Meet Danielle Muccillo

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Muccillo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Danielle with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

That’s a great question! I definitely inherited my work ethic from both my parents. My mom was always the hustler, always coming up with new ideas and projects. I remember when I was a kid, she owned a video game business – we’re talking classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. My brother and I even helped collect the money from the machines, and she’d give us a “salary” from the profits. It was pretty cool! Later on, she moved into monogramming, running a shop in Houston and then working from our garage when we moved to Georgia. She was always hustling, making deals, and connecting with people.

My dad, on the other hand, had a 55-year career with the same company, starting with Westinghouse Elevator and then staying on when it was acquired by Schindler. He taught me the value of loyalty and commitment.

Growing up watching them both, I learned that hard work and perseverance are key to achieving your goals. I’m so thankful for their examples, which instilled in me the drive and determination I have today. I know that nothing comes easy, but I’m ready to put in the work to make my photography and videography business a success.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a branding photograper and I also really enjoy doing family and senior photography. I am a little over a year into my business and have been loving learning all the ins and outs of running my own business. I love creating work that catches the special moments. For my clients I want to bring out your business’s story that makes your business shine. I want to catch the important connections, help small businesses create engaging content that their customers will love, and make sure every family can see how special they are in their photos. I want my clients pictures to do more than just show something; I want them to tell your story, your way.

Just recently, I have begun doing branding video’s. I am very excited to add this new service for my clients. My video services will include both Brand Videos and B-Roll Content Sessions. The brand videos are videos that are scripted or prompted with a specific story to tell. I do the scripting, storyboarding, and prompting so all that they have to do is show up. The B-Roll Content Sessions are unscripted but not unplanned. They are video clips that are created with the intent of show what your brand is all about, and they will give you social content, and your website a little life.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First and foremost, DON’T GIVE UP! Running your own business is hard, especially when you don’t have a team around you to help you run your social media page, write blogs for you, develop your website. However, I am here to tell you that it is possible, just keep going at your pace but be consistent with your work. I promise you will eventually get into a routine and you will be able to mange it all.

Second, and proably the most important thing I did, invest in a mentorship. Earlier this year I invested in my first mentorship and my god was it worth it. There were so many things that I thought that I knew about running my own business, however, I learned so much more! Don’t ever be to proud that you can’t learn from someone else, there is always room for growth.

Lastly, no matter what you do, be honest. Be honest with yourself about your work and how much you can take on at any one point. Don’t over extend yourself just so that you can make a little bit of extra money. You always want to be able to put your best foot forward and when you are stressed and have too much on your plate you will not be the best version of you. Also, always be honest with your clients, if there is something you can’t do or don’t feel comfortable doing, tell them up front.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

The past year has been a whirlwind of learning and growth. I launched my photography business a little over a year ago, and wow, what a ride it’s been! There was definitely a steep learning curve, but it’s been so worth it. I started off with a mentorship that taught me a ton about marketing and how to create an awesome experience for my clients. Honestly, it just made me want to learn even more and push my business further.

So this spring, I dove into the world of video production, figuring out how I could use it to help my clients tell their brand stories. I’m super excited to now offer branding videos and B-roll content as part of my services.

It’s been an amazing journey going from a teacher in the classroom to running my own successful photography business full-time. It hasn’t been easy, but I wouldn’t trade this crazy, dream-chasing adventure for anything!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

all photos taken by me, except the one of me which was taken by Julie McCook

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