Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alec Moody. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alec, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on has been launching and growing Fresh Off The Scene, the music publication I co-founded nearly two years ago. When we started, the goal was simple: to highlight emerging artists while also covering the biggest names in music and putting both of them on the same level. What began as a passion project has evolved into an internationally recognized platform, giving artists, photographers, and journalists a space to share their work. From artist spotlights to concert coverage, and new music release coverage we’ve worked tirelessly to carve out a unique voice in the industry.

Over time, Fresh Off The Scene has expanded beyond what we initially envisioned. We’ve had the privilege of covering major festivals like Kilby Block Party, Reading and Leeds, Mind The Gap, LOVELOUD, Slam Dunk, and many more. Our reach has extended globally, assembling a team of talented photographers from different corners of the world, capturing some of the most iconic artists of our time. Seeing our work published, our team gaining recognition, and bigger and bigger opportunities, and especially all of the artists we’ve featured in some way growing in their careers, all of it has been incredibly rewarding. This publication has become more than just a project—it’s a testament to our passion, our drive, and our love of all music.

Alec, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I first started getting into this industry about eight years ago. One day I was scrolling on Instagram and I saw that there was a local band playing a show at a coffee shop venue that is unfortunately no longer around. I went to the show with just my Canon T6I. I snapped a couple of pictures of the band, and after they were finished performing for the evening, I ended up grabbing a Polaroid of the lead singer because I thought he was so insanely talented. That guy turned out to be one of my biggest friends in the scene named Sean Mena who at the time was the lead singer for a band named The Sardines. He now has a project named Kipper Snack, definitely give them a listen if you’re not already familiar. From there, Sean gave me multiple other opportunities to come out and photograph their shows for them, and I began to build a clientele and continue to work with other people within the Utah county and Salt Lake City music scenes.

A couple of years in from there, I just so happened to meet an extremely talented photographer at the job that I was working at, who happened to also be the main photographer for Imagine Dragons. His name is Ken Ockler. I let him know what it is that I did, and he saw potential in me and offered to mentor me, from there, we shot a couple of shows together, and we even shot my very first music festival, LOVELOUD, all thanks to the help of Ken.

Shortly after that at the same job, I met a buddy who doubled as an assistant coach for a local hockey team named the Utah Outliers, and he asked me if I’d have any interest in doing sports photography. I had no experience in that field at the time, but within a very short span of time, I became the Teams assistant photographer, helping in providing photos to the graphic designer so that they could use my images for all of the social media-based graphics and everything else across the website.

After that season ended, he left the team and decided to go to another team that was more local to the Utah County area named the Provo Riverblades. I traveled with him to that new team and became their official team photographer. Around that time was when covid hit and all of the music scene and music industry as a whole had completely gone on pause, so I focused solely on sports photography for that period of time since it was the only thing really still operating

Once Covid passed, and the music scene opened up again shortly thereafter, that’s when I decided to make the move up to Salt Lake City and started focusing again more on the music and the bands up in this area. Then, not long after that was when I decided to work with my brother KriS and cofound Fresh.

One of the main things that I want clients, followers, and fans to know about me, essentially, is that my drive and dedication to this lifestyle is true. though I am very fulfilled with Fresh Off The Scene at the same time, I’m always still hungry for more, and simultaneously never satisfied with where I’m at. Because of this, most recently, I have started picking up videography to expand my knowledge and skill set, and I’m also working with a new publication called moshpitsdaily, where I serve as their official West Coast photographer.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my cofounder/business partner through a former publication that we were both working on. Unfortunately, I wasn’t on the team very long before I was wrongfully terminated and then began seeking alternative platforms to work with. Within a month or two later my brother KriS ended up not getting terminated, but instead a demotion where the editor and chief felt he was not good enough to be a photographer but instead would serve better strictly as a journalist, because he “didn’t have what it took”. As I was in the process of searching for a new publication KriS approached me and another person that I was dating at the time and asked if we would be interested in helping him create a new pub. At first, I was only planning on helping here and there while I still looked for another publication, but as we started getting into it, I realized how much I truly cared about Fresh Off The Scene and how passionate I was about the mag. So I stopped searching for alternative magazines and fully committed to building Fresh from the ground up. Now here we are two years later, and we’ve done things that I could’ve never imagined. And this May, the two of us will be photographing and doing videography for his first ever music festival, Kilby Block Party.

While we started out as just business partners, KriS has been there for all of my lowest moments and my highest moments, and truly, this man has become like a brother to me and my best friend and I can’t thank him enough for believing in me and constantly pushing me to become a better photographer and artist.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

At the end of the day, this entire thing is another full-time job, so you really need to prioritize your mental health and know your limits. I am very blessed to have a 9-to-5 that pays my bills; however, every day I find myself utilizing early hours in the morning or late hours at night, trying to get magazine work completed so that we’re constantly up-to-date and maintaining our standards. So essentially use your best time management skills, and in terms of maintaining high morale, I would suggest constant communication and engagement throughout your team. I truly feel that Fresh does a good job at not only being a platform but a community for like-minded individuals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alecrmoody.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alec9090/

Image Credits

All photos taken by Alec Moody