Tyler Drehobl shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Tyler, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Something outside of works that has been bringing me joy is that I recently found out that I am going to be a father to a baby girl. This is a major development in my life and words can’t express how exciting this is for my wife and me!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Tyler Drehobl and I am the owner, CEO, and DP of Drehobl Creative Media LLC, a media production company based in San Diego, CA. We specialize in a variety of different types of media creation including photography, videography and social media marketing. We serve many different markets, but our main markets are luxury real estate media, corporate media, nightlife, and educational content. Something that makes our company unique is our turnaround time for projects; 95% of our client projects are complete within 48 hours of the production date. This is all done without sacrificing quality and we have found that this allows our clients to utilize their assets faster and thus they are able to capitalize on their market research while it is still applicable to their given market.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother and father always saw me for the person I would become and the potential I had long before I saw it in myself. They pushed me to complete the normal prerequisites of becoming an adult (college, financial literacy, etc.) so that I had them in my back pocket, but they always knew that I would walk the path less travelled. After graduating with a business degree and spending a few years unhappily working in insurance, I ultimately decided to spend a few years backpacking through latin America where I ultimately rediscovered my passion for photography. When covid hit the world, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to take a risk and pursue photography/videography as a career. Five years later and my business has allowed for freedom and satisfaction in my work/life balance as well as financial security.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I definitely considered giving up a few times in the early stages of the photography business. As with most photographers, at first it was really hard to find clients and as a result I felt as though this would never be a sustainable career. However, instead of giving up I doubled down on developing my skill set, chasing down new leads and over time was able to make the business sustainable. In addition, this business has natural ebbs and flow where your best month is often followed by your worst. This instability had almost caused me to give up a few times, but the key was learning how to set aside money from the good months to cover the bad ones. Lately there are less bad months and the good months seem to be more fruitful, but I never would have seen this success if I had given up when it got difficult in the beggining.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie that I see within the industry are the endless “gurus” that are trying to sell you a masterclass that promises to take you from “under $5k/month to over $20k/month.” This drives me crazy because most of these people don’t actually make their money from media production, but rather make it from selling some bogus masterclass. This is often evident when you try to find examples of media they have created for clients and it is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately there isn’t some “hidden secret” that will make you successful; if you want to have success in this industry you will need to outwork your competitors in improving your craft, studying the latest marketing/outreach techniques, paying attention to trends, and networking your butt off.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
So this one is a bit unique to me, but my hobby/side hustle is aqua culturing corals. I am most at peace when I am either working on my reef system or even better scuba diving out on the real reefs in the ocean. Something about being close to water and observing the sea life melts all of my problems away and allows me to immerse myself within the natural beauty of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drehoblcreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drehoblcreativemedia?igsh=MXBldmd3azNjNTJtMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-drehobl-b775a982?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.drehobl?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/Y9mrkIIGqR
