We recently connected with Brad Keeling and have shared our conversation below.
Brad, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents illustrated the value of cultivating both creative and traditional skill sets. While emphasizing the need for formal education and its potential benefits, they always supported creative ventures wholeheartedly. I may have graduated college with multiple degrees, but I had my first musical instrument by age five.
As a very young child, my mother would sit me down on the piano bench and, instead of music, place a book full of car photos in front of me. I would play whatever came to mind. It could rarely be construed as music, but every car had a theme and a feeling behind the sounds I would create on the piano. Later in the evening, I would speak with my father about what cars were in the book and the differences between them. This combination of automotive knowledge and music still fuels the majority of my creative work to this day.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
During my early adult life, I had no clue what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be when I ‘grew up’. I went to school for graphic design and advertising, but always kept my camera and headphones by my side.
Fortunately, I found a way to bring it all together, and I am able to meet and work with some truly amazing individuals. My current situation allows me to work with everyone from manufacturers and healthcare professionals to musicians and automotive experts.
During the day, I work as a creative coordinator in a marketing agency. I manage various creative production projects, including graphic design, studio shoots, print collateral, websites, SEO, print or digital ads, and pretty much anything else you would expect a full-service agency to provide. You name it, we make it!
After the sun sets, I can be found anywhere there is live music or a gathering of cars. Rock and roll, classic cars, cover bands, modern sports cars, open mics, track days. Doesn’t matter. I’m there! Having the opportunity to be involved in these scenes fuels my creativity. What started as hobbies and personal projects has become an essential cornerstone of who I am and what I look forward to the most.
By working in multiple fields, I am always able to bring a unique perspective to creative projects.
Next challenge? Automotive design.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Being present! Much of my creative work revolves around being where the people are. Whether attending local concerts for fun or hanging with the old-school car guys, being present and involved has been the springboard that allowed me to become known within these niches.
Once you’re there and people know why, you have to impress them. Be a consummate professional, but provide something new, something they didn’t expect. As a photographer, anyone can do your job to a basic degree. It’s our job to show people things they didn’t see and couldn’t capture with the device in their pocket.
Providing the absolute best work has always been what I strive for. An unexpected twist is what I have become known for.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
As a marketing professional, I know all (well, most – I mean, who can keep up?) the new, fancy tools that are out there to promote your business and grow your clientele. However, in my creative business, I rely almost entirely on what is tried and true: word of mouth and local reputation.
The best little trick I have found is to get your client to start talking during the shoot. Ask them about their friends, what shows they’ve seen lately, their favorite car in town, or anything else that gets them talking about the people they know. You have an expert right in front of the lens; use them!
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Brad Keeling