Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Tia Diller.
Alexis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
From a young age, I was drawn not only to music but also photography and entrepreneurship. Perhaps unusual for most people, by middle school, I knew I wanted to go to college for Marketing to build on my passion for creativity and business. I was also certain I wanted to be a trumpet player or drummer in a SKA band, but that all changed when my parents bought me a guitar when I was about 15. Fast forward to college and working, I always found myself doing freelance photography and graphic design outside of my W2 jobs and playing music and writing songs. After working as a Marketing Manager for five years at a rock climbing gym, it was clear I was ready to flex more creative muscles and that I desired to work with and help with a variety of clients.
Since 2017, I’ve been a full-time freelancer as Alexis Tia Creative Marketing, encompassing product and lifestyle photography, social media and digital content creation, including video and graphic design, email marketing and Facebook ads. As an imaginative photographer and creative marketing consultant, I help newly budding and established businesses, entrepreneurs, and festivals better communicate their story and create connections through generating stunning visual imagery and compelling content for their target market.
And while I thought of music as just a hobby for a very long time, it’s since become part of my creative freelancing repertoire. You can (could until COVID-19) find me playing at venues like One Paseo in Del Mar and booking private events like birthdays/baby showers, and weekly open mics. In addition to writing personal music, I also write original songs geared towards sync licensing, which loosely means writing for film and TV shows.
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?
Growing a freelancing business while working full time as a Marketing Manager AND going to grad school full time AT THE SAME TIME? The struggle was REAL. After I completed my Masters in Communications, I had more free time, of course, but there were other struggles. For a long time, I struggled with confidence. Can I actually make a living doing freelance? Can I do great work for people? Will they see the value in what I do for them? At one point, I decided that I want to do work that I love to do, do great work for people that I love to work with and make a living.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I help people communicate and connect with their ideal customers through creative marketing, specifically lifestyle and product photography, graphic design, video, and content creation for social, website, and email.
My range of services at a glance are:
• Branding and lifestyle photography for your business
• Content creation for social media, paid social, marketing campaigns, and more
• Product photography for e-commerce
• Social Media Management (Writing content, taking photos/sourcing images, posting content)
• Facebook and Instagram Ads
• Email marketing management
• Graphic Design (logos, marketing material, business cards, posters, social media posts/ads, web, print, apparel, products)
• Front-end website design and management (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix) – light coding
I’m most proud of creating work that my clients love and that I get to work with some amazing small businesses. What sets me apart from others is that I’m always willing to go the extra mile and do whatever the team needs me do. I’m introverted, empathetic, and creative by nature with a marketing/business background and show the same care, creativity, and thoughtfulness about the work regardless of what it is. I have high standards and always look for ways to improve.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
How can you choose just one? Here are some memories that make me smile: Belly laughs with my mom and sister while watching movies or calling into the radio station during the summer in Nebraska, my grandma Guerrero singing Alan Jackson in the car, summers at the lake in IA, outdoor concerts in NE or anywhere outdoors really, when my four younger sibs were born, when I REALLY learned how to play the guitar and wrote my first song, Thanksgivings with the family in Lake Arrowhead.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alexistia.com
- Phone: 858.248.3118
- Email: alexis.diller@gmail.com
- Instagram: @alexistia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexisTiaCreativemarketing/
- Other: www.alexistiamusic.com
Image Credit:
Main Headshot of Alexis Tia by Darci Fontenot
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