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

Alright, Pam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

Back in 2011, I moved across the globe to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in television writing. I was singularly focused on achieving this goal, despite the many obstacles I faced (extremely saturated market, strong competition, needing visa sponsorship… etc). After graduating college with a degree in Screenwriting, I took on many internships that I hoped would lead me closer to a writer’s room. However, it quickly felt like I was hitting brick wall after brick wall, and after several years, I eventually quit this dream altogether. It was an extremely frustrating and defeating time as I constantly felt like I was running out of options. After all that time and money spent on trying to achieve this goal, I had felt like an absolute failure and a huge letdown to my family who had supported me throughout this time – financially and otherwise. However, I’ve always lived with the belief that when one door closes, another will open. And another one did. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I never realized this dream, I allowed myself to be open to other opportunities and to say yes to the things that excited me. It was then that I realized that what I was truly pursuing was a creative outlet, and it didn’t HAVE to be in television. I pursued design & photography, and found myself equally, if not more, fulfilled than I had ever been. While the door to television writing never quite opened for me, others did, and I found myself exploring whole new worlds that I actually enjoy being in! I now look back on that time as a period of exploration and learning and not as a time of failure. It was a crucial part of my life that I had to go through in order to land where I am now, and I am truly grateful for it.

Pam, 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 am an elopement photographer specializing in facilitating and documenting a day of experiences for couples who choose a more intimate wedding day. My decision to focus on serving eloping couples stems from my own wedding planning experience. When I got married, all I knew was the world of larger traditional weddings. My limited experience with weddings led me to think that that was the only way to get married, and I never considered that I might have other choices. It was only after my own wedding that I learned about the world of elopements, and the endless possibilities surrounding an elopement day. I felt myself strongly drawn to the idea of refocusing this day back on ourselves as a couple and keeping the day intimate and true to ourselves, where instead of trying to entertain 100+ guests, we could spend the day doing things that we truly enjoyed. As two people who feel uncomfortable with being the center of attention, an elopement that involved just our closest family and friends would have suited us so much more, and I knew that we weren’t the only ones who felt that way. I then made it my mission to help couples in a similar boat realize that they have other options, and to facilitate them in designing a day that truly reflected who they are, a day where they could feel safe and comfortable to be 100% true to themselves, free from judgment or expectations.

I am also starting to dive more into adventure elopements, serving couples who feel inspired in the outdoors and want to add an element of adventure to their day.

In addition to photography, helping my couples with planning logistics, permit applications, locations, vendors and most importantly being someone my couples can depend on and feel comfortable around is at the forefront of my business. I recognize how many people might feel uncomfortable with a camera pointed at them, much less having a stranger behind that camera, especially on one of the most personal and intimate days of their lives. It is therefore incredibly important to me to first establish trust with my couples, so that they may feel safe to be vulnerable around me… because I believe there is beauty and strength in vulnerability. More than serving adventurous eloping couples, I want to serve those who wear their hearts on their sleeves, feel their feelings deeply, and who want to grab life by its horns and take full advantage of the time that they have.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When a career in television writing didn’t pan out, I found myself at a crossroads of going back to school, or taking up a job offer in kitchen & bath design in San Diego – something I had never even considered as a career path, and so far from what I had initially set out to do. I chose the latter, and surprised myself with how much I loved it… when it dawned on me that what I was truly seeking was a job that allowed me to be creative. When I left my job to move back to LA in 2019 and COVID hit several months later, I had to pivot again and this time, I chose photography. Pivoting has never scared me, in fact, I see it as opportunities to explore new areas that I may never have thought about before, and it sure has led me to some interesting places that I never would have explored otherwise!

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

My partner and I have an airbnb in Big Bear, California. I took photos of the cabin after we had set it up, and it led me to starting a side business in airbnb photography.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pamjeannephoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamjeannephoto/
• Other: https://www.venturingstays.com/