Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Jeff Mindell @JeffMindell

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I’m a native of New Jersey and moved out to LA in 2011 to pursue a career in advertising. After a few years holding jobs in both PR and real estate, I realized that I could do something a little more creative and quit to pursue photography full-time in 2015. I now work with clients (both big name brands and small independent businesses!) on a daily basis creating both traditional photography content for them as well as sponsored content for my own social platforms. Every day is completely different for me and I love it!

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I love photography, traveling and exploring new destinations, coffee, spending quality time with friends and family. On Instagram, I end up posting snapshots of my everyday, behind the scenes of projects I’m working on, collaborative content with brands I might be working with, men’s lifestyle and fashion, along with much of my personal life as well!

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

Just my name, super simple and easy to find. Nothing too exciting here 🙂

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

This is my #1 question that I get haha! I definitely have a process, but I always encourage others to figure out what works for them and their own aesthetic 🙂

For me, I love using Snapseed for the selective adjust feature, A Color Story for overall filter and color boosting (they also have phenomenal options for fun effects your can add to the finished photo as well!, VSCO for my more minimalistic photos, Touch ReTouch to remove imperfections and lastly SKRWT to adjust perspective and straighten out any lines.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

I really love to follow people who do the complete opposite of the content that I myself put out there. The whole community is so saturated now with many people doing the same thing so I try my best to keep my head down and focus on the people that are in their own lane, doing the absolute best versions of themselves. Some of my favorite people that I look up to are @rule_of_thumbs, @jessiewebster, @carleyscamera, @grantlegan and @brightbazaar.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

I have to admit, I really love the new Instagram Live feature!! It’s been very fun getting to connect with my community in that format!

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

Although I hate the word ‘influencer’, it is very humbling being in a position where other people might care what I have to say, what I’m wearing, what I had for lunch, how my marriage is going, etc. I try my best to be as transparent as humanly position and keep it very real with everyone as Instagram can often portray a very fake, often aspirational lifestyle and I don’t ever want to be untouchable. I try to think of my community as my good friends and I think the relationship I have with them is really a special one.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

My number one piece of advice to brands running campaigns and looking to work with brand partners is to PLEASE, please, please let the person you are working with drive the creative of the campaign. At the point of contacting someone like myself, they have probably already gone through the process of figuring out that I align with them/their brand. They are approaching us for access to our audience and I just always ask that they keep in mind that we know our demographics very well.

I maintain authenticity by being completely true to myself and never compromising for anyone or any amount of money. I’ve been in past situations before where I was working with a brand and the creative very quickly became one-sided and I realized that I not only lost my early on, but I felt used simply because I might have been cheaper than a traditional ad agency where said brand would be able to art direct completely. Instances like this have been extremely helpful in shaping my business and have been huge learning experiences for me!

Before signing any contract, I ALWAYS ask myself if social media did not exist, would I care about this brand/product/whatever enough to share it with my friends and family? If the answer is no, it’s generally a no-go for me on a partnership. If it does seem to be a good fit, that’s when I know it’s right and I’m maintaining that authenticity and trust I’ve built up with my audience.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Take pride in your content and the photos that you share with the world. If you pay attention to image quality, composition, use of colors, and sticking to an aesthetic that’s authentically yours. Regarding original content, try your absolute hardest to create your own content with your own ideas. Be yourself and don’t be anyone else.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

The stories that I get to create with them is definitely the best part! I’ve been so blessed and fortunate enough to work with brands I could only dreams about when I was younger and here I am collaborating with their creative teams on a daily basis, tying in these partnerships to my everyday life and story. It’s so much fun and I pinch myself that it’s real life all the time!

Topics:

• Architecture
• Design
• Fashion
• Food & Drink
• Photography
• Technology
• Travel

Country:

United States of America