We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cody Ebbeler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cody below.

Cody, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

Amazon was my first client. Part of it was good timing; they were building a fleet of freelance creatives to reshoot all the product imagery they were receiving from all the stores. They wanted product images to be cohesive across their entire platform, so they built photo studios inside their warehouses and filled them with photographers, stylists, and retouchers.

I was brought in because they were looking specifically for photographers skilled in shooting highly reflective items like jewelry, watches, and accessories.

Cody, 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’m a Commercial Director and primarily help brands elevate their image & visual communication in a way that feels premium, creative, strong, polished, and trustworthy.

There are many video creatives, but what sets me apart is my in-house/freelance experience, abstract problem-solving, and obsessive dedication to detail. I’ve always been technically motivated, so not having to rely on a huge crew to tell me how things work allows me to either do things myself or be efficient when budgets get tight.

I work with brands that require high-end content, and industries that naturally fall into this category are beauty, cosmetics, fashion, automotive, and luxury.

Some client highlights include Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, GQ, Perricone MD, Wet N Wild, Physicians Formula, and Anheuser-Busch.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am very quality-driven and take inspiration from cinematic imagery, abstract artists, and surrealism. There’s a significant feeling to create as beautiful and elevated work as possible.  Beauty is found in some of the most unique places, and I really enjoy combining elements that don’t always traditionally go together. It feels like fusing a new element, and I’ve made it part of my creative process.

The next few years will involve creating more outside my typical genre and incorporating more things I love to help me feel more accomplished.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

My work is as much a part of me as anything else, and it’s clear I can never give up on this part of me.

I actually had a near-death experience skydiving solo a few years back. My parachute didn’t deploy correctly and had several malfunctions on the way down. It was my first time soloing, and as prepared as you might think you are for terrible outcomes, there’s only so much you can do when it happens.

I survived, dropped my gear off, and drove 4 hours back home to LA. I returned very late, so I went straight to bed. Ten minutes into lying my head down, I got a text from my manager that a campaign image I shot for the Stallone daughters needed to be retouched immediately and sent off. I walked five blocks down to my office, retouched it, and sent it off.

I distinctly remember feeling like I was sleepwalking through the whole thing, but it’s fun to remember my work being as important then as it is today. Resilience is more important than ever in today’s professional creative environment, and it’s up to you to decide how far you’re willing to go with it.

I often remind myself of the importance of friends, family, and relationships alongside work. Every creative goes through slumps, and it’s your circle that will help you recover the fastest when times are tough. Above all, be kind to yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.codyebbeler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyebbeler
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyebbeler/
• Other: https://www.videoproductionlosangeles.com/ https://vimeo.com/codyebbeler https://www.youtube.com/@videoproductionlosangeles

Image Credits
Cody Ebbeler