Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregg McPhedrain.
Hi Gregg, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Texas photographer author and tutor of most things’ adobe. It didn’t start out that way. I started out graduating from the College for Creative Studies, the class of 1994. I was the last class of ‘Art Directors’ where it was still a degree and in the world of Detroit Advertising graphic designers were being honed to step up. Art Directors are needed, but we cost more than a graphic designer, for a quick minute the agencies were trying a ‘new model’ of cost savings. I was one of two people who landed an interactive internship over a typical ad agency internship. I worked on the first Ford Interactive Kiosks ever for the North American Auto Show. It was a trip. We were installing the program while people were showing up for the gala preview. For several years I worked in interactive, eventually getting into 3d animation and 2danimation. I was in my late 20’s (1999-2007) I was hanging out with the Detroit techno crowd. I got my big break when I created the first North American techno news website spinners.tv. That got me access as media to concerts including the Detroit Electroinic Music fest. 300,000 hits a month I was working to monetize it and create a virtual DJ host with some voice over software. I turned all that into a trading card company I was going to go digital Yughio with Detroit DJ’s – they were all in. I had hand painted art for the cards. Then I lost 70 grands in a night, Carlos Souffont and my – event tanked bigly lololol… Crawled into a tent in November in Michigan, crawled out four weeks later with a job a place to stay.
After bouncing couches for a minute I got serious, my friends and I biked and I got my head back in the game and came up with a plan. I scrubbed floors, so I could say I went to med school, first responder not quite a full paramedic at that point but a medic. 2010 is where life when roller coaster ride. I moved to New Mexico. And New Mexico is not like Michigan, the crooked politicians are more obvious, the work is harder to find, and my friend lived 18 miles outside the city but forgot to mention that. I ended up working for the Rio Rancho EDC and Noreen Scott the #1 Economic Development Director in the state for 30 years. She helped bring Intel’s chip factory to the state originally. I was hired to create the history video banners and artwork for the 30th Anniversary of the city. If you have ever seen GlenGary GlenRoss – Rio Rancho is the city that movie is based on. I met all those people and the pioneers who actually built a city in the desert. That was a rich and rewarding experience. The thing is I made more money leaving the state working for politicians that editing video for history videos in New Mexico. 2012 I brought Cranksgiving to Albuquerque, a national food drive alley cat race started in New York by a wonderful man, Ken Stanack, a bike courier. I had a clothing company, was back in school to advance my medical career phew I was doing pretty well.
To pay for it I came to Texas to knock doors for various political groups and candidates.in between. I went to Iowa in 2014 to get Joni Ernst elected. I was always graphic support, websites, and splash pages as well as ID badges for staff, and every letterhead newsletter etc. I left New Mexico for Texas July 5th 2020. I arrived in south Austin at an Air bnb to get back to work as a medic and find some work in the meantime. I did – Rocketbanners. Ended up w national accounts working for David, the best sign printer in town hands down. I sucked at weeding the vinyl it was brutal, and painful to watch. But I sold banners and projects, and clients liked me. I paid attention to them as they talked as rarely had production issues. It was temporary, as I was building up a client list of my own that was landing some impressive clients including ‘Old Joe’ Christie, a good old boy senator who never slept or gave me a script – he texted changes at 2, 3, 4 am all the time for months. I production was shown around Texas at Alamo Draft Houses, highlighting the Ex Senators political app for signing up new voters. I took that money and bought my first digital camera since the ‘Bob’ incident. Bob, turned out to be a bad Texan. I knew him from politics when he stole money in 2015, got sued in 2016 ran for office 2017, and busted in 2018 running on a false affidavit of residency by some New Mexicans and found myself saving 77000 Cedar Park voters, which is not what photographers normally due. But on a general principal rule of things, Bob stole my money and then tried to be a mayor, the people of Texas didn’t need that kind of pain. It’s a book.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Debt I had a bit of a political scandal happen as I mentioned, “Politicians don’t pay debt” which as a policy seems stupid. I was, at the time trying to collect 7,000 from my dead beat roommate, who wasn’t a politician he just worked in them. I was left broke with a credit score of a dead man. I couldn’t renew my medical certification or borrow the money because of the credit score. I had been working with creditors, two jobs. On a bike, I used that to get some focus I got a job at a print shop Building client lists was harder for me, I wasn’t agency ready, but I had mad skills, a great eye, and a camera I could manhandle. It took time, three years of NCAA work built a resume of college grads sports teams, and national broadcast personalities. 2020 and 2021 tanked my Rising Career, there won’t be another Baylor game with COVID being a thing. I had 10’s of thousands of people smiling for me.
I modified and went and ran around Central Texas taking ‘Flower Blooms’ fields of wildflowers this spring, I’ll make a calendar and sell online as a new revenue Stream, and look forward to spring 2021 to run around Central Texas again. I am isolated in an empty field so nothing wrong there. I worked through COVID-19 – family gatherings graduating sheriff’s corporate real estate shoots. But I have currently have had to take a second job as 60% of my work was College events, techno festivals, corporate gatherings and parties is not happening for the next six months at least. I’m positive I’ll keep working in photography, I’m modifying my clientele and working with some great Texans outside Austin, where most of my work comes from.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a published author photographer, and art director, techno photos in the 1990’s were seen around the world. I’ve art directed and provided photography for advertising and print campaigns, shot corporate real estate and parties. In addition I ran automotive lot photography, and festival photography around the country. My company has been afforded some of the most exciting brands and clients here in Texas. I’ve photographed and had my work used for Aldstadt’s breweries marketing. I was getting tacos at a local taco truck when I realized the beer truck behind me had my photo on the side of it. Dennis Bottoms (Alabama’s banjo player), Ex Ms Texas Brooke Ambers, in 2020 I worked with ESPNs Octagon production company photographing the Oklahoma Baylor game. Black and white ‘street shots’ are slowly becoming a larger part of my portfolio, from americana scenes around Central Texas, to hard steel and architectural shots in Austin with its changing skyline. But the most fun, the hobby is wildflowers and bloom photography here in Texas, it’s where I try new techniques. Sunsets and sunrises, taking my dogs around the state with me to small towns and empty fields of nothing but nature, painting a carpet with millions and millions of flowers going on for a mile plus at time. I take photos. I edit video. I am an art director and photographer I work in Central Texas and smile every time I land a new client because I know I’m going to capture smiles, that’s a great job and thing to do for your neighbors.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Working for yourself is always a risk, but without it you get stuck in one spot you don’t get better. I’ve learned in my career say yes when ESPN asks you to work with them, everything works itself out from there. I’ve met Meddow Lark Lemon, The Insane Clown Posse, Aux88 taking photos or making art around town, I’ve been paid by fortune 500 companies to come shoot their staff and social events. I’ve also lost everything a couple times taking risks, trying new things I’ve also seen photographed and landed state and national clients because I was willing to get back up and keep working, and advancing my skills.
Pricing:
- $75 Austin Profile picts
- $ 125/hr group events
- $125/hr family gatherings
- $125/hr commercial photography
Contact Info:
- Email: mackphotographyatx@gmail.com
- Website: www.mackphotographyatx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackphotographyatx/
Image Credits
photo 2: st stephans football captain 2020 Austin Tx photo 3: ESPN host at Baylor vs Oklahoma 2020 Baylor Tx photo4: Team Beef. Zooma Women’s race Bastrop Tx photo 5: st stephans football captain 2020 Austin Tx photo6: Dennis Bottoms Jerry Reed’s banjo playor, Alabama’s banjo player Fredricksburg Tx photo7 Roshni Patel Fredricksburg Tx Last Image Magnolia Cafe Staff Baylor Tx
