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

Jesse, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Growing up we didn’t have much. My dad was a carpenter/building contractor and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. I come from a large family with 3 brothers and plenty of other friends and family members that stayed with us from time to time. One thing I learned from my parents is that no matter what you are doing you need to do it with all your heart. If you set out to do something halfway then isn’t worth doing in the first place. There simply is no substitute for hard work.

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

I first began a career in photography and videography while living in Costa Rica. When I first picked up a camera with any sort of seriousness my intent was simply to showcase some of the aspects of my fly fishing business that I was starting with a bunch of friends of mine. Once I started getting better at it I realized that this too could become a source of income. Starting out in the outdoor industry has led me into filmmaking, and product photography for brands, and really taught me the meaning of finding a good story. I was lucky enough to have a few films entered into some national and international film festivals culminating in my 2022 film The Legend of Casa Mar winning the 2022 Fly Fishing Movie of the Year at The Drake Fly Fishing Video awards in Salt Lake City, UT. My goal in all of this is to continue to produce meaningful content in a way that is relatable to my audience. Providing for my family with these skills hasn’t always been the smoothest road, but it is rewarding nonetheless.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My audience on social media came organically as I purposed to consistently post at least once a day for the past three years. This has helped things grow at a steady pace and allowed me to always stay in the limelight. While social media can be “soul-sucking” at times I constantly view it as a place to showcase my work and engage with other creatives. This use of Instagram and facebook has proven to be very strong in building my online presence.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to constantly push myself and chase ideas or goals with more freedom than I would have if I was working for someone else. Having an idea for a film or product shoot and making the decision to pursue it without having to “clear it” with the boss is something I really appreciate about this line of work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.backwatermediaproductions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/backwaterflyfishing
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/backwaterflyfishing
• Other: www.backwaterflyfishing.com

Image Credits
Jesse Males – Backwater Media Productions