Humanist Photographer & Storyteller
"I became a photographer to tell stories through images and experience the emotions that were missing from my life. Love for humanity has been my only guide all these years. If my photos make you want to love, then my efforts will not have been in vain."
The difference between real life and those trapeze flights above the rooftops of New York ?
In life, there’s rarely a safety harness to shield you from the fear of risk, let alone a safety net to save you from death in case of a fall. But overcoming fear and taking risks are the true oxygen that gives life its meaning.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes, felt fear, and had many regrets. But I’ve never been afraid to try, because the one who tries has already achieved the greatest victory: the victory over themselves.
Know yourself.
At 24, I left my family, my friends, and moved to Paris to become a TV host. Nobody supported me, but everyone criticized me.
After two and a half years of doing odd jobs, with no responses from TV production companies, I decided to leave France for good. I bought a one-way ticket to Tenerife, Spain.
Fifteen days before my departure, I came across an interview with Marie-France Brière, one of the biggest TV producers in France. I thought to myself: "Why not? Send her your CV." Without much hope, I called her office and spoke to her assistant, Marcel.
Marcel also encouraged me to send my CV.
I told him that I had sent CVs before but never received a reply.
Marcel responded: "Send it to me with my name on it. I promise, I’ll remember you."
Those words—his small, simple sentence—have stayed with me and will never leave me. Feeling slightly more motivated but still doubtful, I sent him my CV anyway. This time, I printed it in color and included a smiling, friendly photo of myself.
5 days before I was set to leave France, at 3 PM, the phone rang.
Usually, I would have been out job hunting, but since I was preparing to leave the country, I happened to be home. I picked up the phone: "Hello, this is Pascal Forni, producer at Tilt Productions. Your CV was forwarded to me. Can you come by at 5 PM?"
And that’s how I got my first job at a TV production company—after two years of odd jobs and struggles I can’t even begin to describe here. 18 months later, I was presenting an economic segment on a national channel.
Stories like this? I have plenty more to share, but that’s for another time—promise.
THE TAKEAWAY FROM MY STORY?
Never give up, because sometimes it only takes one small action from you to spark a small gesture from someone else that will completely change your destiny.
Dreams are meant to be realized, and the people who will help you achieve them already exist. It’s your small actions that will lead you to them. So, never give up—ever..
Whatever you do, find a way to help others!
Innovate!
To conclude this brief introduction, here’s one of my life stories.
Creating what doesn’t exist, innovating, is part of my DNA. That’s how I became the first producer of stand-up comedy festivals in France and later the first street style photographer.
It’s 2010. I’ve been photographing the streets of Paris for two and a half years, and I notice more and more people using smartphones and starting to download mobile apps.
I check the Apple Store: almost no apps dedicated to street style or fashion. Bingo! I need to create one.
God must have heard me because just two weeks later, one of my fans reaches out. He’s an iPhone app developer and offers to create an app if I have an idea. Incredible! I do have an idea. We meet, discuss it, and eventually decide to partner up.
Eight months later, our baby is live in the App Store. Without any external promotion, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, then 100,000 users worldwide download our app and use it for 14 to 20 minutes per session. With a 97% retention rate, our numbers are HUGE for the time. You can see the data for yourself below.
Instagram had launched just ten months earlier, and we were determined to become the next BIG THING—and millionaires, of course.
Super excited and confident, my partner and I started meeting with French investors. I personally met the head of web and mobile for the world’s largest luxury fashion group. There was no doubt—they’d all fight to fund us.
There was just one problem, a BIG problem: we were in France :"We don’t believe in the success of smartphones," they said.
Nine months later, Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. Needless to say, I’m not a millionaire.
THE TAKEAWAY FROM MY STORY?
Sometimes, failure isn’t caused by a lack of talent. You also need to be in the right place, surrounded by the right people.
Never let failure destroy you, especially when you’ve already proven your talent. Use it as an anchor, a lighthouse in the dark, uncertain night that is life. Let it guide you to the right shore, the one that will welcome you with open arms. Your future is yours to create.
