Today we’d like to introduce you to Normandy Europa.
Normandy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
You know the old meme of the scientist dog having no idea what he is doing? That’s me. Lol, I’m kidding, but I think a lot of people would find this shocking, working in the creative industry was never a path I’ve always considered.
Growing up in the busy streets of Manila, Philippines, the creative industry was never given the amount of importance as it is here in Los Angeles. In Manila, more often than not, an ad gets released as long as it has a famous celebrity. Forget whether it makes sense or not, add face value and text, and you’ve got yourself an ad. Having that from the back of my head, I’ve never veered towards a non-corporate career.
My focus was looking for what was best for my future financially. Things changed when I got my first DSLR right before University. Plus, the fact that I accidentally signed myself up for a Graphic Design course (thinking it was an Information Technology course — LOL, I know.)
When I got my camera, I didn’t really think of having it for the sake of taking wonderful photos. It was more of a fad then. Right now, everyone is into drones and mirrorless cameras that shoot 4k, that was the DSLR then. Eventually, I used it more and more and I started doing actual shoots! This ranged from shooting portraits of my classmates, covering school events and finally school promos.
This was the start of my growth as a photographer. I guess that accidental sign-up paid off. I got to practice both design and photography. Even then, I was still not committed in working in the creative field but rather more on the events coordinator and project management side. What finally gave me the full push was when I suddenly got my US permanent residency processed.
That meant I was leaving Manila, and moving to Los Angeles. Just like the start of any American Dream, I worked odd jobs first when I first got here. I started out as a bagger and a Food Preparer at Costco. Moving into cleaning and renovating the nursing home owned by my aunt and uncle. After a year of being here, I just realized that I am in one of the biggest cities not just anywhere but in the world. Here, creatives thrive and flourish.
That led me to finally pursuing the path of creatives. With nothing but my school experience and my camera, I applied for three internships to get me started. I interned at a small talent and social media agency where I learned the basics of handling promos for different up and coming musicians. The second one was with a clothing brand. Here, I got to work on shooting and retouching product photos for their e-commerce website and lookbooks.
The last one was with an engraving company where I got to sharpen my vector illustration skills. Through these internships, I landed my first real job as a Graphic Designer in a full-blown agency. I worked on creating content for companies like FOX, Nickelodeon, AmEx to name a few. I worked on a variety of art; from graphic design, short-form animation, to photoshoots with brands and influencers.
After two years, I started working at a TV network where I am responsible for creating all the social content, which I am still doing until now. However, by being focused on creating social content, I couldn’t apply my skills in photography anymore. In order to compensate for this, I started shooting during the weekends with a focus on male fashion and portraits.
Eventually, I grew my photography portfolio in a way that people and agencies started to work with me which I am highly thankful for. So right now, I have a 24/7 job as a content creator which I truly enjoy. Sometimes I can’t help but pause and think about how lucky I am — I never thought I’d be doing this.
Back in University, I’d joke around and tell my friends I’ll be a big photographer and designer one day. Not thinking it would ever happen. Now, I am working in the creative industry, growing bigger and better, but keeping myself open to learning more and tackling different opportunities.
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?
Being an immigrant, the main struggle I faced was about adjusting to the new environment. Coming from a different continent altogether, a lot of things were different for me. One, I didn’t know anyone aside from a very few relatives, and the Philippines is almost on the opposite timezone than California which got me extremely isolated for over a year.
Second, I’m actually one of the worst when it comes to English, so communicating with people here at the start was intimidating and very difficult. Third, having a completely foreign background and just finishing college right before moving, it was very difficult finding any company to hire me because I have a completely non-existent background which raised a lot of flags before.
Finally, I was very against moving to the US at first, so I had a very negative disposition about everything which greatly affected my acclimation to the US. What helped me really get things going was after my 2-month visit in the Philippines. After the trip, my mind was refreshed because I finally got to say proper goodbyes to everyone back home.
In addition, seeing some of my schoolmates finally landing jobs in the greater corporate world of the Philippines, it prompted me to catch up with them. Also, when I had my trip to Boracay during my stay there, I managed to take wonderful portrait photos which really did give me some self-esteem that I have something creative in my mind after all. So the moment I came back to the US, I looked for internships around Los Angeles.
Eventually, I got the chance to intern for three different companies which really helped me grow as a person. I learned how to properly converse with people here, they helped me give a start on how to handle clients and projects, and most importantly, they put their trust in me that what I was creating for them are the assets they are actually using and presenting to their respective consumers.
With that, the rest just came into place, and here I am now.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Socially, I am known for my male portraits because that is what fills my Instagram page. It is only when a person visits my website will they see my design work.
I create social content for a living. During the workday, I work as a content creator for a TV network, creating and curating short-form social content for all the shows and events the network has. Providing graphics (static and animated) assets for tune-ins, series/season launch, and live-tweets are some of the tasks I do on a daily basis.
After work, I freelance as a graphic designer, creating branding collaterals and one-off graphics for companies here in the US and the Philippines. And then on the weekends, I take photos of models and actors for their portfolios and do product/lifestyle photography for clothing and lifestyle brands.
Given that, I still give time to look for volunteer opportunities of covering events focused on the LGBTQ+ community. I have done work with Glitter Run and Outfest LA to name a few, and I hope to volunteer for more!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
So far, I am concentrating on improving my career as a photographer. I am trying to get recognized in the social sphere, getting more work with agencies and eventually get more publicized work. With that hand-in-hand with my design work, the long run is to be a creative director for an entertainment company or ad agency.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.normandyeuropa.com
- Phone: +1(818)257-3686
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normandyeuropa/
Image Credit:
Colton Little, Eric Lutz, Franklyn Velez, Franklin Jasper III, Grim Chim, Jake Hobbs, Riccy Carabeo, Taylor Tew
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