We were lucky to catch up with Christian Oregel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christian, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
A lot of times in the media industry, people get so caught up in making their photos or videos look good with flashy colors, music, and transitions that they forget about the most important aspects of photography and videography- telling a story and capturing emotion. I think that’s what differentiates me from the industry standard, I produce the best of both worlds. The people I work with, whether it be an athlete, coach, social media manager, music artist, company, or married couple, all want to grow their social media engagement. I do that by creating extremely high quality photos and videos that tell a story.
For example, I got the opportunity to work on a video and photos for Bronny James in August after he got drafted by the Lakers. My videos and photos got posted on Instagram accounts like Overtime(https://www.instagram.com/p/C_epQVqJFXQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) and the healdliner of Bleacher Report’s Newsletter App. (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10134261-lakers-lebron-james-tells-bronny-f–k-all-the-hate-in-video-they-dont-know-you)
LeBron James also reposted the video on his story sharing a message with Bronny to block out the haters.
While my work was very high-quality, that’s not the main reason it got shared so much. It got shared because it told a story: After getting drafted, Bronny is working in silence training at his old high school gym, blocking out the noise as he prepares for the NBA, wearing his Lakers shorts and NBA tank top. Hence the caption of my Instagram post, “New Home, old Threads.”
That’s what this is about, telling a story and capturing emotion. My company name is CEOCaptured because my initials are “CEO” and I capture the emotion of my subject. In a way I like to think of myself as the “CEO” of capturing these things, too. At the end of the day, I want people to look at a photo I took and feel like they are there in that moment experiencing it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an 18-year-old sports, concert, business, event, lifestyle, and wedding photographer and videographer who offers anything from professional promotional videos and photos to birthday shoots and sports games. I got into my craft about 2 years ago when I was 16, my mom had bought a camera to take pictures of my brother and I playing sports. I asked her if I could borrow it to take eopictures of my brother playing football at our high school fo this senior year. Sh said yes and my high school asked no questions, and it just felt very natural to me. I loved being so close to the action and feeling the adrenaline of Firday Night Lights. I fell in love, and everything else just fell into place. I took my talents from Crespi high School to working with Sierra Canyon, Louisville, Notred Dame, and independent creators like Stephen Knez with the Valley Boys and Ryan grande whom I made the Bronny James content for. I I am most proud of my work ethic and the pride I take in my work. I work as efficiently as possible to have. Quick turn-around time while making sure that I spend time making my photos and videos look unique and aesthetic. I also develop a special connection with my clientele; I want them to know that they can trust me with their media needs and that I genuinely care about growing their business and social media with my work. I’ll stay up until 3 am editing things for my clients if they ask me to, I’ll deliver whatever they need to grow both of our businesses. I work to solve any problems that my clients may have: growing their social media, expanind to new audiences, or just having nice photos to look back at when they’re older. Making my work look unique is a priority so my clientele can have a product that’s one-of-one. Most importantly, like I mentioned earlier, I tell stories with my work.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Of course. Growing up in Los Angeles I was always a huge USC fan. On top of their top-notch academics and unbeatable location, there was just something about their culture that I always loved and felt attracted to. It was my dream school. Throughout high school, I sacrificed hours and hours of sleep and fun building my resume with my business and grades with one goal in mind- going to USC.
When my senior year rolled around, I spent countless hours on my application, researching ways to make it stronger by scrolling through their website, reaching out to my admissions advisor, and submitting an early action application to boost my chances. I did everything I could to give myself the best shot.
Not everything went as I thought it would. I got deferred from USC and eventually rejected. Honestly, I don’t think I ever experienced anything more painful than that throughout high school. I just remember thinking to myself, “Was everything I did not enough? Was I even meant to go there?” It was definitely hard for me to process at first. Later that week, I remembered the option to “appeal” my rejection and get accepted, so I took my shot because I had nothing to lose.
I remember sitting down at the kitchen table and praying to God that he’d bring me the right words to write and to bless my appeal letter. I spent that night trying to sell myself to them, trying to show them what I’d bring to the campus that nobody else could. So, I sent up a prayer and submitted it.
About a month later I remember walking out of school at the end of the day and I was about to text my mom when I saw an email that read, “USC Appeal Status: Successful. Application Status: Accepted.” My heart dropped and I ran to my counselor’s office to show him. I thought I read it wrong, honestly, but I didn’t. I got accepted to USC
Being deferred, rejected, and then accepted from USC after appealing was a reminder to me that just because something doesn’t happen in your timing doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in God’s timing. It also taught me resiliency, not taking rejection personally, and proving why you belong where you worked so hard to be. Most importantly, it taught me how important it is to have a good support system. It was my brother cheering me up after I got rejected, my mom continuously praying for me, and my dad
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
As a Catholic, my number one priority in everything I do has always been to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Truly, without him, I am nothing and have nothing. Not only did he bless me with the tremendous support system that is my family, but he has never left me and believed in me when a lot of other people didn’t. I never had to worry about where my next meal was going to come from or the lights being shut off when I got home, and for that, I thank Jesus Christ and I want to bring as much attention to his name as possible He knew what was right for me with my USC application process, which I talked about earlier, as well. In everything I do, I want to represent Christ because he saved us.
Another goal would be to create my own style. I want people to look at a photo I took and be able to tell, “CEO took that<" without having to see a watermark or my name on the photo. It's something that I think I've done to an extent but want to master. This goes hand-in-hand with my mission to grow people's businesses and tell stories. I have always loved working with people and have always been a people person, so helping business owners out has been nothing but a pleasure. Making the Bronny James video that got over 150,000 views on one account and 305,000 likes on another was one of my biggest milestones ever. On top of that, LeBron reposted it. That was also really cool. But things like that matter to me because it helps both my clients and me grow our businesses and get our names out there. It's a win-win. Going back to what I said earlier, I want to tell stories. I always loved writing and would write stories in school. Photography and videography are different ways of expressing that. I am a visual artist and storyteller who wants to share my view of this beautiful world with my lens. You know when you are at a concert or something, and the photo looks nothing like how the moment did in real life? When I take photos and edit them, I make them look like the moment felt and looked like in that moment, I want to bring them to life. Finally, I want to give everything back to my family who made so many sacrifices for me to get to this point. I truly could not have done it without the support from my mom and dad. From buying me my first camera to driving me to photoshoots when I couldn't drive, to being there for me in everything outside of my business, their unconditional love and support are what drive me to do better everything. I can't say anything without taking my big brother, Sam, too. All of this started with him. Capturing him on the football field is what made me fall in love with photography. Without them, there'd be no CEOCaptued. All in all, I want to give back to those who gave to me and make the most out of every opportunity I have been given and earned.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ceoregel.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceocaptured/profilecard/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceocaptured?_t=8qTW8qR79fK&_r=1
MY FAVORITE WORK;
Bronny James Overtime Feature: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_epQVqJFXQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Bleacher Report article:
Lakers' LeBron James Tells Bronny 'F–k All The Hate' in Video: They Don't Know YouFavorite Instagram Posts:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-rF1B_JeSM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-WJNhDSxgL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3D57zOSuoo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6HsBc2SfbV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwYNmQ1poZZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cymll2IRLtj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwUPqEgLrYc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4CotK5uRGm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Image Credits
Jacob Alvarez.