Today we’d like to introduce you to Bo Buckley
Hi Bo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Back in early 2023 I found myself each weekend going to shows all around Austin, Texas pertaining to the edm scene and I would start to record and create & produce basic amateur content of the drops and experiences I was having at these shows; mainly these shows were hosted by Real Music Events at The Concourse Project.
I started to fall in love with this process of going to shows, recording iphone footage, going home and producing content throughout the night to then deliver to the artist(s) in hope to get some feedback.
I was very grateful to get feedback back from artist(s) on the local scene such as Kai Castro , Revaeon , and Madison Palmer as well with a global recognized producer, Croatia Squad. These brief but meaningful conversations allowed me to feel like I was part of something very unique even as someone that who was creating very low quality, amateur EDM content. The feedback from these talented individuals provided me with fresh ideas and a better outlook on how to produce content. This fueled me with an amplitude of courage and confidence to continue to be more creative in my production.
One day I was watching a liquid lab DJ set on Youtube and I realized that content producers were flying drones around the world and using the footage to stitch as B-roll into their live dj sets and I thought that was so dope. So what I did was buy my first ever piece of camera equipment off of facebook marketplace which was a DJI mini 2 drone for $300. I laugh about this all the time because at that point I was so naive to have the understanding of what I was stepping into; I just felt like a kid again and was really excited to fly this drone and create.
I realized very quickly with that specific drone, it was not producing the output I wanted in my post production. Primarily because I was still so ignorant about video production and how valuable camera equipment can be. So due to my ignorance I began to ponder…. what do I need in order to create high quality content? I went back to Youtube to that specific liquid lab set and i looked at the description and it gave credits to all of the content producers that helped produce the video. I reached out to all of those content producers and luckily I was able to get one of them to reach me back on instagram his name is Thomas, eventually became one of my mentors.
Thomas really gave me the “411” of what I was stepping into and long story short, he basically said; you need to invest in a professional grade camera before learning how to fly a drone. His reasoning made sense to me. Thomas then recommended me to invest in a Sony A7siii which after hours of research on the best cinematic video cameras in my budget range, that is what I decided to purchase.
On September 23rd, 2023 I bought the Sony a7siii which is the same day I truly went all in and started my career in the electronic dance music Industry. Another big risk not only financially for me but a huge career shift as I was a logistics broker before this. I hit the grounds running on that same day. I was fortunate enough to land an unpaid gig in Dallas, Texas by one of my friends, JP. All I wanted to do was do video production but I realized I fell in love with taking pictures during that gig too! I then started to consider myself as a hybrid media producer which allowed me to be more marketable since I can produce photo and video content. I kept on getting unpaid bookings because it was the easiest way for me to build a portfolio of work to then market myself for paid gigs. I was able to capture again in Dallas a few weeks later… another unpaid gig but the music producers showing up to this show were considered to be at a world class level. I was ecstatic to capture these music producers. That specific show allowed me to build some credibility within my portfolio that I could use as leverage in the following weeks ahead.
I then took a trip to LA to see the Afterlife show, I am a huge fan of melodic techno music. I had some extra cash in my pocket so I decided to stay in hostiles and freelance in LA for a few days. I landed a gig at Sound NightClub in LA on a Tuesday night and was able to meet some of the Spaceyacht record label crew that night. I also had the pleasant opportunity to capture and meet a talented tech house producer, Haylee Wood. I stayed in touch with her on instagram and had the opportunity to capture and produce for her exclusively at Beyond Wonderland in Southern California this past March. The experience to be able to fly from Texas to California with my laptop and camera to produce content for an artist exclusively; within 6 months is wild to say the least.
In November of 2023, I volunteered to work at the ticket booth at Seismic Dance Event in Austin, Texas. This festival is a three day festival (FRI, SAT and Sun). I was scheduled to work Friday and Sunday. In exchange of volunteering I was able to have Saturday off to enjoy the festival. However, the Friday night before I realized there were a lot of media capturing. On my way home after my shift I asked myself “Why can’t I be out there to capture?” I then decided to send an email to Real Music Events to ask if I could capture. No response. That didn’t stop me though. On Saturday afternoon, I packed my camera and headed out to the festival grounds. Once I got to Seismic Dance Event, I kept my camera in my truck, and went inside and respectfully approached Andrew Parsons (co founder of Real Music Events and Co Owner of The Concourse Project). I respectfully asked him if I could bring my camera in and capture the festival on my day off from volunteering. He said something along the lines of that Seismic has already hired media professionals and there probably isn’t a chance that I could capture. He then stated something to the effect of that he doesn’t make that specific call. I eagerly asked who does make those decisions? He then replied something like, my partner, Kelly Gray. I then asked if he could walk me to her and let me ask. He said said sure and walked me to Kelly.
I then approached Kelly and asked her politely if I could capture at the festival and she initially was going in the direction of not approving me to capture, which I understood and agreed with her, however I said that this is truly all I want to do here is to capture in the edm music scene and having three different stages with three different environments I could showcase my skill. She then asked me to pull up my portfolio and by the grace of God she approved me to capture Saturday evening. I was actually shocked that this happened. I started to cry and gave Kelly and Andrew a big hug and said thank you for giving me a chance.
I was very proud of myself to have the courage to put myself in the position to have the opportunity to capture at a world class level. That night I will forever remember. That night gave me purpose.
Capturing Seismic Dance Event gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to really start reaching out to the local scene in Austin to capture as much as possible at nightclubs such as The Concourse Project, Kingdom Night Club, Summit, and much more. However, I found it very hard to get approved to capture at these types of clubs as they already have their set and stone in house media established. I wasn’t going to allow myself to sit out nights because I knew I am just as capable of capturing and producing at these clubs. I found another way in, I decided to reach out to the producers that were booked at these venues. That actually gave me more opportunity. So with that strategy, I was able to go out and capture. This really allowed me to establish my brand as not a “true club shooter” but as an “exclusive multi media producer for artists”
I have had the opportunity to shoot for artists such as
Mikey Lion with Desert Hearts
Lee Reynolds with Desert Hearts
Porky with Desert Hearts
Marbs with Desert Hearts
Lauren Mia
Haylee Wood
Crizzly
Revaeon
REVN
Madison Palmer
Kai Castro
And many more.
This actually allowed me to establish a diverse brand presence since I had all the power in the world to capture at different event spaces with different atmospheres.
I’ve always wanted to do both though and actually capture for a club exclusively too!
I went to Ubbi Dubbi in Dallas this past May and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet the legend, Disco Donnie. We hit it off really well in the time we had together at the festival. I had the pleasure to hear about his epic story as a festival/event producer, talent buyer, and entrepreneur.
The biggest advice he gave me is to never quit on my dreams.
Fast Forward a few months he booked me to capture at his new world class night club in Dallas called Silo.
Finally! after a year of persistence and dream building I finally got booked to capture for a world class venue. I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunity that Donnie presented to me and I cannot wait for the future of Disco Donnie Presents!
These are few successful stories I have the opportunity to share.
But, I have learned more from my failures than my successes. This industry is very wicked and is a fast paced, momentum driven environment.
I have been turned down to capture many times. I have been devalued multiple times. I have had failed shoots with nasty responses. Again, you learn more from your failures than successes. If you cannot take criticism well then the creative world is not for you. The way I have been able to naturally and successfully maneuver through this industry was to take criticism from all levels and think outside the box. You’ll also know that your true passion lies in these moments, when you’re lost, stuck and have no idea what is next but you continue forward in the darkness. You have to have hope that their is light at the end of the tunnel.
This is just the beginning.
“Tomorrow is never promised, capture Tonight”
-Bomotion5
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an exclusive multi media producer. mainly for the artist branding side but started to get into branding for clubs as well.
I specialize in High quality photo production as well with high quality cinematic video production coupled with multi cam video production.
I really don’t know what I am known for, that is for the public to decide.
I am proud of the way I have been able to handle criticism and allowing it for me to grow into a better media producer.
What sets me a part from others I believe is to be able to take risks that have allowed my career to evolve rapidly. I am also approachable about how I produce content. I believe there are a lot of gatekeepers in the industry, especially in Austin, Texas and honestly people don’t need to gatekeep. sharing ideas allows for the content to evolve and allows us media producers to keep on shooting, allowing us to produce in ways we never could have imagined.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
At a young age with guidance from both of my parents they enrolled me into sports such as baseball, basketball and football. I am so grateful for that because without being in those extracurricular activities I wouldn’t have developed the foundational principals that I hold myself accountable throughout life to this day & going forward, which is discipline, integrity, leadership, respect and being highly competitive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bomotions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bomotion5/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557884345918
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Undergroundauthentic5
Image Credits
Bomotion5 Media – Bo Buckley
