Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Eskridge.
Hi Josh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story starts with humble origins. I grew up in a very small town in the mountains of West Virginia. My parents owned a maple syrup and Christmas tree farm. While I grew up there my whole childhood, I knew that I wanted to get out and experience the world. So after graduating college, I had a series of corporate jobs that took me to several places in the US and internationally. I worked in human resources and ethics and compliance for large corporations. During my time in corporate America, I fell in love with traveling and my love for photography was borne out of my wish to document the places I was going and to help experience them in a different way. I bought my first DSLR camera for a trip to Peru in 2008. I fell in love with shooting landscapes and then later, people and experiences. I was living in Atlanta at the time. I remember going to photography guild meetups and just trying to learn everything that I could about lighting. I started to specialize in shooting models and commercial fashion work. Even though I still had my corporate job, and kept developing myself with my photography skills and turned it into a thriving side hustle. That was my life for several years. I always felt that photography would be tough to do full time and thrive, but I kept entertaining the idea in my head. At the same time, I was also working with models and developing them. I was happy in my corporate job, making great money, and having photography as a side hustle. However, 2020, as it did with many people, changed everything. My company cut 20K people in one day, and I was one of them. I was now faced with the situation where I felt like I had nothing to lose. And I thought that I would probably regret it later in life if I didn’t take a chance on myself and try to live to my fullest potential. I was living in Hartford, CT at the time. When my friend Jenny Dyson asked if I wanted to open a studio with her in Miami, that’s when I decided to make the move. The vision was to build a creative space that was versatile and would be used for photoshoots and videos. It would have Jenny’s wardrobe collection on site. We would also start a mother modeling agency. Jenny is a makeup artist. I’m a photographer. We would all be based at Vault Place, and our agency would be called Vault Management. We started building the studio in late December and I moved to Miami at the beginning of January. Since then we have built the studio, signed 28 models and we’re essentially a full-fledged creative agency and can provide clients with a multitude of creative services.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of obstacles. I worked in corporate America for 14 years before deciding to take the plunge into being an entrepreneur full time. It feels a lot like jumping off a cliff, but having a reasonable amount of confidence that you can build a parachute on the way down, or better yet, a glider so that you can soar freely. Going from a steady paycheck to an eat-what-you-kill situation is a big change. It’s like learning how to breathe a different type of air and realizing that you’re going to be ok. You have to be willing to face adversity at every step of the way and wake up every day with the energy to tackle something new every day. But one of the keys is realizing that the adversity is what keeps you sharp, and if you view it the right way, it also creates the opportunities. I’ve really adopted a lot of Stoic philosophy this year, which has helped me change my mindset and see every obstacle as a chance to improve something, learn something, etc.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At this point, I’m part of three different companies: Vault Place, Vault Management and my own photography business, Josh Eskridge Photography. So I wear a lot of hats, but everything is interwoven in a way that supports each other. I co-own and operate the studio. I work with Jenny to recruit and develop models. And I work with my photography and video clients. What I’m most proud of is the fact that I have multiple ways and abilities that help elevate others, whether it’s creating some imagery that boosts their company, creating a commercial video that helps tell a client’s story, or helping a model with their career. It’s about serving others, and my success is based upon how well I raise others up.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was lucky to have loving parents. I had a great childhood growing up in the country. I played basketball, baseball, rode four wheelers all the time. I didn’t always behave the best, especially in high school. I had awful grades and didn’t really apply myself. I decided to change all of that when I went to college and turned myself around 180 degrees.
Contact Info:
- Website: Photography/video www.josheskridge.com Studio – www.vaultplacemiami.com Agency – www.vaultmngt.com
- Instagram: Photography/video – @jeskridge Studio – @vault_place Agency – @vaultmanagement_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josheskridgephotography
Contact Info:
- Website: www.josheskridge.com
- Instagram: @jeskridge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josheskridgephotography
