Meet KEVIN EASSA | Adventure + Landscape Photographer, & Filmmaker

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

Hi KEVIN, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In the beginning when I was getting started out, I never thought of it as starting my own business. It was mainly a point in my life where I knew what I loved- traveling and the outdoors. After having a camera for a few months and not having a clue as to how it worked, I just kind of decided to myself that I wanted to see if it was possible to make a living just through my camera. I’ve always been a hard worker, and I’m the youngest in my family, everyone already had a bunch going for them. So I decided, if I was going to make this outlandish choice to pursue photography and/ or filmmaking, then I needed to give it my all. I spent, hours, days, weeks, months, and even years learning. And I’m still learning to this day, it’s an always evolving thing. For many years I very much treat what I do as my own business, but in the beginning it was never like that. It was just about having fun and doing what I love.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m not really sure what sets me apart from others, I like to think my work is great, but at the end of the day not sure if there’s anything special about my art, there’s so many incredibly talented people out there. If anything at all sets me apart, I’d say it’s not my creative side, it’s my business side. I grew up in a family of workaholics, both of my parents and all of my siblings are such hard workers. So all I’ve ever known is hard work, grit, and consistency. I’ve used this over the years to grow my business. There’s so much importance to being a talented creative and artist, but if you don’t have business skills, there’s a 90% chance your business won’t go anywhere. You need skills that range from management and marketing, to networking, to branding, and beyond. To run a successful creative business, in my opinion, takes so much more than being a talented artist.

No, it was not easy. Not in the slightest. And even though there’s some months in the beginning that break 5 figures, there will very likely be a few or many months that only hit 3 figures. So you have to play the game level headed, you can’t get too excited at the wins and you can’t get too upset at the down side. Just have to appreciate what you’ve done and where you’ve come from, and then keep grinding.

There have been so many lessons along the way, too many to even count really. But I guess for one, just remember, hard work with intention always win in the end. Another one, while somewhat morbid, is a quote from Gary V- “You’re gonna die.” This is a harsh quote and harsh lesson, but if you come to terms with it, you’ll start to live every single day with meaning.

I’m not really sure what I want the world to know about my brand or story. I guess one thing would be- take my story as an example. I still consider my career to barely have started, even though I’ve been doing this for 7 years, but it’s wild to see what has been accomplished and done in that time. So many people want to chase their dreams but don’t know how… you just need hard work, passion, intention, and be willing to take a leap into the unknown for awhile.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It’s funny, when it comes to Denver and people visiting, there are very few food places, clubs, breweries, etc. that I know about. Definitely shouldn’t be the go-to person to be a city guide. However, when friends visit who want to go hiking, I can name more mountains and hikes than anyone I know. Maybe not my girlfriend Bri, but everyone else haha. I spend a ridiculous amount of hours looking at maps, geography, different terrains, different peaks, different mountain ranges, social media, blogs, climbing sites, 14ersdotcom, etc. When it comes to the outdoors, Bri and I both can plan some dope shit.

For the light hiker- St. Mary’s Glacier, Dream Lake in RMNP, Breckenridge, Garden of the Gods, Paint Mines Interpretive Park

For the hiker- Boulder Flatirons, Black Lake in RMNP, Mount Bierstadt, Mount Evans, Quandary Peak, Berthoud Pass, Mount Sniktau via Loveland Pass

For the adventurer- Long’s Peak 14er via the Keyhole or Cables, Sky Pond RMNP, Mount Sneffels, Crystal Mill, Island Lake & Ice Lake

I definitely strayed away from the city in my answer. But this is what we do, and Bri and I have our ‘date nights’ as mountain adventures, so we really don’t spend much time in the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom and my girlfriend, Bri. When I left college 24 credits shy of a degree, my mom was the only person in my family that supported it. She was the only one that knew I’d work hard enough to make something work. Bri deserves every shoutout as well, I/ we wouldn’t be where we are today without her. Bri is also a professional landscape and adventure photographer, and an incredible blogger.

We both chose an untraditional route. When we met, Bri was already into photography, and honestly if it wasn’t for her I would’ve never picked up a camera. She taught me everything in the beginning, and ever since we’ve grown so much together. And even though all of the years of adventure and working together on jobs with Bri, she has sacrificed so much to make this crazy life work. So I have to give a huge shoutout to Bri and my mom.

Website: https://www.kevineassa.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevineassa/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kevineassa

Image Credits: Descending Cotopaxi Volcano 19,347 feet- photo taken by Hayden Lynch, The girl in every photo is Bri Amato, my girlfriend.