Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Milledge.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally, I was born and raised in a small town called Americus, Georgia. Most people know this to be the same county where former president Jimmy Carter was born, raised and resides today. As a child, I was not interested in creative arts, including photography. However, I do remember my mom taking cool photographs for our family scrapbook. Growing up, I was heavily involved in sports. Football was my favorite sport because in a small town, that’s where our Friday nights were spent, and if you were a star on the varsity team you were pretty much a local celebrity. After graduating high school, I attended the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, a few hours from home. Before starting my freshman year, I purchased a point and shoot to record my college experience, but after a few weeks, I stopped and didn’t pick another camera up until I graduated and moved to the inner city.
In Atlanta, I started my career as a middle school teacher, but noticed the pay wasn’t what I expected; so I invested in a camera to make some more money. I soon realized I was being paid the wage of a substitute teacher instead of the certified teacher I was — I guess it was a blessing in disguise. While teaching in Atlanta, a teacher I worked with told me she was the academic dean of a summer program that had various camps all over the country. When she named UCLA as one of the locations, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the program that summer.
Los Angeles hip-hop had been a big influence on my work and my life prior to even visiting Los Angeles, so I knew I couldn’t pass on the opportunity! While working at the summer camp, I began to fall in love with Los Angeles, and soon began to even get clients during the summer months while I was out here. After my first visit, I knew this was a place where I would want to live. To make sure I was able to make a living when I arrived, I knew I should have a job, so I meet with a few schools at job fairs and got callbacks to send demo videos of myself teaching. However, the quality of the videos were not very good, and I knew they didn’t reflect me as a teacher. As a result, I just booked a flight and told every school I would be out here in Los Angeles the following week. Luckily this bold move landed me a few job interviews! After interviewing and landing a job, it was time to move! This all has led me to where I am today with The FilmMore Company. After living here for around two years now, I have received many great opportunities, and have met some amazing people!
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?
Mostly, it has been an uphill battle. The hardest part was relocating to Los Angeles and finding a new line of patronage. Even though I don’t struggle financially because of my full-time employment, I struggle with marketing, networking, and building my clientele. In a perfect world, I would love to do this full time and dedicate more attention to my craft. I hope being featured on this site will allow that to happen in the near future.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The FilmMore Company is owned and operated by myself. I am a film photographer — primarily fashion portraits. Outside of that, I am known for taking photos of palm trees and anything that I feel displays a sense of serenity. Some of my clients request palm tree prints to be presented in their home or workspace to bring a sense of calmness to the environment. Currently, I am designing clothing that insinuates my love of palm trees. I take pride in the way my art provokes emotion from a single photograph that is later transformed into something they can wear.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Perseverance is a characteristic that is profound in my success. Through the trials and tribulations of becoming the artist I am today, it is important to maintain your goals and stay focused. In return, photography has taken me to new heights and introduced people that have changed my life forever.
Pricing:
- Photo sessions start at $300
- Merchandise starts at $25
- Prints start at $20
Contact Info:
- Website: filmmorela.com
- Phone: 3238161090
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @filmmorela
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.
