Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Shelby
Hi Andrew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It all started nearly 20 yrs ago in southern California. A desire to be creative and express myself through creative artistic projects. I obsessed over my video production class in high school and decided before graduation that I would pursue a career in video production and photography. Little did I know that I would progress across a rollercoaster of a career as it took me further than I could have dreamed. I started a wedding video business, (KSVISIONS.COM) filmed and produced 50+ weddings and happened along the way to duplicate dvd’s for an outdoor hunting tv show. While i was watching the tape (Standard definition mini dv tape to be exact) I was extremely interested to find that it was an episode that took place in South Africa.
To backtrack, I grew up watching the discovery channel, dreaming one day I will travel the world and get paid doing it and was obsessed with what I was watching so I swore to myself at the time that this is what I wanted to do. I told the host of the show (A former MLB pitcher for the Dodgers) when he came to pick up the dvd’s that I promised that I would be the best camera man he has ever had and if he ever needed someone to give me a call. We exchanged contacts and sure enough about 2 months later, I was struggling to pull projects in and he gave me a call and said his camera guy couldn’t make a trip to Wyoming for a whitetail deer hunt. I instantly said i’m in before he could give me all the details and off I went to Wyoming. The trip was a success and I convinced him to let me edit the show and low and behold he switched up his production company to me and someone I had partnered with to run the pre and post production for a highly acclaimed tv show. I was ecstatic to say the least and long story short I was in the outdoor industry producing show after show, year after year traveling all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for 10 solid years. It was a dream and a half picking up client after client from outfitter to outfitter, trip to trip winning best show opener, and a few awards along the way.
I believe that what you put out into the world is what you will get. Hard work, determination and a never gonna stop attitude will take you where you want to go. Always listening to intuition and opportunities in the most random places. Which moves into the third tv show i produced, filmed, and edited that took me international, traveling 20 + countries in six continents. I got to the point of delusion waking up in a Dubai airport having no recollection of how i got there. To put it short, in one year I was on the road in different countries for over 300 days and had a crazy experience going from California to New Zealand, 2 weeks later heading to Mexico for two weeks and then right back on a plane to Australia to Dubai and back home. I was held up at gun point on the first night in Zimbabwe (Obviously survived) but was a terrifying experience because when i was a kid i dreamt of going to Africa and one day getting plugs in my ears because i obsessed over cultures around the world and it just so happened that i nearly died before i could even experience the rich culture and diverse landscape Africa has to offer. Some of my favorite images I’ve taken took place in the wilderness of the majestic landscapes of Africa.
As life happens i was in love and destined to get married soon so i had to make a change before i develop a family. Traveling had to change. I made a pledge to grow in the corporate and professional industry and the dream was re-imagined to step into a Creative Director role and focus on marketing companies across industries. I worked on projects from the music industry, extreme sports, fitness,and many other industries with a focus on commercial photography, fashion, and product development. Fast forward another 10 yrs and the experience was just as good doing higher end work and creating a name as a professional advisor and creative mogul if you will.
Our family expanded with the addition of a son that is so creative and talented I began to re-think our location to give him the tools he needs, enrolled in good schools, be closer to family, and pleasantville-esk vibes that surprisingly we landed in Utah county. Family means everything to me and as much as i have loved and embarrassed the opportunity to run my own company for nearly 20 yrs I decided to refocus my time and energy by working for one company so that i can allow for more family time and do less of 16 + hours a day working on random projects trying to keep everyone happy. Running a business is rewarding and exhausting at the same time so on to the next chapter of my life. Upon moving to Utah I joined the solar coaster. I worked as a creative in the solar industry for 3 yrs and realized it isn’t as stable as I heard it was and found an opportunity with a local holiday lighting and decor company that I currently work as a Creative Director.
The sky’s the limit in my eyes and by focusing on one awesome company that has great products releasing year round it also allows me to re-birth KSVISIONS.COM as a product based company that is all centralized around going after your dreams and living a life full of meaning, purpose and a sense of invigorating creative expression. On January 1st 2025 I’m excited to announce that I will be selling custom canvas prints of some of my travels around the world. Spice up your home or office decor with the likes of a detailed encounter with a majestic African elephant that stomped his way into camp while i was there, destroying supper, and charged me while I was taking a picture sending me into a frantic panic to escape and survive a wild elephant attack, just to give you one example of what you can furnish a room with one of my images.
I feel this is just the beginning of my journey and I would love to share more with anyone interested and eventually would love to share the details for anyone wanting to learn more in a book sold in a book store near you. I look forward to the many years to come and the next adventures waiting to take place. Until then I continue to start my day with a cup of coffee, or two or three, and live life to the fullest to my best ability. Here’s to good times and as always the best is yet to come. Stay tuned until the next chapter, it’s gonna be a good one. 🙂
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?
After 20 years in the business I can honestly say that anything worth pursuing comes with obstacles, roadblocks, emergencies, panics, and in my travels; near death experiences. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Every second of the journey. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. To get to where I am today I definitely live a more simple life and have great pleasure in things as little as buying a new keyboard that has a thwomp sound to every click. My son getting an “A” on a test, my son at almost 8 still expecting a reading book session before he goes to bed, My wife making a new traditional mexican recipe that kicks ass the first time she makes it, BBQing or smoking a pork shoulder for 8 hours and enjoying homemade tacos on the weekend, and still waking up every morning excited for the next creative project i get to enjoy creating from scratch. Life is all about treasured moments and they don’t come without a little sacrifice and hard times. I can recall several months of having a $10,000 + month and then going 3 months without seeing another payment. Endless days of no sleep trying to keep every client of every project happy while thinking it’s the best time to re-invest in camera gear only to find out the latest project gets pushed back and now trying to figure out how I’m going to pay the bills let alone put food on the table. Without struggle, one cannot fully learn what one is capable of coming up with or problem solving tactics that come from being at the bottom of the totem pole at some point. I embrace challenges and have learned to be creative in times of need to make ends meet.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a creative professional it is my duty to excite, develop reason, educate, or uncover the story within a product, place, or thing into the market that creates imaginative, innovative, reflective, motivative, humorous, or positive impacts with lasting impressions and profitable results. This is the type of energy I would love to bring to the table within your company.
I have provided insight, guidance, creative direction, and lead many projects to fulfill goal-oriented results across multiple industries. I have Continuously been willing to extend a helping hand at all levels of production; whether leading a team, loading sandbags on-location, hiking for miles during scouting events, operating the camera, or adding the polishing touches to the creative work myself.
Specializing in pre & post video production, Commercial photography, and graphic design. I have been apart of some of the most diverse categories in the industry where i have came to terms with the fact that if you give me a subject or a product and you tell me a result you want to see from the topic i have been confidently capable of making it happen. I’m all ears, if you have a product or service your unsure of the right fit to give you the results you pursue; give me a try. You wont be taking a gamble as i have 20 years under my belt and am constantly looking for opportunities to put my talent to use. Let’s work together i would love to hear more about your project!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5-10 years I can see myself positioning more so into a product based company taking on passion projects and focusing on building a brand. Starting with custom canvas prints of some of my images i’ve taken over the years and along my travels, to insights, tips, training, tools that make the creatives jobs fun yet efficient and productive, to being a creative advisor to companies around the world challenging them to think outside of the box and support other companies and products that i love. Oh, and eventually writing a few published books that become international bestsellers that one day can retiree and travel the world with my family revisiting some of my favorite destinations and awesome locations i’ve been grateful to see along my journey. But, let’s be honest, I love what i do i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to retire officially.
Pricing:
- $250 an hour video production or commercial photography
- $100 an hour for Graphic Design
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ksvisions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ksvisions/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/impresstheimpossible
