We recently had the chance to connect with Emilio Tirado Sr. and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emilio, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
When I’m not at work I find joy in spending time with my dog Sage. She is a Staffordshire Bully with a smooth and shiny blue/grey coat and hazel eyes. Full of energy, when I get home between my work splits she meets me at the door with a slipper or shoe in her mouth for me to show her attention. She likes to tease who ever comes in by grabbing one of their shoes after removing them off their feet. She doesn’t chew them up, it’s more like a “I got your nose” type of tease. I’m able to take her out in the yard and let her case the area where my chickens live for anything that might be bothering my feathered girls. I can talk about Sage all day!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
As a multidisciplinary artist, I weave together music, visual storytelling, and community advocacy. Wearing many creative hats—singer, songwriter, videographer, photographer, graphic designer, audio engineer, and editor—I strive to be a conduit for connection, creativity, and cultural celebration.
I also rent out a 360 machine that captures a short 25 second video of the people who attend the events I’m hired for. I create a video overlay uniquely for the celebrated person and add a clip of a song of their choice for the back-round music to play as the video plays.
Balancing being a father, kitchen manager, school bus driver and multidisciplinary artist can be exhausting but rewarding.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I only had a short amount of time with my dad in my life. Within that time before he passed away when I was 12, he showed me how important it is to work hard. He wasn’t able to specifically show me how to work but watching him wear many hats allowed me to have a great understanding of balancing work and family as well as having a versatile and reliable work ethic.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Recently I went on a trip to Chicago for my mom’s 70th birthday. I brought all my video cameras and equipment with me to capture her event. When I arrived to Chicago I misplaced my equipment and it was never recovered. I was so upset because I wasn’t able to provide a professional experience as I give my clients. At first I was in a bad head space and was contemplating giving up being a videographer/photographer. After I cooled down, I decided to run to Best Buy and buy a phone gimbal to use with my phone to capture her birthday celebration. In the end I captured her beautiful event and was very happy with the outcome of my edit. There wasn’t anyway I was going to let my mom’s 70th birthday video be ruined by my bad attitude and carelessness. When I got back home I reinvested in camera equipment and took that as a sign to upgrade and get the better quality camera, lens and gimbal. Perseverance is what helps me be resilient.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Who I am online is who I am in person, I think I’m actually even better in person. I’m not great at promoting and marketing myself on the internet as I am in real life. I am more of an old school type of artist where I like to have face to face interaction rather than online. I know it’s very important to have a solid fan base and client list. There is a wider range of demographics online although I am more of a personal type of artist who doesn’t allow everyone access to my art. Not all money is good money and some times it’s best to work for and with people who share similar interest and values as you.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
My energy! Of course they would miss my voice and my talents but my energy will be missed most even though I’ll leave some behind through my work.
Image Credits
Iean Morgan photos of me
Emilio Tirado photo of Sage
Catherine Jimenez photo of my father and I
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
