Forgiato Weekend
Forgiato is a custom wheel manufacturer based in Los Angeles. They specialize in custom, exotic and off-road builds, and in February they invited a ton of buyers out to California for a weekend of fun and entertainment. The result was a mass gathering of supercars, a warehouse full of shiny merchandise, food trucks, music, and swarms of people.
Before I go any further, a quick note about “Meeting Strangers on the Internet”:
Several of you have reached out personally over the past few weeks to let me know how much you’ve been enjoying the series. I’m so happy people are digging it and I promise it will be back next week (Meg - you’re next!), but I’m taking yet another slight detour this week to share photos and stories from a recent job.
Ok - Forgiato!
When Bolen (remember him?) first contacted me about this job, he said it was a weekend-long event, and wanted to know my rate so that he could get it approved by the client. I have an hourly rate I’ve been charging for smaller sessions I book on my own, but this was twelve hours, minimum. Immediately my mind started racing.
Okay, my rate… times twelve hours… the number’s going to be too high, he’s going to say ’no’, and find someone else. Should I come up with a day rate instead? If so, what’s a competitive rate? What’s reasonable? I’ve never charged a day rate before… I hope I don’t say the wrong thing and mess this up!
I reached out for advice from my friend Adam back in Pittsburgh. I explained the situation, and his response immediately made me feel better. Not only was I instantly relieved, but I’ll take his advice with me on all my future jobs. He told me, “When I get the opportunity to shoot something I’m genuinely interested in shooting, I’ll do it for any amount of money. If you really want to do it, tell him your real rate, but let him know you want it and you’ll work within his budget no matter what.” Okay, wow. That sounds easy! And of course, long story short: I quoted Bolen my real, full rate, and without hesitation he texted me back “ok cool”. All that worrying for nothing!
This Chevelle may have been my favorite of all the cars there. WOW!
I think it’s easy to fall into a mindset like the one I was in. When exciting opportunities come within our reach, the anticipation of securing those opportunities can cause us to overthink and stress out. It’s in these moments when I’m most thankful to have people like Adam I can talk to. Hit up your contacts, dive into your network and consult people that are doing what you’re doing. You’ll find a lot of people are often more than willing to share what they’ve learned and help you walk your own path. That’s partly why I started writing these weekly entries. I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but if my journey can inform someone else’s… that’s what it’s all about!
I don’t think I was ever really nervous about the job itself. Once it was locked and I was there, I just went about doing my thing. What I remember most were the moments I stopped and realized I was getting paid to be here and to do this. That’s what I meant last week when I said I was still riding the high. I came home and said to my wife, “If only I could book a gig that like every week!” Just gotta keep chasing it.