Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Zofness.
Hi Danny, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve wanted to use a camera for as long as I can remember. In the late 80s when I was about 7-8 years old, my dad was gifted a Panasonic VHS camcorder. He let me use it and I have been hooked ever since. I started getting serious about videography and photography in my late 20s and quit my job in April of 2013 to pursue it full time (which coincided with the birth of my daughter in late 2012)…perhaps not the best choice to quit my job only a few months after having a kid, but I knew I wanted her to grow up seeing me follow my passion vs just “having a job”. It was a struggle for a long time, but over the last few years all the time I’ve put into myself and what I love to do has really paid off. It was at this point that one of the most supportive people in my life, my best friend Will, saw an opportunity to build a new business around my skills. He had spent the last 15 years or so in NYC and London growing a fintech firm and came to me with the idea to combine his knowledge of business with my talents behind a lens…and Estate Reel was born.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are struggles for any creative person regardless of skill level, notoriety, or experience. The hardest part for me has come in the form of maintaining my confidence and having to be a “businessman” (luckily I have Will to take on the majority of those aspects of running Estate Reel). As a creative, the idea of selling or networking or taxes and money is just the absolute last thing I want to have to waste even a second of energy on. I need to harness all of my energy so I can be fully present while using my cameras and collaborating with clients.
More practically speaking, launching a business in early 2020 was not exactly a smooth ride! At the time, we had no clue how long or intense the pandemic was going to be and it really created an obstacle to our initial growth. On top of that, with Will based on the East Coast and me in St. Louis and travel being restricted, it put me as a creator in a particularly tricky spot. I found myself having to handle certain business-related tasks in St. Louis that Will was definitely more suited for. We had to realize quickly that we’d both have to take on responsibilities outside of our expertise. Originally, our focus at Estate Reel was to disrupt the traditional real estate videography industry by producing mini-films that captured the essence or aspirational lifestyle of a property as opposed to the traditional, plain walk-through videos. Due to the state of the housing market over the past 18 months and being in the Midwest, we quickly realized that we needed to pivot to additional services (3D Tours, HDR listing photos, aerial drone photography, for example) as well as branch out beyond the St. Louis real estate market to include other businesses in our portfolio. Another unique service we’ve added is analog film photography taken with vintage cameras.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I feel like one of my strongest attributes is my ability to connect with people on a meaningful level. This relatability is really an asset when I’m working with small business owners that may not be used to being on camera or speaking candidly about their business. My ability to put them at ease really allows them to be comfortable in the moment and truly express the reason why they are passionate about what they do. Being a single dad, I often bring my daughter to shoots and I’m very grateful for the interesting interactions and connections she’s already making with people at a young age. Both Will and I have always believed that people are a lot more similar than different. The more people I collaborate and create with, the more I realize we are all connected and once people are willing to give each other a chance and hear each other’s stories, we quickly discover that we can all find something to relate with each other on a human level.
Another aspect of my work that I’m very excited about is shooting film photography. I’ve collected a film camera from each decade from 1950 through the 2000s. The best thing about shooting film is that it really makes me slow down, forces me to not waste a photo and truly be in the moment. With only 36 exposures, you have to really contemplate each shot. Digital is great for many uses but there is a feeling to film that brings a whole new texture to a photograph.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Our City…man oh man…what a loaded question. St. Louis has so much potential. I think two things need to happen. One, we need our leaders (politicians) to take a step back and realize the state of things and get creative with how they can set aside their political differences to work together and do what’s best for the most amount of people in the city (and county). I’m not into politics but I know we need the politicians on board for anything to actually happen. Second, the people living here need to take things into our own hands. Creatives of all types contribute to major aspects of the culture of our city (and county) and I believe we need to start and/or continue to promote the idea that we are all connected and when we give each other a chance to listen and share with each other, we will quickly realize we can relate to one another regardless of race, class, gender, or socio-economic status.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.theestatereel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dz_stl/
https://www.instagram.com/theestatereel/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theestatereel
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEstateReel1
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwqYuI1UQm7y9HcPrTZ2xEQ
Image Credits:
Danny Zofness @dz_stl,
Chris Bauer @cbauerphoto, and
Brandon Riegerix @brandonriegerix
