Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Chaney.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2002, I started taking random photos of my cars and things and that led to people telling me I had an eye for photography. As a kid growing up, I was never really into the arts and was heavily focused on being an athlete. I was a multi-sport athlete and never really had the time to think outside of what I was doing since sports were year round.
In 2004 a friend of mine was telling me about a photo contest he had won the year prior, so on the last night of submissions, I took a photo that changed my life and career. I submit the photo and a couple of weeks later, I got a phone call from Motortrend Magazine and they informed me that I was selected as the Automotive Photographer of the year and that was the springboard I needed. Because I was such car enthusiast, I continued to focus my photography in automotive and built a name for myself. I’m the mid-2000’s I was apart of a car club called “Europrojetz” and I met someone who became my boss but also a good friend, Vince Wong. He saw my potential as a car photographer and he owned a company that made aftermarket wheels so he brought me on as a sales associate and photographer. At this time, an in-house photographer wasn’t the norm but having the ability to get product photos and lifestyle photos was important at the beginning of online ecommerce. While working full time with Vince this led me to doing wedding photography for people I met on the car forums or in the automotive industry were getting married and starting a family and wanted someone they could trust to capture their special day.
On those same car forums, I met my now good friend Charlie Ashby who was just getting into advertising for an automotive brand and moved to Colorado. After leaving that company, he moved back to California and started working for another advertising agency for an automotive brand and after a few years, he asked if I was interested in possibly joining him because there was a position suited for me. In 2014 I nervously interviewed and got the job. After working for Vince for nearly seven years, where I gained a lot of automotive and personal knowledge, I parted ways and then became a sponge working for a large advertising agency as a Product Information Specialist but also maintaining my photography/video business. In November of 2019, I switched roles from Product to Social Media Content Creator and have been developing content for Hyundai.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always wanted to be a business person and I started untraditionally and didn’t go the college route so I had to learn a lot about business. Taxes, DBA’s, marketing, web design and financing weren’t taught thoroughly in high school. Personally throughout this journey, I was having conflicting issues because I would compare myself to other’s success on social media and would think my work wasn’t good enough because I wasn’t getting the high paying jobs.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about NickelsVision – what should we know?
NickelsVision is a small production company with just myself at the moment but I’m getting others involved because I’ve realized this is not a solo career if I want to grow. I’m a hybrid content creator that can do photography, video, concept, Direct, execute and finish. I have a YouTube channel where I post my automotive content and just recently posting spec fitness commercials. On this channel, I started a series called Downshift where I focus on humanizing cars and telling the car owners personal stories. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t have one style and I can adapt to the client’s needs. Because of my background working for an advertising agency, I know how to concept something that isn’t just a one time use and then can shoot and edit.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
What I think is an important quality and/or characteristic is that I’m outgoing, personable, I network, I’m kind to everyone and passionate about a lot of things. People like to say that I’m a jack of all trades and master of none.
Contact Info:
- Website: NickelsVision.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Steezynickel
- Twitter: Steezynickel
- Other: http://youtube.com/nickelsvision
Image Credit:
Anthony Anderson, Nick Risk
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