Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnathan Smith.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Johnathan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I like to think of myself as a man of many hats. Every hat representing what I’m extremely passionate about. Some of those hats being; Acting, Photography, and Graphic Design. I’ve immersed myself into different avenues within the arts. I have been a self-taught graphic designer since high school. Which in turn led to my major in college at the University of Georgia. While studying design and being an athlete for Track and Field, I caught the “acting bug” we like to call it. My dad was an actor in Los Angeles when I was growing up. I suppose I rebelled against it at the time because it was something he was pushing for me. I never took it seriously until shortly after college. I was dedicated to finding a healthy balance between all of this. Thus, finding a home at Visually Sold, where I am currently employed as a Photographer. This amazing company full of entrepreneurial spirits frees me to express my creativity through many avenues. Alongside Visually Sold, I work on the production side of a TV series called Leagcies, all the while pursuing my own acting career. I have a team of amazing friends, who are also actors, pursue acting together. We are currently working on our own productions for film festival consideration. Somehow, I was able to find a seemingly symbiotic relationship between it all.
Great, 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?
Anything in life worth having always comes with its challenges, especially if you’re passionate about it. Whether it’s having two or even four shoots for Visually Sold in the morning, to working on design projects right after. Or between working on set for 12 hour days and recording auditions due the very next day. It can be very draining at times. But when I stepped back to look at the bigger picture… I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I want. It took me a while to find this sort of balance between it all. Trying to fight between just settling for one area I was passionate about, to struggling to find clients for freelance design work. Acting as well is one huge uphill battle of people telling you “No” until you finally get that “Yes” that matters. The main struggle is to stay motivated. When you choose to go the entrepreneur route, you’re in charge of yourself. As fun as that may sound at first, it takes a lot of motivation to get yourself out there. When things don’t pan out, you can only blame yourself. I’ve had to pick myself up countless times with the help of my extremely supportive friends. Every time I’ve fallen, I’ve learned a little bit more about myself. Self-efficiency is the key and always the elusive goal in mind.
Visually Sold – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
With Visually Sold, I’m a Real Estate Photographer. We pride ourselves with being a strong force in the photography market for real estate. We have a unique system that allows Agents to easily access a user-friendly system to book their homes for a shoot. We in turn, churn out stunning photos for the agents to use to greatly help sell their properties. I’m extremely grateful to be a part of this company because of the dope people I get to work with, who we all see as one big family. We’re constantly striving to become the best in the industry. Within the company, some may know me as “RustLord” due to my seemingly unfortunate equipment malfunctions. But I believe what sets me apart is my experience as a designer. I know the grueling work the editors back at home base have to go through, sifting through and editing photos. I aim to create eye-catching photography that limits the need for post-editing.
Working on the Production side of Legacies, I’m a 2nd teamer to the actors. Having been a part of the production team for a while now, it helps me stay connected to acting. Whenever I’m not on set filming my own projects or in classes, I’m working on another set. It’s a priceless experience to get behind the scenes and learn first hand what really goes on. In my time as a 2nd teamer on other sets, I’ve been able to meet a variety of actors, producers, directors, and writers. One actor being Michael B Jordan who I learned a lot from during my time on set. Using that knowledge, a group of actors and I will be producing and acting in our own projects. I am currently signed with an acting agency here in Atlanta called Evolution Talent Agency, where I pursue other acting opportunities.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of my proudest moments working with Visually Sold would definitely be an accidental shoot that turned into landing a now client of ours. I had the pleasure of shooting a house in Serenbe. It’s a very unique communal neighborhood in Fulton county that practices New Urbanism. Which is a short way of saying, these houses were nothing short of amazing. I was originally scheduled to do just a simple 3D (three dimensional) Scan of the house using a 360 rotating camera called the Matterport. A quick in and out as it should have been. I had mistaken the shoot for what we call the Complete Package. Which is a complete house photoshoot (35+ high-quality photos) including a 3D scan. Three hours later… I ended up with a shoot that was more than what the client originally ordered. The client ended up loving the images so much that they agreed to let us continue to shoot all of her houses in Serenbe. It’s still to this day, the hardest but most rewarding shoot I’ve ever done.
Contact Info:
- Address: 319 N Main St, Alpharetta, GA 30009
- Website: https://visuallysold.com
- Phone: (678) 948-5388
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visuallysold/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visuallysold/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/visually-sold-atlanta
Image Credit:
Jahmar Amani
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