We recently connected with Brittany Breen and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

Like many people who went to college, I assumed I would apply for a job, get hired and work at the same company until I retired. That’s what my parents did. The thought of working for myself never crossed my mind. I graduated from college in 2010 with a degree in film and production and for the following 12 years, I worked as a television producer for several networks including MTV, Travel Channel and History.

Something in my life was not feeling quite right though. When I got married and had children, my career trajectory paused. In my opinion, the TV and film production world isn’t always friendly to women and mothers. When I was killing it at work and staying late, I felt like my home life was suffering. When I was being an incredible and present mom, I was dropping the ball at work. I didn’t like feeling like I was being torn in two. I also didn’t want to have to make a choice between motherhood and a career. Why couldn’t I make both work somehow?

I started Brittany Breen Photography in 2018 on the side because I knew I shouldn’t have to choose. My goal was to have my first paying customer approach me within one calendar year. That happened within a month. Over the first couple years, my business grew into a six-figure income earner and it gave me the freedom to leave the television world behind. Now I am able to make my own hours, work as hard or as little as I want, while still being there for school pickup, soccer games and dinner.

In my experience, the corporate TV world didn’t provide a healthy work life balance. The idea of working my entire life while missing my children’s milestones and important moments was daunting. I knew I had to make a change and figure out how to earn a livable income in the arts.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started working in the television industry as an intern in college and quickly rose to several different producer titles. I loved working in TV in my twenties. I worked for on shows for several different networks including MTV, Travel Channel, History, CMT, Food Network, BET, VH1 and more. I got to go to some incredible places, meet important people and experience some pretty awesome things. However, becoming a mom changed my priorities.

In 2018, I picked up my old Nikon camera that my parents got me in college and started practicing. I knew I wanted to become a photographer and work for myself. I started offering sessions and this business has grown into something I never could’ve imagined. I make more money than I did when I was in television while working for myself. I love not having to ask permission to take off or to be the mom I want to be.

Now I am a full-time wedding, family, newborn and branding photographer. I have a studio and photograph hundreds of sessions a year. I love that I was able to turn my background in the arts into a profession where I can work for myself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2019 and 2020, I experienced several personal issues. I had a second trimester miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy which almost cost me my life. When I went in for my surgery, I didn’t know if I would make it out or ever be able to have children again. Right when my business began to grow, I felt like my health was falling apart. I was afraid that it would cost me my business which I worked so hard to grow. Also, photographing newborns was very difficult for me during this time. Showing up to photograph babies when I was experiencing infertility was challenging. During this time period, I treated my business as my baby. It was in it’s infancy and I nurtured it, put energy into it’s growth and worked hard to build the brand I wanted to pivot my life. I believe these years helped shape my business into what it is today.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Like I mentioned earlier, Brittany Breen Photography started as a side-hustle. The hardest thing I ever did was create an instagram account and website. I remember being so scared of failure and what people would think. I wanted to start this business a couple years before I actually did it, but I was terrified of not succeeding. One night on my way home from work in New York, I just held my breath and created it. I shared the news on my social media accounts and hoped friends and family would follow and support me.

During the first few months of the business, I photographed everyone and everything that I could. I put up model calls on social media and practiced on strangers. I didn’t want to only photograph friends or people that I felt comfortable with. I wanted to experience what it was like to photograph someone you’ve never met before. It takes a personal skill to make people feel relaxed to be natural in front of the camera. The only want to do that is by working with real people. I built my portfolio doing this and eventually got some paying clients. I did sessions on weekends and after work. It took a lot of time and energy and it didn’t grow overnight. In 2022, my business was at the point where I left my full-time job in TV. It was really scary. I had a decent and regular paycheck. The thought of having to really earn and work for every single dollar I made going forward terrified me. It all worked out and I’m so happy to be where I am today. Working for myself has been so rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brittanybreen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittanybreenphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanybreenphotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-breen-a848561b/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4170080/

Image Credits

All of the images are mine