Meet Cameron Lee of Out with Cameron in West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Lee.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Cameron. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story and how I got to where I am today can be broken into three different stages. I was born in Taiwan and moved to LA when I was a kid. I had my mindset on being an actor when I was younger and I was lucky enough to have booked a commercial that got me into SAG right out of high school. I got into Pepperdine University as a theatre arts major, but thanks to my Asian parents, I changed my major to Advertising Communications and minored in Asian Studies and Marketing.

I worked as an actor while going to school so I never really made that many friends from Pepperdine, but I met some of my closest friends working on commercials and various acting gigs. Part of me knew acting was an unstable career and during that time there weren’t that many Asian roles for a 6 feet tall Asian guy like now. I was always told I didn’t fit in the stereotype of what people were expecting to see on TV for an Asian so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to leave that world behind after graduating from college. It would be a total different story now with the success of Crazy Rich Asian. Asians are finally getting more recognition, but that’s the thing with acting- it’s 50% luck, 20% timing, 20% looks, and 10% talent. You can be the best actor in the world, but you really need that one role at the right time to get you out there.

My first job out of Pepperdine was working in Marketing for a popular cable network. I got to work at the Oscars and worked with a lot of great brands and people. It was the best learning experience ever. I transitioned into luxury PR/marketing after dipping my feet in the entertainment world. I did PR and Events for a major luxury fashion retailer for about five years. During that time, I got to work with all the fashion brands from Chanel to Goyard to Tom Ford, you name it. I got to put on fashion shows for 500+ people and worked with many designers directly on various events. It was a great time of my career and it felt like I was in a good place.

Two years into that job, I started taking photos of models for the company Instagram and quickly my photos were being reposted by designers directly including Zac Posen, Akris, Monique Lhuillier, and more. This was when Instagram was just taking off. I became the designated photographer and after working with some influencers on various projects, I was like, I can totally do this AND be able to approach it from a business perspective combing all my years of marketing and PR experience.

I launched Out With Cameron in 2016 along with my Instagram focusing on luxury lifestyle and travel bringing the best of life, travel, and lifestyle through my photos on Instagram. I’ve done numerous collaborations with hotels around the world and one thing that separates me from most “influencers” is the fact that I have over ten years of marketing/PR experience. Since launching Out With Cameron, I started a division under Out With Cameron called OWC Media, which is a creative PR/Marketing agency that offers various creative services to brands and influencers from photography to PR to events.

It’s been a very interesting journey. I’ve never even held a professional camera till three years ago and now some of my photos have been featured by CNN Travel, Forbes Travel and reposted by many official tourism boards.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. I think with every career path, there are bound to be obstacles. For me, it was a challenge for people to see me in a different light. I did well in the corporate PR/Marketing world, so when all of a sudden I’m running around with a camera, people don’t understand that. It’s almost like people want to put you in a box and this is what they think you should do and who you should be, so when you start doing something different, they don’t like it.

I have a friend that took me under her wing and mentored me to really become who I am today. Her name is Erin Shaffer, I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without her. She helped me navigate the corporate world and gave me a chance when no one would and still continues to do so. I really owe everything to her.

I left acting to go into marketing/PR, and then I transitioned into the creative digital influencer marketing landscape that people are still trying to figure out. It’s part of the reasons why I started the creative PR/Marketing portion of my business–  to help people navigate that space better and help brands build partnerships. In a way, I am still in the PR/Marketing world, just not in a traditional sense.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Out with Cameron – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Out With Cameron is my travel influencer marketing business where I work with destinations, brands, and hotels around the world on creating digital content and stories through my Instagram account.

OWC Media Agency is the agency division I launched under Out With Cameron. It is a creative PR/Marketing agency that offers services in PR, Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Partnerships, Events, and Photography. What sets me apart from others is that I’m a unicorn in this space. I have experience being the influencer, the photographer, the PR agency, and the brand through my years of working in the marketing/PR world. I am able to negotiate the business side of things and properly pitch and secure deals while delivering on the creative end. There is not another person I know that have had the experience I’ve had in this space.

I am most proud of the network of talent and the people I know that have contributed to everything. People that work with me are always surprised by how many things I do. On the press side, I am most proud of having my photos featured by CNN Travel and Forbes Travel.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am hoping to expand my own business and focus more on brand partnerships. I am not opposed to going back to the corporate world, but it has to be the right thing. The social media influencer world is constantly changing and I do think it’s changed a lot the past year. I can spot people with fake followers and engagement right away, but there are brands that just care about numbers, not quality, so that’s been a challenge in such a saturated space.

I want to shift my focus on doing more brand partnerships and connecting brands with different businesses, brands, and influencers and continue to learn more about photography and photoshop. I love taking photos, but I’m also aware that there is a lot more I don’t know and I can do so much more if I continue to expand my knowledge.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.outwithcameron.com

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.