Meet Brian Spann | Photographer and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Spann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was to first understand that nothing great will happen overnight, but I would have to stay focused, learn from my mistakes, have a circle of people that can help guide me, do not let the word “No” discourage me, celebrate the successes and find fuel in the failures, be open to new ideas (even if they are out of the box), be prepared for the unusual, be prepared to invest and not make a dollar, don’t let others discourage my ideas, and network my butt off.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Spann Man Media was started when COVID was declared in March 2020. We offer various styles of photography, including 3-D virtual tour real estate photography and animated photography . I am excited about my 3-D virtual tour and animated photography because it has allowed me to meet and work with great and interesting people; and my twist on these two styles set Spann Man Media apart from others, though I highly respect the work of other photography businesses. I am most proud of performing a virtual tour of Beckham Creek Cave, which was featured on the Netflix series “The Worlds Most Amazing Vacation Rentals”; and I am also most proud of having some of my photography featured in high profile magazines like Monarch Magazine and Heart of NC Weddings Magazine. Networking, sometimes not charging for my services, and building relationships is what has gotten me to where I am today. It definitely was not easy because there were times I approached businesses to have an interest in my photography and I was rejected; and let’s not forget to mention my wild ideas prompting me to buy thousands of dollars of equipment, thinking that it would excite customers to try new ideas to enhance their businesses but the end result for me was rejection. I kept trying, posting my work on social media, and investing money going places to show off my style of photography until it caught the eye of the right people. I learned that just because I am excited about an idea that I believe could enhance prospect clients doesn’t mean my prospect clients will be as excited. I also understood that I could not allow my drive and excitement to go down, but press through the walls of rejection and stay persistent until the doors of opportunity opened. I want the world to know that you are your brand, and that having integrity, honesty, genuine customer service, and a product with services that fit the customer’s need is key.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my friend on a tour of North Carolina Central University, Duke University, and Durham Tech, because these educational institutions have produced some of the greatest people and have some of the richest history in Durham, North Carolina. Later, we would visit several restaurants like Dame’s Chicken and Waffles, Bullock’s Barbecue, Beyu Caffe (for good music), Kanki Japanese Steakhouse, Ruth Chris Steakhouse, and Kickback Jacks for some good wings. I would also take them to Tobacco Road for some good food and a Durham Bulls baseball game if it’s in season. Last but not least on a Sunday morning, I would take them to the Church Of The Apostolic Revival International for some good Rock’n Shock’s church. I’m sure there are other places to visit, but I can’t think of them all at this time because there are so many good things to do in Durham, as well as, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh North Carolina.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want tot dedicate this shout out to my wife, Sylvia Crawley Spann, my Senior Pastor, Apostle John A. Bennett, my Uncle Joe Cutchins Jr, Monarch Magazine, Triangle Corporate Coach, Perkins Orchard, Beckham Creek Cave, John Martinez, and Rick Crank.

Website: www.spannmanmedia1.com

Instagram: Spann Man Media

Facebook: Spann Man Media

Image Credits
Crawley Creations Beckham Creek Cave Triangle Corporate Coach