We caught up with Cameron Gallagher this week! He shares a bit about his video production company, Black Mountain Visuals, his favorite places to walk to for lunch from his downtown office at WorkSmart, what he’d love to see more of in Glens Falls (no surprise here — it involves movies!), and more…
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Cameron Gallagher, I’m a filmmaker & own Black Mountain Visuals, a video production company. I’m originally from downstate New York, but grew up in Granville, New York, not far from the Glens Falls area. I’m a movie lover and storyteller at heart. Having used my family's VHS camcorder as a kid to make funny sketches and come up with stories, I grew up on the idea of creating. In the last 4-5 years I’ve had the privilege of directing some short film projects (mainly in the horror genre) that have landed on some large platforms including online horror hub Crypt TV. One of our most recent short films “THE RICKETY MAN” premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles in 2021.
I love what I do and love that I can do this here in Upstate New York, where most people said it wouldn’t be possible.
On Life In and Around Glens Falls
As a kid living nearby, Glens Falls was always the “errands day trip” but after living in Central New York for almost two years, the vibrant opportunity here brought me back, and I’m so glad it did. For me, being able to be so close to business and an exciting area, while still having some of the comfort of feeling like I’m living “just outside of town” is a pull for me.
Now, my office is downtown at WorkSmart, a Co-Working Space in Downtown Glens Falls, so being within walking distance of everything has been such a huge advantage. Being able to meet other businesses at our office space has led to incredible expansion of the business, in ways we never thought, including working with amazing brands, like JUST Water, MoodleUS, National Ag in the Classroom, and both Washington & Warren County.
I rent an apartment just over the bridge in South Glens Falls, but have lived both downtown and just outside it within the last five years. Each place had cool advantages, whether it was being just a few steps from work, or being in a quiet part of the neighborhood.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
First and foremost my favorite spot is WorkSmart. I owe everything to Christy, WorkSmart’s owner, and since moving my business downtown in late 2020, it has seriously changed not only my business, but my life!
A second favorite would 100% be Farmacy! By far the best food in Glens Falls (of course no hate to anyone), their food is always exciting, and it has a great atmosphere.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
It would start at Kru Coffee with some coffee and their amazing cilantro lime sandwich! Then, off to the office at WorkSmart downtown where I’d try to not chat with all the fun people there, including my friend and business partner Zack. For lunch, I’d have to stop in at Mikado or Alif Cafe! Mikado’s Bento Box for lunch is the best bang for the buck, and Alif Cafe’s Chicken Tikka bowl is a weight lifter’s (like myself) dream. Then after work, I’d take my girlfriend Allison out to Farmacy, followed by a walk around town or on the bike trail!
On the Future
Glens Falls, in my opinion, is sitting on a gold mine. With proximity to Saratoga Springs and Lake George, it truly is the perfect getaway. I’m excited and hopeful for those in local government to step up and make some exciting forward thinking changes, just like some of the amazing business owners have. I think the more fun new faces that come to downtown, the more energy just seems to seep from Glen Street.
One thing I would love to see is, of course, more movies. I’d like to see a new theater (or an existing one) take on showing old movies, whether it be deep cut films that no one has seen, or absolute classics that are a must on the big screen! After attending a film festival with my friend and business partner, Zack Porlier, in Rochester, we instantly fell in love with seeing smaller films on the big screen. What better place than Glens Falls to bring classic cinema to new and old generations alike?
