We recently connected with Johno Faherty and have shared our conversation below.

Johno, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I would say persistence is the key to success. I truly believe anyone who wants to be successful in any field eventually will find it, it’s just a matter of time and how much you are willing to put up with. I received thousands of rejections before I landed my first client but I still kept sending those emails out, even when I knew most of them would go unanswered. All it took was one ‘Yes’ to make me forget about all the ‘No’s.’

Johno, 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 filmmaker and photographer from Los Angeles, CA and I recently started my own company to focus on creating content for travel brands, hotels and tourism boards. Traveling has always been a priority in my life and I always enjoyed taking photos as a hobby while I roamed around the world. Because of that, I already had a portfolio of my work through what I shared on social media and I used that to create opportunities to do promotional work for tourism boards beginning in 2021. I started working with some amazing brands like Tourism New Zealand, Visit Montana, and Visit California to create video content for their social media channels. Having a background in filmmaking has really helped me set myself apart from other creators. Story is always at the forefront of everything I create and so I make sure that my clients are not just receiving videos showcasing a beautiful location, but rather ones that craft a narrative about the experience as a whole. This helps connect with more viewers personally and actually pushes them over the edge to book that trip, stay at that hotel or buy that product.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Choose creativity over certainty. I have that mantra written down on my computer screen and I look at it every day. My goal has always been to make sure I love what I do, and I’ve always been happiest when I’m creating. There can be months where I’m not sure when my next pay day will come, but my passion for what I do will always drive me to find success in unfamiliar ways. A desk job with a 40 hour work week and steady paycheck is nice, don’t get me wrong — but I feel so much more free when I’m able to do what I love and have a say in the work I produce. Having this mentality also allows me to grow more as an artist by only taking on projects where I know my creativity and style will shine through.

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

I think as artists and creatives, most of us just want to connect with the world. We want our work to speak to someone and have a lasting impression on them. So I think receiving recognition, no matter how small, is incredibly rewarding. It can come in the form of a simple comment from a stranger on social media, or someone hanging my photography prints in their home, or a client who is thrilled with the work I did for them. These are all things that make me very proud as an artist and make me want to continue doing what I do every day. Being able to create every day is a luxury and I’ll always feel very fulfilled by that, but having your hard work seen, appreciated and recognized by even just one person is the most rewarding thing in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: johnofah.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/johnofah