any doors — barely. When Andrii Melnychuk arrived in the United States, he found himself in exactly this position. In 2022, when the young cinematographer moved to a country that was entirely new to him, all he carried was one old camera and more than five years of production experience. Today, he collaborates with US artists, serves as Director of Photography on independent film projects, and crafts commercial campaigns. In this article, we tell the story and talent of the Ukrainian Andrii Melnychuk, operating under the moniker Adamayzer.

Big Projects Start with Small Steps

The first step on the road to recognition came, as it often does, from simple chance. In Central Park in New York, Andrii asked four musicians who were playing there if they would be interested in filming a series of clips. The series was shot in that same Central Park, and then uploaded to social media. A vintage shooting style and a living atmosphere did their work fast. The Infinity Song band gained 400 thousand new followers, and views on the videos climbed into the millions. Melnychuk's content pulled the band out of the underground. 

Content sitting at the peak of popularity inevitably draws the attention of brands and companies. Soon representatives of the Apple One service approached the band with a collaboration offer for their service's advertising campaign. On the company's side, the condition was meeting deadlines and complying with brand requirements. On the band's side, the condition was that the person behind the camera had to be Andrii himself. According to Melnychuk, the company understood that not every cinematographer can adapt their approach to the company's standards. Even so, the visual and technical execution was entrusted to Andrii. 

"On this project I handled every task that would normally be split among a team of seven to ten people. Concept development, camera work, directing, editing, color correction and so on," Andrii adds. "That's when I understood that if my solo approach worked for Apple, then I could offer other clients my skills in place of an entire department and guarantee the same quality."

Music Production in the Hands of a One Man Crew

Starting in 2023, Andrii has led media creation for US artists including Amber Mark, Jeremy Bosch, and 24kGoldn. His experience of working without a team, along with his production speed, soon caught the attention of Arista Records, the label behind Paul Russell. He created media content for Russell at the Sony Music headquarters in New York, a setting that differed markedly from a typical cinematographer's workflow. Andrii recalls that when he arrived on set alone, without a crew, the singer was surprised, since he had assumed that a whole team was behind the videographer’s previous works.

"My signature is cinematic shooting in natural light. Shooting live on the street or outdoors gives a video its unique atmosphere, and for artists there's no need to rent a studio or extra equipment," Andrii comments. For track "God I'm Just Grateful" featuring Chandler Moore, Andrii assembled a short-form video package using existing archive footage while the artist was touring. The resulting assets accumulated over 10 million views across platforms, providing social media coverage during the single’s promotional cycle. 

917 Agency and Commercial Shoots

Together with the well known Ukrainian model Tina Sokolovska, founder of the creative and communications agency 917 Agency, Andrii worked in the creation of visuals for international brands and models. He served as creative director, defining the direction and visual code of advertising campaigns for clients in hospitality, banking and the beauty industry. What began as a one off order at the agency grew into something far bigger.

Andrii shot commercial materials that expanded beyond digital channels. The advertising material he created expanded to billboards across California, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico. The brand continues working with Andrii to this day, because in every city, despite completely different weather conditions, he managed to preserve the same recognizable visual style.

Behind the Camera on a Film Set

A separate chapter in Andrii's professional path is his work on film projects. In collaboration with Rebel Monkey Productions, Andrii worked on short films "Memory Card," "Unfinished Chapter," "Song of Infinity," and on a film dedicated to the Silent Hill game series. 

"My job was to make sure the image held together as a consistent look before it reaches post production, in order to cut down cost and production time," Andrii comments. Operating with lighting setups, his work on "Infinity Song" earned a Gold Telly Award in the Vertical Video category alongside a Webby Awards nomination. 

His ability to structure a shoot for maximum efficiency showed itself clearly during production of the short film "I Want to Hear My Own Voice" for the Mission Para Arts foundation, where Andrii served as director of photography and lead cinematographer. At that point, production had come to a halt due to strict financial constraints. Andrii reconfigured the lighting setup, which reduced daily production costs. In the end, the team completed the film while staying within the financial limits.

What Comes Next

Alongside continuing his career as a videomaker, Andrii is also planning to grow into producing. "Given the experience I already have in media production, and the strong case of building the Infinity Song band up from nothing, I want to fully produce other indie artists and support them as they climb their own career ladder."

Andrii sums up the main takeaway from his journey simply: creating a high quality media product is possible even with minimal resources.Ultimately, Melnychuk’s trajectory illustrates how modern video production can achieve wide reach through technical efficiency, natural visual hooks, and adaptable execution rather than rely on traditional crew size or high budgets. 

Photo Credit: Andrii Malnychuk