Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Bui.
Jeffrey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started shooting basketball events because growing up, I was a huge Lakers fan. Basketball has also surrounded my whole life from playing in the backyard with my dad as a kid to high school basketball and recreationally in college. After graduating college from UCI, I worked a 9-5 sales job and I thought to myself what could I do all day that I could be passionate about? Being around the game of basketball was the answer. It was a blessing to have friends show me that it was possible to do. One of my first inspirations was a guy name Koolmac (Cameron Look). He was someone who showed it was possible to surround yourself in the game of basketball through photography. He shot NBA players and other top players in California and it all started with a camera and Instagram.
What sparked me to go into it full force is when my friend Kenny Chao jumped in and showed even further possibilities of being surrounded in the game of basketball and doing what he loved. He started off shooting high school basketball games as well and now he works full time shooting a group called 2hype and doing what he loved. This is what launched me into buying my first DSLR camera. Prior to this, I’ve always wanted to be a vlogger of some type so I had a small Canon g7x that I would make videos with but I wasn’t good at shooting nor editing. When I finally bought my first DSLR Camera (Sony A7iii) It as a huge upgrade and you could totally see the difference. BUT there was a huge learning curve as well. I asked all my friends that had a camera or shot professionally for advice. I was committed to learning as much as I could from everyone. The first game I ever went to was a 1.5 hour drive to riverside area and it was a Compton magic tournament.
Everyone that wanted to start shooting basketball would start in highschool because to get a media credential, it was a lot easier than getting one for college or the NBA. I shot a player name Jarod Lucas for 2 hours and then drove home and thats where it all started. This was my first basketball season so I Shot ALOT of games for free. I started off with just photos. Then one of my friends Beach City Hoops (AC) help me land a job shooting for a JV kid and making him a highlight video. I started to ask around about video setting and learn anything I could about them. I made a lot of mistakes but learned as I went. I would shoot three games a week for free driving up to 2 hours sometimes for the next 3-5 months. I would shoot edit and send to the players and in return I was able to gain traction on my Instagram. I went from 0 followers to about 15k followers in about a year.
Within that year, I started working with Bleacher Report shooting two highlight games for them. Then I worked with Overtime shooting highlight videos for them. Then Ballislife shooting some of their “day in the life” series. I found a way to make a stable income with shooting basketball. Being surrounded by the game you get to meet everyone on a surface level of course but its a blessing to be able to work and be around people passionate about what they do. I’ve had the blessing to be able to shoot for Lebron, Dwyane Wade, Money Mayweather, quavo, the ACE family and a lot other great influencers. I was also able to build a relationship with the Ball family and it’s going to be great to see Melo develop over the years. Just a blessing to be around the game and meet so many great people every day.
I was also able to be apart of a family called the Jiggy Familia. Where the main star is Isabella Escribano. We help tell her story of her grind and she just recently made Kobe Bryant’s team. Her backbone and support group consist of Me Marco escribano (Her brother) Eddie Velasquez (videographer) Evan Shimazu (Editor) and her mom Irma Escribano and Pops Marco escribano senior.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been smooth. A lot of learning and long nights and long drives. When I first started, I would shoot a game and edit my footages until 4/5 in the morning and then get up for my 9-5 job and work full shifts. All those nights compounded on each other and I ended overworking my body. I had to slow down and find a pace for myself that got things done while being balanced. Also in the beginning I had to drive long hours and shoot long games for free. I didn’t have the connections yet and didn’t understand the industry enough. But all those long days allowed me to learn and build connections. Also, the industry for what I do in my opinion is getting more and more saturated so you really have to set yourself up to be different to be able to grow.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Bal Bui has been a company based off of doing things that are uncomfortable. The saying that we have is Be uncomfortable, Be unstoppable. And the BAL part stands for Be A Lobster. Long story short a philosopher had a saying that the only times that lobsters grow is in when they are uncomfortable they completely shed out their shell completely. In times of stress and discomfort is when all humans grow and thats what we should embrace. BAL BUI specializes in building relationships with top athletes and influencers and also photography and video content creation for social media growth. Our goal is to penetrate this market and build relationships and effectively tell peoples stories. What sets us apart is the willingness to fail. Try new things put ourselves out there, be uncomfortable and grow everyday.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, most definitely. Los Angeles is the place to be to build relationships and learn from the best. It is so competitive here but the beautiful thing is that the work competition means to conspire. As we become more competitive with each other, we conspire each other to become better.
Pricing:
- Basketball Games $200+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.balbui.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bal.bui/?hl=en
Image Credit:
@Marsreel @overtime
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