Meet Jessie Addleman | Music Photographer/Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessie Addleman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is essential to growing as a person and growing your business. It is so easy to get comfortable and not change the work you are doing when things are working and doing well, but I truly believe there is no way to grow unless you step out of your comfort zone, take risks, and do things that scare you! My interest in music photography started in high school when my friends and I were going to concerts regularly. I would follow bands on instagram and then see them post photos and tag their photographers, then I would follow the photographers and realized that these people were making a career out of this and I knew instantly it is what I wanted to do. I went to college at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and joined ‘The Daily Nebraskan’ which is a student run magazine (the first two years i was there it was a newspaper) as a staff photographer. There I got to photography events, sports, and many concerts. Sophomore year I wanted to do more with music, so I took a risk and just emailed a local Omaha radio station offering my photo skills or help in any way, and they brought me in and essentially made a position for me. There I learned about radio and photographed a bunch of concerts! My most recent risk i took was moving to Nashville in 2022. I love Omaha but I just knew Nashville would be the place to be if I wanted to make this a career and meet people in the industry. It was scary and I didn’t know what to expect but I am so glad I made the move out here and I still have a long journey here!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been so drawn to music and photography even as a kid and teenager going to concerts I would bring my point and shoot camera and take photos of the show. Before I got my first professional camera and once iPhones came out i was taking photos on my phone and editing them after shows and posting them to my instagram because I thought they looked so cool. Once I got my professional camera my freshman year of college (a Canon t5 with a kit lens) I was taking it everywhere with me and just practicing and took a photography class to learn the basic skills. I joined the Daily Nebraskan and the radio station and grew from there. I then realized my dream of going on tour with bands. I would email or DM bands and artists asking to shoot shows and usually not hear back from most of them. I even remember one year I went through and emailed EVERY band that was playing Warped Tour asking them to take me on the road with them! haha. I think I got one reply back saying sorry we already have someone. In 2018 and 2019 I met band from Lincoln Nebraska and they took me on a couple of their week long tours. So it definitely has not been easy and it has been almost 8 years of me trying to make it! I’m not saying I haven’t come a long way, because I have, and I have gotten so many amazing opportunities and taken some of my favorite photos, but I am still working towards bigger goals! I also think as humans we will never be fully satisfied with where we are and what we are doing, because 5 years ago I was dying to be where I am at now. Small steps are huge steps in the long run.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have only been living in Nashville for a little over a year now, and luckily I have had friends and family visit already! Nashville is one of the biggest tourist attractions right now so there is always something to do. Broadway is the most popular choice, but I love showing them the small local spots that are less crowded. Nashville is such a cool city with so much talent, lots of great food, attractions and history. But as for bars, one of my favorite spots so far has been Santas Pub. So If you love a tiny dive bar with karaoke and Christmas decorations, thats the place to be.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give most of the recognition to The Daily Nebraskan and NRG Media Omaha. Both of these opportunities built 90% of my portfolio and gave me amazing experiences as a creative. Networking is everything in the creative industry and anyone who has given me advice, given me opportunities, or shared my name and work with others has been so helpful in my journey so far. My friends and family have always been SO supportive and are always hyping up my work, and all of this has just made me want to keep going!

Website: JessieMariePhoto.com

Instagram: @JessieMariePhoto

Facebook: @JessieMariePhoto

Image Credits
picture of me: Aubrey Wise