Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodrigo Tasca.
Rodrigo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have had an entrepreneurial spirit for most of my life, although I didn’t start out in the best circumstances for it. I was born in Sao Paulo, Brasil, the oldest child of three. Growing up in the city family was upper middle class and we lived comfortably, but it all changed one day when I was held hostage with a knife to my throat alongside my brother and 6-month old sister. Following the horror of finding her children tied up with rope and being threatened to be killed, my parents sold the possessions we had left, and we packed our bags to embark on our pursuit of the American Dream!
Moving here at first was difficult, I didn’t know any English, but the sense of freedom and opportunity was something that meant a lot to me. My parents worked hard at small jobs until eventually, they saved up enough money to buy a restaurant. Because it was a family business, I didn’t have a choice or say if I wanted to work or not. Family came first. Hard work came second. Many nights and weekends were spent at that restaurant for 12 years, but the sacrifice was worth it because that’s where I learned a lot of the things that helped me succeed in the future. I got my first taste of what it takes to have a solid work ethic, entrepreneurial drive, and dedication to running a business.
In my first semester of college, I quickly figured out that it was not for me. I dropped out and set my sites on finding a career in the hospitality industry. I got a job working for a corporate restaurant where I learned about structure and training and eventually got a job in the Hamptons running a cafe for a private beach club. During the off-season, I ended up visiting a friend that was living in Peru and was introduced to art, music, and culture like I had never seen before. Using a GoPro I won at an event, I began documenting everything the Lima had to offer and started making short real-estate videos to help my friend’s business grow. After a year in Peru, I began to realize my passion for photography and film and decided to move to NYC. At first, I got a job working as a butler and bartending on the side and started to offer photography and video services for free to anyone that would take me. As I practiced my craft, I eventually moved up the ranks in NYC to working on behind the scenes videos with celebrities such as Seth Rogen & Swizz Beatz. Business was picking up and it became clear that I had found a career that I was extremely passionate about.
In 2016, I made the choice to move back to South Florida and pursue my career, only to find out that I was struggling to book clients when I marketed myself as a Rodrigo Tasca Productions a producer from New York. At the time, I was broke and decided to move back into my parent’s house to be able to afford to take on lower-paying jobs to build my portfolio. I realized I had to get smart and make my company noticeable in a town where no one knew who I was, a stark contrast from the life I had built in NYC. I rebranded the company to Tasca Studios, a video production agency that solely focused on small and medium-sized local businesses. With $0 in marketing funds and a little SEO magic, I was able to get my company ranked to the top of Google in just three months which changed the course of my business, credibility, and my success. In just 2 years, I went from completely broke to building a production business generating six-figures. I’m proud to say I was on my way to achieving the American Dream my parents had hoped for when we left Brazil.
From that point, I expanded my services to SEO, web design, and brand strategy. My main focus is to help small businesses make an impact on their communities while helping local business owners increase their bottom lines and reach their target markets.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to lecture at universities such as UF College of Dentistry, to consult professional athletes and Fortune 500 CCOs.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s never easy pursuing your passion but It’s worth it! One of the hardest parts for me on a business level, was gaining some success in one market and then moving to a new location and having to rebuild my brand from anonymity. Another hard factor for me on a more personal level is that I had to make a “social” sacrifice for my business. At 30, I was moving back into my parents home to build my business from the ground up, when all my friends were getting married and having babies. It was definitely a hard time, but the sacrifice got me to where I am today.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Tasca Studios story. Tell us more about the business.
Tasca Studios is a video production and media agency specializing in video marketing for local businesses. Our mission is to help companies define their brand and develop marketing strategies that will reach their goals but also help the business grow!
My family business closed down when the market fell in 2008, so I know how important every dollar is too small business owners and we only take on projects that we know we can help and make a difference on.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Recently, my business was promoted globally when my favorite entrepreneur, Gary Vee (Vaynerchuk), featured my story in his international best-selling book, “Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence — and How You Can, Too”. That was definitely a full-circle moment for me and one of the most exciting highlights of my career.
Because of that feature, I have been able to help others around the world that have read my story and are in a similar situation. Just last week, I had a young entrepreneur from Iran reach out to me and thank me for sharing my story and advice, and that it had inspired him to keep going. I didn’t have someone to help guide me along the way, so I’m really grateful I can make a difference where I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tascastudios.com
- Phone: 5618816431
- Email: rodrigo@tascastudios.com
- Instagram: drigo_who
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tascastudios
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