In the latest instalment of Metro Eireann’s Meet The Boss, SANDY HAZEL speaks to Hamilton Niculescu, a photographer and videographer based in south Dublin
Having studied computer science in college in his native Romania, Hamilton Nicul-escu trained as a desktop publisher and occasional photographer for magazines there. “I worked at magazine companies and advertising agencies and gained a lot of experience in graphics and layout,” he recalls. “I got to know the industry really well.”
However, when a friend in Ireland told him of opportunities available here, Niculescu had no qualms about making the move.
“Myself and my wife paid fees of 2,000 euro to a recruitment agency to register us with them,” he says, “and they recruited us as cleaners when we arrived in Ireland.”
After more than two years working as a cleaner, Niculescu grew bored and wanted a change. He had previously bought a camcorder just for personal use, but it would prove to be the catalyst for a new endeavour.
Niculescu’s move into professional video production about three years ago happened by accident. “A friend of mine asked me to do their wedding video, as a kind of favour to him,” he says. “I was nervous at the beginning but gave it my best shot. I did the special effects, editing and the music plus graphics for the case.
“They loved the result and they spread the word. A few weeks later I had their friends ringing me up and asking to book me for their weddings to do the same. They liked the style and the compositions.” Seeing potential in the idea, Niculescu decided to go for it and set up as a business: “I went to the Terenure Enterprise Centre who gave information on how to get started.”
As an immigrant, one of the legal requirements necessary for starting a business for Niculescu was getting a permit from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This was where he ran into some obstacles, and began the time-consuming process of organising all the paperwork for his application, including clearance from the police in Romania. Then he finally made his application, only to find out eight months later that the department had lost his documents.
“I had enquired why it was taking so long and then they told me they could not find my paperwork. I was very frustrated. I applied again, as I had kept copies of everything.”
When the second application was refused and then queried by Niculescu, the department came back with tax and VAT questions. Niculescu was advised by an accountant to inform the department that they were wrong to question him on tax matters as he was going to be self employed, not a limited company. “I did this and told them that tax queries were for Revenue to ask, not them.” Niculescu’s permit to trade finally arrived a few days later.
With the red tape now long out of the way, Niculescu has since invested in high spec cameras for both filming and for stills. “I will consult with the clients beforehand of course to discuss the style they want and the actual costs of everything involved,” he explains. “The client must know exactly what they are getting for their price ¬≠ how many copies of DVDs, still photographs, graphics, etc. I don’t want there to be any surprises for the client. They see what package is available and they decide what they want.”
Niculescu has some sound advice for photographers starting out: “It’s not enough to be at an event with the best camera in the world; you must be engaged for the whole event. You never know what’s going to happen next and you have to be prepared all the time for the unexpected. I keep a spare camera on standby for emergencies, and plenty of batteries too.”
