We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ANA GIL a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

ANA, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I am a self-taught visual artist who specializes in photography and videography. I was inspired by my father, who was a photography hobbyist, and my love for movies, radio, and television. To hone my craft, I studied both the technical and artistic aspects of photography. I found inspiration in various media, including magazines and Pinterest, but my creativity really flourished when I started taking business classes designed specifically for photographers. I watched webinars, attended weekend courses, read books, and followed the advice of industry leaders, which helped me improve my skills.

In hindsight, I feel that seeking out mentorship opportunities and learning more about the business side of photography would have expedited my learning process. Business skills, such as marketing, demographic analysis, and time management, are crucial for turning a passion for any genre into a profitable business.

As a mother of three and a wife, finding time to study and pursue my passion was a challenge. However, managing my time effectively and being willing to learn, adapt, and problem-solve were essential skills that helped me succeed.

After running my photography business, ana gil photography, for seven years, I decided to establish a video service called Officially-Unofficial. This service was created to promote local events in the area and was an add-on to my existing photography business. It proved to be a quicker and more effective way of getting the business up and running since I already had the necessary skills to handle the business side of things, unlike when I started ana gil photography.

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

I was a full-time network support engineer and sales support for 10 years and I loved it. I was doing two things I am passionate about: working with technology while speaking my native language (Spanish) and working in sales. However, I was limited in the decisions I wanted to make that were best for my client and that frustrated me. I reached a turning point when a new manager joined the team further limiting my ability to make decisions.

I am proud of my business resiliency, ability to pivot when necessary, and continued desire and commitment to learning and evolving within my industries.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

One of my most effective strategies for growing my clientele has been through word-of-mouth marketing and real-life networking. Although I provide a great service and product, the key to the success of my business has been connecting with prospects, further engaging with clients, and actively participating in the community.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had to make significant changes in all areas of my life several times. Initially, I worked in networking sales but later shifted my focus to my hobby and turned it into a business. Seven years after starting my business, I founded Officially-Unofficial, an add-on service that provided video promotion to my event clients while also promoting other community events. My husband at the time joined me in that part of the business, and it was growing rapidly. However, after two years, our growth stalled when we separated, and the business suffered as I no longer had a producer.

I tried to continue producing content on my own for three years, but with little success. In 2020, when the pandemic forced us all to go digital, it presented me with an opportunity to produce and be the on-air personality all at once. Consequently, Officially-Unofficial took off again! As a result, I am now a resident creator at one of the top video production software companies in the world, Ecamm Network, producing shows for them and photographing the creator community at some of their events.

Another incredible milestone was getting selected by Micron, one of the world’s top chip manufacturing companies, to document significant events in our community. Micron is planning to invest 100 billion dollars in our community, which as you can imagine, is huge! I’ve documented programs including Chip Camp and Girls Going Tech. Although both programs are great, Girls Going Tech en español was particularly exciting for me since it was the first time they had offered the program in Spanish, and it was hosted in Central New York, which I documented. As someone who loves technology and Spanish is her first language, it was a pretty awesome opportunity!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anagilstudios.com
• Instagram: Officiallyunofficialtv and anagilphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anagil41/
• Youtube: @officiallyunofficialtv

Image Credits
ANA GIL STUDIOS. I write my name in all lower case – ana gil. Thank you!