Liam O. Gallagher is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, editor and producer who captures stories of outdoor pursuits. His clientele includes brands like Patagonia, advocacy groups like Protect Our Winters and media outlets like The New York Times. Gallagher graduated from the J-School in the Spring of 2003 with a BA in print journalism and has freelanced for most of his career.
In a recent Q&A with graduate student Sage Sutcliffe, Gallagher shared his experience in the freelancing world through an ever-changing media landscape. An edited transcript of the conversation follows.
Technology has changed so much since you began J-School in ’99. What was it like to experience the change?
We were right on that cusp of where, in a couple years, it all changed. Everything went full digital. So, I kind of felt lucky that I decided to chase the passion of outdoor employment, because it allowed me to watch the landscape, the media landscape, and not have all my eggs in that one basket, where I was all-in on a small newspaper or all-in as a freelance writer. It kind of gave me the flexibility to choose the stories I wanted to choose and to write, and then also still do other stuff.
What are some challenges of being a freelancer?
It’s up to me to be the business guy, the accounting guy, the content creator guy. You just have to do it all, which can be kind of draining. And the longer I’ve done it, it gets easier to do all that. But it’s still a lot of work. And I have a wife and two kids now, too, so there’s some real responsibilities that come with it.
What advice would you give to a student who is interested in outdoor filmmaking and journalism?
I would just spend as much time as possible outside with your camera gear or a pen and paper, and then seek out the people who are doing at the top level of whatever the pursuit is— snowboarding or fishing, or maybe it’s running or mountain climbing — and see how you can get in with them. Because, that’s a great way to just network without feeling schmoozy or networky — is just to approach them with honest curiosity about what they’re doing. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities kind of start popping up.
What’s your favorite subject to capture through the lens?
The beauty of the natural world, being in the mountains or being on a river and filming is just awesome. You’re in awe. And I think there’s a lot of value in awe and being a little person in a big world, a big natural world. So anytime I get to be filming nature with some human subjects that can tell me about what they’ve been through, I think that’s the best.
What is a professional accomplishment that you are most proud of?
It came out, I guess at the beginning of the pandemic a couple years ago, called Drop with another alumni from the University of Montana, Hilary Hutcheson. I was proud of that one because it was kind of a big project where we had a lot of moving parts, and then we also had to complete it through the pandemic, which was kind of wild. And I finished it. So, despite some obstacles and a pretty big idea, it all kind of came together.
And then, personally, having a couple of kids and a wife is awesome. The kids are so cool. It’s really hard, but it feels like a real accomplishment. And to see them be happy and outdoorsy, and they get along with each other most of the time. It’s a great personal accomplishment to be in a place like Bellingham that I really love and have this family going.