Living the Dream Job

Florida Coast Magazine – Winter Issue 2020 – Many of us have wished for a job where the lines of fun, adventure, and work, all merge. The Florida Coast Magazine team was eager to interview a couple who have achieved exactly that. Jeremy Austin and Angie Vale met in Miami at an acro-yoga class. Angie was a former model and Jeremy worked as a personal fitness trainer. They started dating and soon realized they shared a love for travel and adventure, while capturing these journeys on camera.

Traveling together and documenting their adventures through incredible images, they were soon noticed by several leading industry professionals and brands. Jeremy explains, “We have an award-winning media production company, which creates high quality photography and video production for luxury brands, leading hotels, resorts, and private villas, as well as premium international real estate properties.”

Their team provides a 360-degree service, which includes planning, full production, post-production, and publishing to high-end clientele. In addition to this, they create custom tailored social media campaigns for brands looking to maximize their content and awareness. Their work has been featured in TIME Magazine, The Ellen Show, CBS and more. They have also developed their own exclusive photo and video editing filters, which can be applied to any images or video footage. These filters enhance the image quality immediately and therefore increase the quality of the content.

Jeremy clarified, “We don’t just travel to destinations to solely take photos. While that may sound ironic, being that we create content on our travels, there’s a big difference when it is your job and you are getting paid to do so. We see so many people on our travels just focused on getting ‘the shot’, they forget to enjoy the moment and immerse themselves in that country or destination.”  

Depending on the client who has hired them, they take various pieces of equipment on their travels. Camera gear is essential and they often take drones for any aerial shots required. There are also some smaller, essential items like hard drives or memory sticks to save and backup any of their epic footage.

Quizzing them on if they have had any bad experiences while working and traveling, Angie elaborates, “Honestly, we have been very fortunate not to have had any major bad experiences. We always try to find the good in every situation, so keeping a positive mindset always helps. The worst we have had happen was a drone crashing in the middle of a trip. We then had to run to the nearest store and buy a new one. This happened to us in Mykonos, Greece. We ended up having to ship a new drone overnight to Santorini so we could be prepared for a brand campaign there.”

Conversing with Angie and Jeremy, we soon realized the glamour part of the job was only a small aspect. Their technical skills, along with their business savvy attitude takes hard work, creativity and patience. When asked which was their favorite destination to date, Angie didn’t hesitate when she said, “I fell in love with Four Seasons resort in Bora Bora! It’s truly one of the most magical places on Earth. The dramatic contrast of the majestic Mount Otemanu and the piercing crystal clear lagoon were so mesmerizing!”

Jeremy followed by saying, “My favorite resort would have to be the One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives. It’s such a spectacular oasis. I found myself completely immersed in nature, surrounded by lush greenery, powder white sands, and the endless beauty of the pristine Maldives waters!”

The couple plan to visit South Africa soon, with Jeremy adding, “It’s been on our list for a while, so we are very excited and ready for it!”  

TOP TRAVEL TIPS from Jeremy & Angie

• Learn something from every trip you take! It’s a beautiful privilege to experience different cultures and expand your mind and views of the world. Travel is truly one of the best forms of education!  

• Make sure you download the mobile passport app! If you don’t have Global Entry when flying, the mobile passport app is the best way to skip the lines and cut your entry time dramatically at the airport.

• We highly recommend traveling to a specific destination right before or directly after its peak season, this way you can still get the same ambience and weather conditions, while most of the time saving money on airfare and travel costs.

• When traveling to a new destination try to let go of any judgments or perceptions you may have had before visiting. View things from a new lens and live in the moment. Be present and appreciate the natives or locals, this is their home so treat it with the same respect you would want your home to be treated.