& How I Got Hired At Sports Illustrated

One of my favorite ways to see your business grow is to act before you are ready. Most people are terrified to do things unless they feel complete confidence in doing them but the best way to grow your business is to take action before you feel ready. 

I realize that this is easier said than done, so I wanted to share a story with you about one of the best moments in my career and what it taught me.

The Back Story

I was four weeks away from leaving my day job. If you’ve left a full-time job for the life of a self-employed business owner knows then you know how mentally challenging this is. It is easy to be full of doubt, of fear, and of what-ifs. 

Around the same time I had someone start following me on Instagram. They would leave comments here and there and seemed really nice and authentic, but I didn’t pay much attention to them. 

A week later, this same person sent me an email.  

“Hey D’Arcy”, it read. “I really loved your portrait work on Instagram and would love to meet to see your portfolio.”

It was signed the Director of Photography for Sports Illustrated Magazine located in New York CIty. 

Heart stop. No way. Is this even real life? 

As luck would have it (who am I kidding, it wasn’t luck, it was meant to be!), I was going to be in NYC in a few weeks and could meet up. 

The Infamous Portfolio Story

I had never put together a professional portfolio before and had no idea how to even start. So, I pulled my best images—ones that I thought were emotive and beautiful—and had them printed on high-end, fine-art paper. 

It was quite the stunning presentation if I do say so myself.

A few weeks later, I walk into the building for the meeting, full of my best confidence and assurance I could muster.

I remember going up 40 or 50 stories in the elevator, into one of those offices you see in the movies, to meet with the editor. He was kind but you could tell he held a lot of power too. 

And then comes the moment I will never forget. 

He asked to look at my portfolio. And I proudly handed over the physical portfolio I worked so hard to create.

You guys – he started laughing. 

I asked him what was so funny and he said he hadn’t seen a printed portfolio in years. 

“Normally,” he said, “People just bring in their iPad.”

As my heart was sinking all the way back down to the bottom floor of that high-rise, I tried desperately to maintain my composure. I remember saying something about my art and how it must be seen printed to be fully appreciated. 

We got through it and I left the building about 30 minutes later, sure I didn’t get the job.

And Then I Got the Job

A few weeks later, I received an unexpected call from the editor. Sports Illustrated was sending out one of their top photographers to Park City, near where I live, to photograph all of the Olympic hopefuls. 

And they wanted me to be the main assistant. They asked me to style it, rent all of the equipment, lighting, set it up, stage it – everything. 

Me. They asked to hire me to do all of these things…none of which I had ever done. Ever. 

My response?  “No problem, I’ve got it covered. Send over the notes and I’ll get it done.”

I hung up the phone and was immediately like: “What the f**k am I going to do?”

I was a film photographer who only shot with natural light, I knew relatively nothing about digital photography and studio lighting. This was new territory but there was no way I was going to let this opportunity pass by.

The Job

Instead of panicking or passing on the job, I decided instead that I was going to do the job and I was going to do it with greatness.

I started watching endless hours of YouTube videos and researching online. And, luckily, I had the budget to hire another assistant so I scoured the photographers of Utah to find someone who was a master at studio lighting. I immediately reached out to him and brought him on the team. 

With a plan in place, I loaded up the gear, went into the shoot. 

For one solid week, I peeled plexiglass, threw fake snow, frosted glass, and I pretended I knew how to do all the things. (Thank God for YouTube).  It was a solid week of me pretending, learning, stretching my limits, and learning that the best way to see my business grow was to just get out there and accept the challenge. 

The Outcome

That week, we created the most epic photos.  So epic, in fact, that Sports illustrated couldn’t even decide between them for the cover so they had 4 covers. Tell me that isn’t huge? 

These covers were in stands all over the world – work that I played a large part in creating. 

Of all of the things this experience taught me (and there was a lot to chose from), some of the most powerful things that I learned were during the breaks when I had time to talk with the photographer, Simon Bruty.  A veteran photographer, we talked about what it was like to photograph famous people (like Brad Pitt!), how he came up with this concepts, how he interacted with people, etc. 

It was unforgettable and so pivotal for the beginning of my career.

This was one of the most educational experiences and was one that I never would have had if I had told Sports Illustrated that I wasn’t qualified. 

See Your Business Grow

When you take action before you are ready, you trust that you can figure it out, and you are willing to bring people onto your team who can help you figure it out, you will see growth. 

And not only will you see growth, but you will have amazing experiences along the way too. 

You get those experiences when you don’t stay in your comfort zone all of the time. Push yourself forward – act before you are ready. Start believing in yourself and trust your intuition. 

I am still proud of the images that we created during that shoot and it really was a pivotal moment in my career.. Not only for the notoriety of having been involved in such an important shoot but because I learned how much I was capable of and how fast you really can see your business grow. 

Do you want to go deeper into Play it Brave? And BIG? And BOLD? Come listen to the Play it Brave podcast and binge your way to a better business and a better life.

Want to up level your portfolio so that it screams elegance and luxury? And brings in a luxury paycheck? Check out my most popular course, The Profitable Portfolio and be on your way to $10k wedding clients.