The story
3 rolls / 12 frames / swipe
Early
My dad shot rec league sports for a little while, right before everything went digital, so I ended up with a film camera in my hands early. Then the family computer got PS6, an early Photoshop, and I was obsessed with the clone stamp and lasso tools.
MySpace
I played music too, which meant meeting a lot of people in much bigger bands than mine. So I'd shoot their band photos, code their MySpace layout, then design the album art and the show flyers. That's where I started combining all of it.
California
About seven years in, I moved to California and got a job at a Vans store. Unbeknownst to me, the execs held their meetings in the store's loft. Two weeks after the move, I handed one of them my card. They called the next day to invite me to be a part of the Vans merch design team.
The first big one
$27,000
Then the jobs got bigger and bigger. The first absolutely massive one paid $27,000, and I felt like a millionaire. That was basically confirmation I could do what I wanted to do.
Every seat
Then I found myself on film sets, and that turned into yet another obsession. I never went to school for any of this, so I learned it on set. I worked PA, grip, gaffer, camera operator, photographer, all the way up to directing.
The ceiling
Working mostly alone for years makes you crave working with people, and I'd hit my ceiling as a freelancer anyway. So I started
in 2016 and spent years trying to piece a team together. The moment I stopped trying, the right people fell into place.Helene
When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, I felt the responsibility to go help. I took supplies up, then other people's supplies too, and stayed the day helping with inventory at the drop points.
Now
Now I'm CEO and Creative Director of
I direct how the work gets made with a team of absolute killers at what they do. The last two and a half years have been going strong, and I love every day I get to work with them.
Mountain guy
I was born in the city, but I raised myself as a mountain person. These days that means me and my dogs, Lady and Fella, chasing the best spots in the country to hike and camp.
The hardest part
Twenty years taught me the hardest part of anything, is simply just starting. Once I figured that out, trying new things got fun, and it's pretty hard to beat yourself up for not being great right away.
No degree
I'm proud of all of it, honestly. I'm just a guy with no degree who made something of himself doing this. Be better, do better. There are no rules in life, so figure it out.
