TGIF:
This Goal Is Finished
Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!
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Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Jeff Drongowski. Jeff is one of my (Jaime) oldest friends and I am so excited to share his recentest (this is *so* a word) accomplishment with you. Jeff moved to LA 8 years ago with a dream of being in "the business." In addition to the film and photography studio he talks about below, he's also sold a screenplay, filmed Norah Jones, and is currently working on a short film project with some of today's most talented film crew. If you are at all interested in making it in "the biz," you'd be wise to follow his advice!
The Achiever
Working on something? I can help you.
The Goal
Open a photography and film studio (and take over the world).
A year ago I was wearing a suit and riding the elevators of Cedars Sinai hospital. I was coming up on my four-year anniversary as a pharmaceutical sales representative. The money was great, the company car and stock options were fantastic, and I absolutely hated it. Every day I woke up with a deep-seated feeling of dread. You’ve heard of golden handcuffs? Mine were from Tiffany and they were chafing the hell out of me.
So, I quit.
I cashed in my 401K (which I’ve heard you’re NEVER supposed to do, so there’s that) and began building a photography business. I had some lean months in the beginning, but it leveled out and people kept calling. I did most of my headshots under an overpass in Hollywood. It had great natural light and I was happy for a long time, until I realized I wanted more. I wanted to get into newborn and pet photography. You can’t ask a new mother to meet you under an overpass. I needed a studio.
To me, having a studio meant I was a “real” photographer. It meant unlimited creativity and absolute control over the environment. It meant backdrops, strobe lights and no trucks whizzing by in the middle of a shoot. It meant a place to make short films, hold auditions and edit film projects. It was an office, the next logical step in expanding my growing business, and I had no idea where to start.
So, I quit.
I cashed in my 401K (which I’ve heard you’re NEVER supposed to do, so there’s that) and began building a photography business. I had some lean months in the beginning, but it leveled out and people kept calling. I did most of my headshots under an overpass in Hollywood. It had great natural light and I was happy for a long time, until I realized I wanted more. I wanted to get into newborn and pet photography. You can’t ask a new mother to meet you under an overpass. I needed a studio.
To me, having a studio meant I was a “real” photographer. It meant unlimited creativity and absolute control over the environment. It meant backdrops, strobe lights and no trucks whizzing by in the middle of a shoot. It meant a place to make short films, hold auditions and edit film projects. It was an office, the next logical step in expanding my growing business, and I had no idea where to start.
The First Step
The first step was sitting down and dreaming about a better life with some friends of mine (Matt Peek and Robert Lamont). A shared desire to have a designated workspace, a base of operations for all of our collective film and photo projects, came to the surface as the three of us threw ideas around. The concept never really took hold until a property owner offered to lease us the space next to Matt’s restaurant, The Riverside Cafe, for a much lower price than we had anticipated. Suddenly there was a building instead of an idea. We laughed at how crazy it seemed, then we got serious about it.
Challenges
We took a tour of the space, put together a business plan and made an offer on the space. The guy took three weeks to tell us he still wasn’t sure if he could lease us the space. He thought he could get more money, and decided he wanted to put a restaurant in there instead… but he wasn’t really sure. He wanted us to wait and see if his restaurant came to fruition.
We had a plan in place but we were forced to twiddle our thumbs. We gave up on that space and expanded our search.
Matt and I began scouring Los Angeles for a new space. I must’ve looked at twenty-five spaces before we found a great place tucked away in an industrial park. We made an offer the same day somebody else did, and they were offering a longer lease term. I sent the owner an email outlining my business philosophy and provided examples of my work. He went with us.
We had a plan in place but we were forced to twiddle our thumbs. We gave up on that space and expanded our search.
Matt and I began scouring Los Angeles for a new space. I must’ve looked at twenty-five spaces before we found a great place tucked away in an industrial park. We made an offer the same day somebody else did, and they were offering a longer lease term. I sent the owner an email outlining my business philosophy and provided examples of my work. He went with us.
Staying Motivated
I decided a studio had to happen, so it was going to happen. That’s the way I generally do things and my partners were on the same page. I don’t think any of us had any trouble staying motivated..
Who Helped?
Matt Peek, Robert Lamont, and I each bring a different set of skills and resources to SHOOT. There were many meetings about business models, cash flow, speculative projects and long-term goals. We all had big dreams, and we found a way to make them work together.
TGIF - Celebrate!
First thing I did was drag the equipment I had in my living room into the middle of the studio space. Then I smiled and went home.
I poured a glass of the finest whiskey in the house, took a sip, and immediately began brainstorming ways to make the new studio the best it could be. I had the keys; it was time to live up to my own expectations.
(Jaime's note: This is so true! Jeff was talking to me about the equipment they needed for the studio and it turns out the projector he needed was languishing in my apartment. He never would have thought to ask me for equipment, and I never would have thought to offer it if he wasn't already talking through his project needs).
Also, if you have what most everyone says they want (six figures, company car, etc.) and it’s not enough for you, quit. You’re the only one who has to live your life.
What's Next?
I’m working up to a gallery show, a feature film, a documentary and a whole chain of photo studios for rent.
Right now, I have a life where I get up in the morning, and go to bed at night, and in between I do what I want to do. I’d like some more of that.
Right now, I have a life where I get up in the morning, and go to bed at night, and in between I do what I want to do. I’d like some more of that.
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