Meet Bri Ali

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

Bri, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Being an NFL photographer has a lot pf perks, but one thing that is not talked about is the lack of diversity in the field. The first game I shot was against the Dallas Cowboys. Leading up to the day I was so focused on my performance that it completely distracted me from the harsh reality of the industry. My first encounter in our workroom was one of my least favorites so far this season. I actively caught two photographers talking about me behind my back. I had never met them a day in my life. Following that seemed to be a storm of rude behaviors I had not even thought to anticipate. That moment motivated me to really pay attention to my surroundings, and all roads led to the people there seeming not to want me in their space. I had people bumping into me, purposely positioning themselves in front of me, and even ramming their equipment into mine without batting an eyelash. I couldn’t help but feel the entitlement. The sense of belonging that made them feel as if this was their, so i needed to act accordingly.

A camera guy even rammed me in my back and proceeded to turn around and cuss me out. That moment served as a tipping point. In that moment I felt defenseless because I knew that I had did or said anything in that moment it could be the end of my time at the Cleveland Browns. I hung my head and headed to the sideline to catch the next play when I suddenly noticed that tears had began leaking from my eyes uncontrollably. There I was, on the sideline trying to wipe away what seemed to be an eternal stream of tears from my face trying to hide it from the 67,431 fans.

As crazy as it sounds, this experience motivated me more than ever. It taught me that everything cant be all sunshine and rainbows. I also learned that there is great power in holding a position no one wants you to have. I had to learn that sometime people hate where you are because that is where they perviously or currently aspire to me. My advice to anyone reading this is to understand that you are where you are for a reason. The work is undeniable. When you do your job at a high level there is nothing for others to do but respect it. There will always be people looking to bring you down, but don’t let them. The standard i set for myself will never change based on how others treat me. The work will remain the same; I will remain the same. You should do the same. Fortunately, I am surrounded by a team at the Browns that supports who I am, and encourages authenticity above all. Things like that makes a huge difference when you feel alone in your profession. Although they do not always look like you, lean on those who are the most genuine. You don’t have to like everyone, and not everyone will have your best interest at heart. Find your people and get the job done. That all that matters.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I grew up here in Cleveland and attended Shaker Heights High School. After graduating I went to Notre Dame College of Ohio to get my Bachelors Degree in Accounting and Marketing. Before graduating I did a full time tax internship (spring) and a marketing internship (summer) with the accounting firm BDO. After finishing with BDO I didn’t feel like I found my place in life, so I chose to attend Marshall University to get my MBA with a Marketing Concentration instead of getting my CPA. Accounting was cool, but I learned that there is more to life than making money, like having fun. This was also the time I decided to label myself a photographer.

Coming to the university i knew i was missing pieces to my puzzle, so i set out to find them. My first year at Marshall I made it clear to the Chief of Staff that I wanted to do sports photography. Instead they stuck me in the recruiting department to do event photography. Although that was not what I wanted to do I stuck with it. A year later we got a new Chief of Staff named Sharrod Everett. Like before, I mentioned my interest in sports photography but he actually set things in motion for me. He tried to connect me with the higher ups in marketing, but they did not seem interested in helping me. He then went to the lengths to personally introduce me to Stanley Williams and Rodney Kasey, Marshall University’s lead content creators. The day I met them I knew that they would be my people, and I was right. Sharrod, Rodney, and Stan were three missing pieces to my puzzle, but I still felt like I was missing one more piece. After getting settled in i started to come to each practice even though i didn’t have to. Weeks passed and some days i would be the only consistant content the team had. That is where i was able to establish my value and get the attention of my last missing piece, Head Coach Charles Huff. One day he just walked up to me and mumbled, “Hey, go talk to Sharrod about getting you on the team plane for away games”. I was smiling ear to ear because my goal was to shoot home games, and suddenly I was a part of the team. It felt good. After that came a 2 year grind of football 24/7. I shot my first media day, traveled the country, and most importantly got better everyday. Towards the end of last season I started to wonder what would be next for me. Then, I found out that I could be an intern for an NFL team. Never in a million years did I think i would work for my home team. It felt good, but i worked for it. I was driving from Huntington Saturday nights (4.5 hours) to do freelance work for the Browns on Sunday’s. I was doing Corporate Partnership stuff and editing which isn’t the most glorious, but worth it in the end. Doing this work allowed me to meet my boss Matt Starkey who has helped me take my knowledge and skills to the next level. Being here with him has been amazing. The best thing about him aside from the abundance of knowledge is how he fights for me. He is the person I can lean on in any moment i feel uncertain about the direction i’m going in. Good or Bad he is always there for me. This is rare, so each day i try not to take my situation for granted. Because of him i have been able to shoot games, travel with the team, have a role in media day, shoot concerts, and even take the lead on projects like our merchandise collaboration Ilthy and the product photography associated with the My Cause My Cleats initiative. He is preparing me for all kinds of photography not just sports. In the long run I still aspire to be a freelance photographer. I like the concept of working with a team, but i hate restrictions, so i feel conflicted. Despite that Matt has supported my aspiration to grow my personal brand. I currently offer services related to events, fashion, products, lifestyle, and well… anything you’d need photo coverage for. Ideally I would like to have retainer clients that allow me to have more consistency so I don’t have to work a full time job. Right now, i’m dong all i need to do in order to get to where I want to obe!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Having consistency in what you do because that is what’s gonna help y0u improve. It wasn’t until shooting my first season at Marshall that I was able to really see how much shooting everyday helped me. After I noticed that, i never stopped. One thing i encourage readers to do to help hold themselves accountable is to ask yourself “what did i do today to progress towards my goal? If the answer is nothing you’re doing something wrong.

Resilience is the next quality I would urge people to adopt. You can’t stop obstacles from coming your way, but you can come up with your own method to weather the storm. I don’t have a concrete way to master resilience, but to keep your head up no matter what. If you’re down they win; don’t give them the satisfaction.

Coachability is the last of the three qualities I think everyone should adopt. Being coachable doesn’t just apply to athletes, but to anyone who is in the position to learn from anyone around them. Being able to receive, process and apply new information is a vital skill.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Atomic Habits is a book i just recently finished. I can honestly say it helped me pay attention to small habits I had that I did not notice created a larger bad habit. Having self awareness is a vital part of self improvement. This book allowed me to take a closer look at my habits and allowed my to reevaluate the way I do things.

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Bri Ali

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