Today we’d like to introduce you to Beck Graben.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started in Florida growing up and working alongside my loving and creative parents. They have been building and designing large luxury custom homes in Panama City Beach, Florida for over 30 years together. (www.GrabenHomes.com).
I learned from them the importance of being the best at what we decide to do in life and prioritizing quality over quantity at any sacrifice. However, my creative outlet was always more media based, and I had a passion for photography, film, and design.
So at the age of 22, I went to college for graphic design and web development and dropped out in the 2nd semester. I felt like I could learn quicker on my own than I could in classes. Next, I applied as an Art Director for a luxury lifestyle magazine in my hometown of Panama City Beach, Florida, was I fully qualified for this job? Not really.
But I was confident I could do whatever it takes to get it done well. They wanted to see a sample magazine cover and article layout. So, I put together a design with a series of images of a fashion shoot with a model on the back of a boat and an article regarding fishing tournaments. I wanted to take this magazine to the next level visually from where it was.
Upon meeting with the two owners, I showed them my design, and they hired me on the spot despite having interviewed a few before me and had one left after me to interview. They asked if I could do an entire magazine in three weeks, I said, “sure.” However, I knew that a HUGE learning curve was ahead since there was a lot I had no idea about.
Throughout the next three weeks, I learned, and I worked to complete an 87-page magazine layout working 8 am to 1 am every single day and night and made my deadline. Crazy thing is, I was so stressed out wanting to do a great job that I ended up getting Shingles on my back after the job was done, at age 23, that’s crazy.
What kept me going was reminding myself that this is my shot to move from the home design and construction industry into the graphic design industry and that one day I’d run a creative agency and this sacrifice was worth it. I believe it’s always important to have a bigger picture of things in mind at all times; otherwise, you are just limiting your potential even if it requires a lot of hard work.
After about a year and a half, I quit my job as Art Director; I knew it was time for bigger things. I managed to make a name for myself having transformed the magazine to a whole new level, from design to photography. With all the contacts I had made, I was able to successfully launch Jelly Creative, A Graphic Design & Branding Agency. We continued to work on various magazines, ads, logo designs, branding, billboards, etc…
After two years, we started doing web design & photography as well, then as of the last four years, we started working with video production. Interestingly enough, we got into video production because one of our top clients asked if we knew anyone who could do video, and we said on the spot we are just starting to and would be happy to send you a proposal.
After all, we had a ton of photography gear, and we viewed video production as somewhat an extension of photography as well as yet another source of income plus it sounded awesome. Our proposal was accepted, and I went out and spent our project amount on video gear, and the learning curve started all over again, but the job turned out phenomenal.
I continued to run the company out of Florida, however, I began to become bored by the slow pace and lack of creative skills in my area. So I started traveling for inspiration and to work on larger creative based projects. I lived in Vancouver, Canada for a few months, shot video and photo for numerous musicians around the US. I ended up at Coachella in 2017 and shot Arkells for Last Gang Entertainment. I bought a car in Vegas; I had been searching for months.
Then I was like no way I’m driving this back… I guess I’ll stay. I secretly was looking for a push for me to move to LA for years and this was it. I always knew I’d likely end up in LA due to the creative based industries and the inspiration around every corner. Los Angeles has proven to be a perfect place for me to work alongside creative individuals that share my passion for creativity and quality work. I absolutely love LA.
A recent integral part of Jelly Creative’s success is the addition of Lavonne Anthony, our Art Director, and very talented Makeup Artist. We have recently been doing a lot in the fashion industry from Fashion Films to Beauty Photography with much more to come in the future. We have been combining music industry elements with the fashion industry, and the results have been stunning.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The struggles only started during the move from Florida to California. Obviously, that’s a massive move for many reasons. The issues I faced was learning to say NO more than saying YES. Which sounds negative, but it’s been the most important thing I’ve had to learn while being out here.
When you love what you do, that’s all you want to do, when your good at something people want to work with you. Even if budgets were low and, if it sounded creative, I would get my team, and we would do it.
However, juggling too many projects can lead to missed deadlines, despite how truly hard you work and the sacrifices you may make for a project. Oh also, no personal life. So I’ve learned to take on projects that are in line with my team’s goals and objectives.
This results in quality work met deadlines and client happiness. Additionally, finding people that are “real” has been tough. When I choose who to work with in LA, I now know what questions to ask and what to look for to find out if they can honestly do what they say before bringing them on board.
The result is a city full of truly creative people that I get to work with every day. Lastly, some clients think they can get photography and design work for very cheap here. Which is true, but you are then putting your business in line for failure or missed opportunities to capture content.
Many companies or freelancers that work for low budgets reflect unprofessionalism in their quality of work and or just don’t show up altogether because they partied too hard the night before. I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure my team, and I deliver quality quickly, which results in client happiness and success without any drama.
Jelly Creative – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Jelly Creative, our main goal is to help you attain #1 positioning in your industry. We accomplish this by means of proven and innovative marketing strategies that actually work.
One of our most popular service is web design. We build custom powerful websites on WordPress that allow for 100% customer easy editing. We stand out for Wix or Squarespace because our websites come packed with more features and carefully curated effective organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Properly built-in SEO is vital to ensure that a website shows up in search results based on how people are searching for your businesses services. Sure a website can look great, load quickly, but is it bringing you customers via Google search results?
Next, is branding and logo design. Why is this important? Does your logo grab attention? Does it portray what your company is about in a second? Is it versatile in any environment? Is it memorable? Or branding packages and logo designs meet all the standards to result in your businesses success.
Also, our photography and video production services are really booming right now. We have been doing a lot of video and photography in the music industry as well as the fashion industry.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Being the best at what you choose to do in life, never settling for mediocre.
Contact Info:
- Website: JellyLA.com
- Phone: (424) 259-3748
- Email: [email protected]
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
