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Inspiring Conversations with Brennan Tolman of Tolman Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brennan Tolman.

Hi Brennan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a freelance videographer since I was 18 years old, and I was lucky enough to be in high school when the world made the transition from shooting videos on tape to digital. Because I was caught up in this digital video revolution, I had the perfect opportunity to get into the new age of the wedding video industry.

In 2017, so many people were enquiring for me and my wife to shoot their wedding. To keep up with demand, I ended up training multiple teams of photographers and videographers to shoot in the “Tolman Media style”.

Since then, we have expanded to about 4000 photographers and videographers (our creatives) all over the world. Today, my most important job is to travel around the world, meeting and training our creatives.

Alright, 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?
It has NOT been a smooth road at all. These last few years have been some of the most challenging in my entire life due to lawsuits caused by fraudulent business partners, COVID shutting down the events industry, and learning how to run a multi-million dollar company by age 25. I’ve been extremely lucky to have mentors that have guided me and loved me through my mistakes.

I struggle with depression and anxiety, which makes it especially hard since it’s lonely being an entrepreneur. Depression and anxiety just amplify that feeling.

One year ago, I had a full mental breakdown due to accumulating stress and business partners that stole money from me. I got to the point where I shaved my head and entered a really dark state. I’m extremely fortunate to have an amazing wife and family support system that help me through that time and I feel like I’ve come out of it a better person.

After I got to that point, I realized I needed to make some changes to my mindset on how I view myself, so I enrolled in life coaching. With all that help, I was able to learn how to love myself, and that has affected every aspect of my life. This last year I’ve been able to accomplish more than I ever thought — including becoming the youngest board member in the history for Kids on the Move, which is a non-profit dedicated to helping kids on the autism spectrum get an early head start.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My number one goal in Tolman Media is to help connect our team of 4000 freelancers to jobs that will pay them well and build their portfolio. When I was a young freelancer, I noticed that many freelance videographers and photographers worked in call centers in between their gigs. My mission starting at that time was to help keep their schedules full with Tolman Media bookings so that they could focus on what they do best.

My mission for our customers is to help brides on any budget get both a photographer and videographer for their special day.

Currently, Tolman Media fulfills over 8000 weddings a year and helps connect the best local creatives to weddings in their area.

I am known for leading a team of worldwide creatives and showing them what’s possible with hard work and nonstop creativity. I primarily do this through my instagram (@thebrennantolman).

I want your readers to know that Tolman Media is always looking for work in every industry. Every day, I strive to help creatives find themselves, and that includes trying new types of content creation. We are always open to trying new things and forming new connections.

I am extremely proud that we have created an inclusive brand that welcomes everyone as family regardless of race, sexual orientation, or any other factor. I truly believe that anyone from any background can create amazing content with the right opportunities. At Tolman Media, that’s what we strive to do — is give these opportunities to everyone.

I’m also proud to say that the main staff (including upper management) of Tolman Media is mostly comprised of women, most of which are stay-at-home moms. We offer twice-a-week child care in our office so stay-at-home parents can drop off their kids and come collaborate with their coworkers. Many of our stay-at-home parent employees didn’t think that they would be able to have a good work-life balance after having kids, and I’m proud that they are able to do that at Tolman Media.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there else you’d like to share with us?
Often times in the photo/video industry, there tends to be a very competitive and cutthroat culture towards one another. If I could leave any last impact on this world, it would be to help this industry collaborate instead of compete. Most people believe that success is finite— if someone is successful, there’s less success out there for others. From the bottom of my heart, I believe the opposite to be true — I believe success multiplies. For every successful person, there are hundreds more opportunities created for others. By collaborating instead of competing, we are creating more opportunities for success to be shared by all.

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Brennan Tolman

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