Joey Darwish
Producer & Founder of Ahxmed Productions
Boston, MA / New York, NY
instagram @ahxmedproductions / @joeyadarwish
LinkedIn
Q What do you do?
“Creative Producer & Founder of Ahxmed Productions, specializing in orchestrating end-to-end commercial content for brands.”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Ever since I was a kid I’ve always loved holding a camera. My dad has a video of me when I was 3 years old crying to hold the camera while he films my sisters basketball game. When I was in elementary school I used to always film me & my cousin doing outrageous things like building snow ramps in my front lawn or doing tricks on our bicycles.
As I grew older I decided to take a corporate route but that would not fit my skills or personality. I kept being drawn back to the camera, so when I moved out of my hometown, of Syracuse, NY, I bought a DSLR camera & became obsessed.
I definitely did this ass backwards but I would spend hours taking photos in the city then the next day be on youtube for hours looking at tutorials on ISO, shutter, f/stop, color, composition, etc. I’d also connect with local photographers & do photowalks. I just kept trying things until they stuck. I did promotional video for an art gallery, I would do street photography & sell prints, I PA’d a bunch around Boston, took online classes via Greg Williams (highly recommend) or LinkedIn Photoshop classes. I really just let my obsession take over.
I just did everything I could in that space to network & gain knowledge. No job was too big or too small for me. No matter if it was PA’ing or producing a reel for a client, I took it & ran with it.
Now, when I take on commercial clients I feel more confident & well equipped to deliver because of all those opportunities I took as a beginner. My ability to network & connect with people allowed me to make those initial connections that bridged my career into the commercial space. It has expanded my photography to not only cities outside of Boston like New York City but also overseas to Europe.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Since I am self taught I believe I bring different perspectives when I’m on set or directing a shoot. As a producer I am able to work with photographers really well since I am one & it helps with my ability to translate the clients needs to the production crew.
Since I worked in a corporate setting for a few years prior to making my career change, I bring a lot of professionalism to a creative setting, which stands out. I am very punctual with time, budgets & communication.
I can’t half ass anything so I become extremely interested in my clients business’s so it’s not just a job for me it’s an opportunity for me to learn more about an industry or a business. It allows us to create something truly unique & intentional. I take a lot of pride in my work & collaborations with my clients.
Q What are you working on right now?
Recently, I've worked with brands such as Peroni, National Grid, Bluedrop Water and MIT. I am currently working with brands who are expanding on their brand identity via photo and video content.
Q What’s your style?
My style is clean and real. I love when people feel immersed in my content and don't feel like they're being sold something. I want my clients to feel like I listened and understood their pain points and solved for them within the content I produce. My stills from Peroni and Bluedrop perfectly capture this because my goal was to mimic a real life setting of what drinking their product feels like and what setting you'd want to be in.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I'd like to continue to learn more about editing. I feel like that is such an art that is under appreciated.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
My main focus at the moment is bringing together local creatives to create a well oiled machine to produce content for brands and companies.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Marketing & operational/administrative work. I also would consider naming my first born after them depending on how well they do. I want to focus as much on creative work as possible. I don’t mind doing that right now but of course having a dedicated resource will help so much.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would tell myself “It’s all going to work out. Trust yourself.” & “Your focus determines your reality” (Liam Neeson as Qui Gon Jinn). I wouldn’t change anything but I would definitely want to give my younger self assurance that I ended up becoming who I wanted to be.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I'd love to sit down for a coffee with an executive producer who's been around the industry. Someone who's seen massive change and put a dent in the industry themselves. I'd love for the convo to be about how to make a lasting impact on the industry and create true legacy.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I am looking to continue working for brands and companies in the food & beverage space along with combat and lifestyle. I want to scale my business and have a network of partners to conquer projects with.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
An ideal client or collaboration always has a great foundation of communication and respect. After that, everything should be fairly simple. Even when things go wrong, if that foundation is strong, there isn't much that can't be figured out.
Q What is your rate?
My rate as a producer is industry standard but obviously depends on a million different factors. I've worked with nonprofits at discount before and will on occasion shoot specs. To throw a number out there, I'll usually start at $1,000 per day.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Email me at jdarwish@ahxmed.com or DM on instagram @ahxmedproductions
Let me know what you need, how much you want to spend & when you need it done.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
It changes all the time but a few creatives that I always look up to are David Yarrow @davidyarrow, Bruce Gilden @bruce_gilden and Greg Williams @gregwilliamsphotography.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Dolce far Niente.
This member profile was originally published in August 2023, Updated May 2025.