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

Brian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.

After spending 15 years in the mining industry under a horrible boss with a bad attitude, I decided I wanted something better. I spent a lot of time thinking about my next move and the next thing knew, I was enrolled in a 2-year art college and quit my mining job cold turkey.

After graduating, I took a part-time job editing videos for a local business. Little did I know the owner would be the most outstanding role model, mentor, and teacher that ever existed in my life. Still, to this day his personality, leadership, and guidance are at the top of anyone I’ve ever worked with.

Crazy to say but this guy that I’ve never met before all of a sudden became something like the brother I never had. Not only did I gain talent in his teaching abilities, but I gained a trustworthy friend that I knew I could count on. Not to mention he was Irish…so I enjoyed listening to his thick accent.

The impact he’s had on my life has been incredible and I am so grateful to have been under his leadership. I always think back to the way he treated me vs my boss at the mine. When you build people up, they bloom. When you tear them down, they crash.

Over time as work pilled up, I eventually had to put the brakes on helping him to continue growing my company. About 2 years ago we reconnected on a gig and before the night was over, I expressed my gratitude for his leadership and most of all, his kindness towards me. Oh, what a feeling.

One thing is for sure…the value of great leadership is priceless. Any chance I have to build someone up, it’s a honor to do so.

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?

A work in progress is the best answer. I grew up in a small mining town riding dirtbikes and 4-wheelers. There wasn’t much else to do so I set my sights on Charlotte, NC. I knew that if I were to make anything of myself, I had to relocate to the city. Right around the 9th grade, my dirtbike broke down and I didn’t have the money to fix it. I had already fallen in love with music and saved enough money to buy a guitar…coz I wanted to be a rockstar now.

Right before Y2k (year 2000) I got my opportunity to move. Shortly afterward, I found a motocross track to ride dirtbikes and picked up photography as a hobby. I fell in love with it and started doing motocross photography more than I was riding. I was a late bloomer to the internet but once I got connected, along came motocross videos…I was in hot pursuit. That’s what I wanted to do.

When I got my company up and running, I started filming weddings to get some money rolling. Within 2 years, I was so busy I couldn’t handle all of the work coming my way. I was booked 2 years in advance and it wasn’t slowing down. As much as I loved video production and photography, weddings were NOT where I wanted to be. Thanks to covid 19, I was able to finish all of my contracts and start over.

Now I am on an adventure of a new tier. I’ve always thought of my brand as being more than just filmmaking. Over the years I have become a lover of men’s fashion and strangely the whole community that I know and have known defines me as the style guy. Not a drop of Mr. photo & video guy. But, I’m okay with it.

Currently, I am at work on another all-new-opposite-direction piece of my life puzzle and couldn’t be more happy. My company brand serves the music, motocross, and machinery industry.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I switched jobs…I basically went from blue-collar to white-collar. That being said I had to learn a whole new way of presenting myself. For the longest time, I just wore polos with dark blue jeans. That was not cutting it in my opinion. I didn’t like the way I looked.

I’d always thought there was something about being sharp dressed but I had no idea how to do it. I got invited to a fun industry party where I had to dress in my best mad men apparel. I spent nearly $900 on a new suit and shoes. When I looked in the mirror I thought I looked stupid. I didn’t look the way I wanted to look and was just confused. How in the world did

I stumbled on a Youtube channel for men’s style and that was the light switch I needed. The YouTuber went into great detail on how men should choose their clothes. I spent hrs in the mall trying on everything and when I found the right fit…it all clicked.

After that, I was known for the way I dressed more than anything I had previously done professionally. My social media for the longest time was photos and video clips from my profession but the minute I started taking iPhone shots of my shoes and suits. My social media gained way more popularity. The rest is history!

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Absolutely! I have my clients that I serve under my company and I contract my filming services to a marketing and advertising firm. In addition, I am working on getting my license to be a financial advisor. What I love the most is that they are all so different but I have the flexibility to do all three.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brianbunnfilms.com
• Instagram: @bbunn
• Facebook: @briankbunn
• Linkedin: brian-bunn

Image Credits

Carlo Gagliardo, TJ Snow, Cooke Rentals Facility, Bartels Construction