Rising Stars: Meet Scott Rhea

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Rhea.

Hi Scott, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I grew up in Northern Louisiana near a Bayou and was definitely that kid that liked to spend a lot of time alone in nature. My aunt and uncle owned a camera store in Mississippi, and the summer of my 8th grade, I spent working with them, which is where I got my first camera. I joined the High School newspaper staff, which helped me log countless hours of time in the darkroom, and eventually took a studio space above a hair salon, which led to shooting all of their media and traveling nationally for hair shows. I had also played music my entire life, so by the 2nd year of college, my band took off, and I toured a couple of years and would shoot in between when time allowed. I relocated to Dallas (the nearest large city) and began shooting fashion, and within a year, my career took off. I was working with clients ranging from Levi’s and Neiman Marcus, multiple tourism clients, and several catalogs. At 28, I visited Europe for the first time and immediately came home and sold everything, bought a Harley, and moved to Europe, where I spent 2 years working and traveling. People said I was crazy for leaving a coming business in the US, but I would not trade that amazing time in my life for anything. Upon returning to the U.S., I rebuilt my business and spent another 15 years shooting for fashion clients and splitting my time between L.A., Dallas, and Telluride, Colorado, where I bought some land and built a house. 

I began directing in 2008 and also birthed a personal art project underwater around that time that garnered international attention and pushed new boundaries that had never been done before underwater. 

Since that time, I have directed commercials and music videos and currently have a new fine art series that is about to be shot I have finished two screenplays, which I hope to have into production this fall. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think, as an artist, it is never an easy road, which is part of the process. It’s that pressure that creates a diamond theory, and we certainly would not have the Blues if it weren’t for some adversity. I definitely had a dark night of the soul decade that I would not wish upon anyone. I was heavily invested in real estate and had a very large ranch project under development, which I had just finished and sold out the same month that the Lehman Brothers debacle hit in late 08/09. It is very difficult to foster creativity under extreme stress, and the upcoming fine art series about to be produced addresses imagery that metaphorically reflects the challenges of managing adversity and how it crafts us into our best selves, although that growth is often seen years later through the rear-view mirror. We manage to get ourselves through things that we never imagined we could as humans and we discover resilience that was there all along, it just takes a catalyst or event for us to be put face to face with it. I meditate a lot and have found a powerful new relationship with the events that have brought me to where I am now. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Director, Producer, and Visual Artist. I specialize in large-scale production of fine artwork both underwater and on land. I also direct commercials, music videos, and travel-related content. 

What sets me apart from others is I will often push into territory that is extremely difficult or has not been done before and have to figure my way out of it. It often proves to be a bit masochistic but, in the end, produces a beautiful image. 

What’s next?
I plan to focus more attention on directing two feature scripts over the next couple of years and also continuing to produce the Still series. Prior to covid I was working a lot in Spain and fell in love with the country and the people. I would love to split my time in the near term between the Costa del Sol region and Los Angeles. 

Pricing:

• 2200-6000

Contact Info:

• Website: www.scottrhea.com
• Instagram: scottrhea1

Image Credits
©ScottRhea2024