Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Roark.
Hi Tommy, 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 first picked up a camera when I was maybe 19 as a way to capture moments before they became memories. I worked a summer job at a summer camp and one of my coworkers around my age was showing me all of these little videos he made of his friend’s cliff jumping or snowboarding. I found it crazy how exciting he could make things look using a drone, a GoPro, and a DSLR camera.
I started making similar little videos of travel and experiences with friends and told myself I was going to try to make my first “real” video when I was studying abroad in Barcelona my junior year. It was terrible. But at that time, I was incredibly proud of it and felt it was core to my goal of just capturing memories as they happened. From that point forward I decided I wanted to find a way to make money, traveling the world while using my camera. I think around that time was huge for a lot of the “OG” travel influencers, Sam Kolder, Jay Alvarez, Matt Komo, etc. And I found early inspiration in what they were doing, creating content that allowed them to travel for free.
Around the end of college, I started shooting sorority recruitment videos, senior portraits, and some local small businesses around New Hampshire, where I went to school (University of New Hampshire). I was barely charging any money but felt accomplished just being able to make money from my “fun little camera hobby” (which I still to this day call it no matter the size of the brand I’m working with – I’m someone who doesn’t take myself seriously in the slightest)
I decided I wanted to push forward in filmmaking and worked hard to get a job offer from ESPN, working on their creative content team for when I was due to graduate college in the Spring… of 2020… when the pandemic started… and the sports world stopped…and the whole world stopped… and then my job offer got pulled from me as they rescinded all new hire offers and laid off staff.
So, like many other people, there I was at home (in Connecticut) post-college with no job or plan, for that matter, on what to do next. Despite the situation, I still found ways to continue learning how to create better content and built a small clientele of brands and businesses that wanted to work with me. This confidence boost really, I think motivated me not to give up even as the world spun out of control.
In the summer of 2021, I decided to move to San Diego. Why? No idea. I think the weather seemed enticing, and I didn’t know anyone. I think at that point in my life, I genuinely just wanted to start off fresh somewhere new and try to figure out who I was, not how my friends or family or anyone else in my life up to that point saw me.
So, I shipped out to PB with a few bags of my stuff and just set up shop. The only person who I knew in San Diego besides my roommates was Connor Dever, a fellow UNH grad who had moved out about a year before me and had been a great mentor and resource via Instagram DM’s while I was starting out in the camera world (or whatever people call it, like I said I don’t take myself seriously). Connor helped build a lot of confidence within me and was always down to get out, shoot somewhere new for me, and teach me a lot along the way. I credit a lot of my success in San Diego to him.
From there, I started building a small but growing client base of brands and clients. California offered so much more opportunity to grow a creative career than New England did for me, and I became enamored with its picturesque palm trees, pastel sunsets, and vibrant surf culture (which was totally new for me)
I discovered I liked working with outdoor high energy and adventure lifestyle type of brands, so when I began working with brands like Super73 Ebikes, Blenders Eyewear, and LSKD, I felt like I found my niche.
I also found that I enjoyed shooting nightlife. As a longtime fan of EDM music, I always loved watching nightlife recap edits and shots of the pyro, lasers, and lights on Instagram. Two of my close friends and mentors, Sam Castle and Drue Pines, were both prominent nightlife photographers/videographers, and although the industry was tough to break into, I soon found myself shooting for artists whose music filled my playlists like Martin Garrix, Chris Lake, Nora En Pure, and FISHER. I think for me, what worked for both shooting nightlife and the types of outdoor adventure lifestyle brands were that they were authentic to me. It was the music I already listened to and the brands that I already wore or used. I never felt like I had to fit a different personality to vibe with their teams; I could just be myself, and they’d trust me and my “silly little camera hobby” to deliver from there.
During January of 2022, about 4 months into living in San Diego, I took a trip out to Hawaii to watch the Billabong Pipe Masters contest. Me, with very little knowledge of surfing, was introduced to the sport by my friend and roommate, Colin Runk. He was patient with me both as a surf instructor and when it came to answering all of my dumb surfing noob questions about the professional surf world. Colin and I went to the contest for 3 epic days of some of the best surfing I’ve seen to this day, ultimately with the legend Kelly Slater winning the contest at 50 years old… pretty cool.
During the contest, I decided to take a risk and launch my drone, which was against the rules. But made sure I stayed far from the surfers and other drones to avoid potentially injuring anyone. I was just so blown away by the waves and barrel riding I saw and felt that this was one of my first true “bucket list shots” that I had the opportunity to take and wasn’t going to let it pass by. I used the 7x zoom lens on my Mavic 3 to capture a perfectly framed video of John John Florence catching a wave and riding it perfectly into the barrel; all the while, my camera turned him into a silhouette inside the barrel, creating a shot unlike any of the other drones were able to catch, being so close to the surfers.
I decided to post the video as a reel on Instagram, and it was the first time I ever felt that I went “viral” with surfers and brands liking, reposting, and even offering to buy the clip from me. Kelly Slater liked the clip, which was a cool moment for me, and renowned Drone Surfing Photographer Tucker Wooding called it the “shot of the competition,” but the one that really caught my eye was Billabong liking it… all the while, I’m thinking, “do they know I took this shot illegally?”
I decided to do what any 23-year-old guy would do and shoot my shot. I sent Billabong a note saying pretty much “hey thanks for the love on my clip…I’d be happy to give it to you guys, but in return, I want to get in touch with someone on your team to talk about potentially doing some more work together.” To my surprise, they agreed, and the next thing I knew, they had me working as a director on a small but notable campaign for Billabong based in Laguna Beach.
After being able to add Billabong to my portfolio, I felt like I had a sense of legitimacy behind me. Being asked to direct for a brand that keeps most of its content in-house was definitely a confidence-boosting moment for me. It gave me the courage to go after larger brands. It also introduced me to my now business partner, Austin Jose.
Austin and I met when I was casting models for the Billabong shoot as he had the typical “surfer guy” look to him, but as I got to know him on the shoot, I found out he was just as capable, if not more than I was with his camera, he was also a Connecticut guy too who came out to San Diego looking to grow his career and as a person so I instantly felt like we were a great match as friends and as a team.
Austin and I then went on to combine our client bases and form our joint venture, Experience Media (or EM for short) Studios. From there, we both continued to add brands in and tackle them together. Often traveling to different cities or countries for weeks to tackle larger commercial projects.
Since moving to San Diego, I’ve been honored to work with companies like Celsius, Red Bull, Versace, and the San Diego Padres to create compelling stories and visuals for their brand.
Currently – what I’m most focused on is my first upcoming full-length film. It’s titled “Ode to the North” and follows professional surfer Eimeo Czermak across the North Shore of Oahu for a full winter season, telling his story from growing up in Tahiti to now surfing against his heroes and the legends of surfing in competitions on what many call “the mecca of surfing”. We lived with Eimeo for a few months on the North Shore of Oahu, and our lives revolved around the waves and the competitions. We’re planning on doing a few showings across California, with the first one being in Encinitas in late February – Early March.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think life ever is a smooth road, I love a quote by the great philosopher Gary Greene, that says “tell God your plan and he’ll laugh in your face”.
But ultimately, I’ve had a lot of amazing people in my corner since the start: friends, family, and some great mentors who have helped me grow and mature as a person, businessman, and filmmaker. Without them, I would never have had the confidence to take the risks that I have and chase the goals that I set.
I think I often struggle with impostor syndrome. Being someone who doesn’t often see himself as a professional or take himself seriously, I sometimes find it weird why brands or companies want to work with me. I hate being complimented and enjoy criticism and feedback as I think it makes me better. I think when I’m praised, my first thought is, “Really? Why me? Why do you like this?” rather than accepting the praise.
Beyond that, I would say learning to work with difficult people has been a learning curve that all professionals face. My road has gone smoother than I could’ve imagined, and I feel really grateful for all that has happened to get me here. Wins and Losses.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Photographer & Filmmaker.
I specialize in outdoor, adventure, and lifestyle brands.
I think I am known for my work in the surf community, the nightlife industry, and the landscape photography space, and for being a jack of all trades; I love shooting new things.
I’m most proud of my upcoming film, “Ode to the North.”
I think my business mindset sets me apart from other creatives. I went to college and studied Marketing & Sales. I can sell myself or my vision to anyone given the chance. I have come terms accepting that in this world, I will succeed by focusing on the things I can control. There will always be better shooters than me, there will always be better editors than me, but the thing I can control and aim to be the best at is being the best networker in the room at all times. Every conversation is a business conversation, and you are always “selling” yourself in life, whether it’s pitching a project or getting someone to go on a date with you.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’ve had 3 genuine near-death experiences. Like serious gun to my head, knife to my throat type situations that I am amazed to still be alive from.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emstudios.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualsbytommy/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-roark
