Check Out Zia Bradley’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zia Bradley.

Hi Zia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Zia Avenue, from Jacksonville, Florida, where I was born and raised. Science was always a subject I was unusually good at in school, so after making the highest grade in my Chemistry class sophomore year, I decided I wanted to be a pharmacist. I just knew that was the career path I wanted to take, plus they have great salaries, what’s not to love. The upcoming summer I volunteered at the hospital pharmacy and had to face the harsh realization that being a pharmacist wasn’t going to result in me being happy regardless if the pay is great. Entering my senior year of high school, the pressure was on to figure out what college I wanted to go to and what I was going to major in. While trying to make this difficult decision, I strongly took into consideration the following question “If money wasn’t a factor, what could I see myself doing for the rest of my life that would genuinely bring me joy?”. This thought continuously ran through my mind at the beginning of my senior year.

During the time I was stressing about college, two of my close friends at the time joined the yearbook club (s/o to Gerald & Abby) and they’d always walk around school with cameras taking pictures of everyone just being themselves and interacting. Their photos were always so incredible to me because they figured out the art of being in the moment while simultaneously capturing it, so it can be relived for years to come. One day I asked if could I hold one of their cameras for the day to see what I could capture and the rest was history. The amount of fun I had that day capturing moments and meeting new students and faculty on campus made me realize I needed my own camera. At the time, I still hadn’t put all the pieces together with what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I needed a camera.

I eventually landed on majoring in Public Relations @ Florida A&M University because at the time, I thought it was the best profession for me to work in environments surrounded by things I enjoy. I’ve always had a love for pop culture and experiencing new things, from music, sports, fashion, food, tech, film, performing arts, literature, etc., so the decision just seemed like the right choice. I still had a burning desire to be a photographer at the time so I’d ask my older cousin Jarell to let me use his camera every now and then to practice until I could afford to get my own camera. I had gotten so good at it other students would ask me to take their graduation pictures. It wasn’t until the summer before my junior year in college that I’d get my first camera. I had to sell several game consoles and sneakers to buy it for myself, but I don’t regret the sacrifice for one second.

I quickly made a name for myself around campus for doing all types of photoshoots, and it just grew from there. Due to FAMU’s School of Journalism being integrated with their graphic communication programs, I had to take a variety of graphic design classes where I realized I genuinely enjoyed design just as much as I enjoyed photography. I wanted my work to stand out even more, and being someone who enjoys learning new things, I decided to take graphic design more seriously while I continued to hone my photography skills. Fast forward a year and a half after graduating from FAMU I went to Florida State University, where I earned a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communication. I just knew this was going to be the degree that tied everything together and would allow me to land my dream job in the advertising industry, creating with/for my favorite brands and people.

During grad school, I took several videography classes at FSU’s film school, where I earned a certification in Digital Video Production. After graduating with my Master’s, I tried to enter the workforce but grew impatient after numerous rejections, so I decided to boss up and take matters into my own hands by working for myself. I took a leap of faith and moved to NYC which changed the trajectory of my life. It made me comfortable being uncomfortable and showed me what people mean when they would say, “If you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere”. I had just begun to get invited to the tables and rooms I always wanted to be in, then COVID put a pause on everything. I moved back home for a while until things started to get back to normal, and was weeks away from moving back to NYC until I had a conversation with my friend Andre Troutman. I was telling him my plans and what I was working on, and before I could even finish he said, “Come to LA, you’re supposed to be here not in NYC”. At this point, I’m used to taking leaps of faith so I figured, “Why not?” I already had the money saved to make a move so why not do it now.

Without really knowing too many people or anything about LA other than what I’ve seen on TV and in movies, I packed everything and moved to Inglewood, CA. I just had to remind myself God has me, and living in fear won’t get you anywhere. I did a good amount of free work in the beginning because your network is your net worth, and I was moving to a new place where I had to start from ground zero, almost making a name for myself. I would go through social media for hours looking for people and brands whose visions aligned with mine and people I saw myself being able to grow within the industry and just began to contact everyone who made sense. I used to catch the 212 bus all the time because I needed to be in Hollywood or DTLA all the time because that’s where a bulk of the work was. The more I popped out to work the more I realized how small the industry is and with a little consistency and patience, your life could change in the blink of an eye. I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be in terms of my life goals and what I’d like to accomplish but I can confidently now say I am well on my way!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There can’t be peaks without valleys. The road had been narrow and winding my entire journey, but I will never let that stop me. One of my biggest struggles is my anxiety and overthinking. I love making art so much because it has the power to take your mind off everything you have going on and just focus on the beauty of what you’re creating. My anxiety used to stop me from being confident in myself and my work, but knowing that God holds the only judgment that matters really helps me. A quote that always stuck with me is by Thomas D. Willhite who stated, “Worry never accomplishes anything. When you have a problem, it is best to concentrate on the solution to that problem, not the problem itself.” I’ve been blessed with opportunities to travel the world and work with people and brands I could only dream of by stepping out of my comfort zone. At this point, I live my life wondering “What all could go RIGHT” not “What could go wrong”.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
A multi-faceted creative specializing in visual design, photography, and videography, my passion lies with content marketing and brand development. I enjoy connecting brands with the people in which they serve. I’m skilled in leveraging the power of blogs, online communities, and social media platforms to increase brand awareness and boost brand loyalty. I work with brands and companies to produce creative content and digital media strategies that increase their online presence and client engagement.

I’m known for my seamless integration of graphic design into my photography and videography. I can’t think of one thing I’ve done so far that I’m MOST proud of. I’m equally proud of all my accomplishments because everything I’m doing is a result of what I’ve already done. I’m just constantly learning and growing, and I think that is something that truly sets me apart from others. I like to think of myself as a creative problem solver because I enjoy learning new things and solutions to creative problems and pride myself of being someone who either can get it done by any means necessary even if I have to use my network to assist. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility working with me. I like to help make dreams come true 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: ZiaAvenue.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/Zia.Ave
• Twitter: twitter.com/ZiaAve
• Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCKYKBso-oAJnvEiS4_ZWCxw
• SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/ziaave