Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Valley.
Hi Angela, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Decorah, IA. My first love was music which lead me to the Berklee College of Music in Boston where I studied songwriting and music business and was also trained as their first student video editor. After college, I moved to San Francisco where a random connection landed me a job at an animation studio. My video background got me in the door but they had no video positions at the time so I took an assistant bookkeeper role which lead to 10 years in the accounting industry that I hated every minute of. I eventually pried myself out by freelancing part-time as a bookkeeper while I explored other interests. At one point, I thought I wanted to open a bar/restaurant/music venue so I got a job as a bartender and also served a pop-up brunch at a friend’s restaurant. That killed that dream. I always wanted to do voiceover so I figured out how to record myself and started making money doing it. I explored another calling to make heart sculptures and jewelry which I sold online and also worked as a leather maker making belts and bracelets. Out of necessity, I learned how to create websites for many of these ventures and discovered I really enjoyed doing that. So I enrolled at Los Angeles Mission College and earned a certificate in web and graphic design and at the same time, earned a certificate in multimedia video production.
During this time, I had a part-time job as a web and graphic designer for a company called Zuwerks. They work with a lot of realtors and also provide real estate photography. Eventually, I was asked if I’d like to learn how to shoot photos and Matterport 3D tours – to which I said, “Yes!” and concurrently enrolled in an intensive photography class at Mission College.
When my wife and I decided to move to Long Beach a couple of years after that, I opened my own companies: Quiet Thunder Media and QT Real Estate Photography. Quiet Thunder Media provides video production and web design services and QT Real Estate Photography provides real estate photography, 3D tours, and videography. I’m also the web designer and videographer for Visit Gay Long Beach, co-founder of the Safe Spaces Alliance, and a licensed drone pilot.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Clearly, my path has been a winding one but I find it often takes figuring out what you don’t want to do to lead you to where you’re meant to be. And for me, that has included many trials and failures along the way. I’d say the most consistent challenge I’ve faced is as a woman working in male-dominated fields. Because of this, it’s extremely important for me to hold the door open and provide opportunities to women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in digital storytelling – whether it’s through video, photography, web design, or a combination of these. I’m passionate about working with and amplifying the voices of women and the LGBTQ+ community. My well-rounded and diverse skill set allows me to provide a one-stop-shop for all my clients’ multimedia needs. Another thing that sets me apart is my ability to “take the terror out of tech” (as one client put it) – and guide people on how to leverage technology to grow their businesses.
One of the projects I’m most proud of is the Safe Spaces Alliance – which I co-created with my wife, Elizabeth Perez. After someone burned down the rainbow tower here in Long Beach, we wanted to create an opportunity for businesses to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community and let the community and visitors know where they’re safe, welcome, and valued. My tasks were to create the SafeSpacesAlliance.com website where people could take the “Safe Spaces Alliance Pledge”, design the “You Are Welcome Here” sticker graphic they receive to display at their business or online and produce a video campaign that features local LGBTQ+ and ally-owned businesses. By far, this has been the most fulfilling project I’ve ever been a part of because I’ve witnessed how this gesture of solidarity makes our community feel included and embraced. So far, over 335 businesses, organizations, and educators have taken the Safe Spaces Pledge.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I haven’t really thought about finding a mentor before but I think it’s a great idea and am going to explore it. I avidly follow the author Mel Robbins and get a lot of insight from the content she shares. I’m also a part of several online groups for real estate photographers and videographers. Studying others’ work inspires me to continually try to up my game.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://quietthundermedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/longbeachrephotographer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longbeachrealestatephotographer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCPvwxgHmFEUp8wxyP0d-Aw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/qt-real-estate-photography-long-beach
- Other: https://longbeachrealestatephotographer.com/
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Ellie Perez
