Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ricky Canales. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ricky, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
Every risk I took was very calculated. I knew the outcome of every risk I took whether it was good or bad. I just knew I had to just do the work and let the universe give me what I deserved.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the founder and creative director of World Class Media. In 2014, I began shooting photography and videography as a hobby while playing soccer in college. Taking photos with friends and making mini films. One day I shared my work on social media and some of my followers would ask me if they could pay me to capture some media for them. That’s when I knew I could make this into a business. I created a new social media and website for me that strictly focused on my personal work. As much as I loved shooting media for others I wasn’t able to show my creative side. Storytelling. I loved hearing about a success story and I wanted to create a platform that could give anyone that opportunitiy to share their story. When Covid hit I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to create. I grew up playing soccer and I never wanted that love of soccer to fade away. So I decided to create a soccer blog called World Class Football. Where I created articles about current players, retired players, and soccer influencers. Sharing stories that I believed not everyone knows about, but should know. That took a lot of time and research, but we were in lockdown from Covid-19 so all I had was time. Eventually, some of the players I created stories for would repost the article on their personal pages. Pages that had millions of followers. I knew I had something, but now I wanted to take that same idea and work it with local soccer players from where I am from, Jacksonville, FL. With a professional media background I knew creating local soccer stories would quickly spread around town because no one was invested into soccer media or soccer journalism as I was, These passion projects eventually landed me to work with the local soccer teams and leagues as their social media director. Not only were the team’s social media platforms looked consistent with game day photos and video clips, but I was able to interview players, coaches, and staff members about their upbringing and goals in life so that the audience could feel engaged. This led me to work the top leagues in US Soccer such as MLS, USL, UPSL and NCAA. I was extremely happy that World Class Football had grown naturally, but now I wanted to implement that idea from World Class Football to everyday people. That’s when I changed the name of my personal media pages and websites into World Class Media. Providing quality media coverage for my client’s social media platforms, but letting the audience know why a busniess or entrepreneur is a “World Class” doctor, author, chef, etc. That to me is my core value when meeting a client is that they will receive world class media services, but feel that they are World Class. This idea has now led me to work with artist, small business owners, political figures and other sports other than soccer across the country. We looked to expand outside the US and hear more stories around the World.
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?
Three qualities that mostly impacted my journey were dedication, excellence, and providing a guide for others. My advice for others would be to not be afraid to be you. Take the risk that will make you feel better about yourself and always welcome failure because that’s how you will learn how to be a better you.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed I like to take a step back from everything and reach out to friends and family. Running a business is extremely difficult and your head can be left in the clouds. My family and friends bring me back to earth and remind me that life is more than just work. I never take my family and friend’s time for granted and they always remind me that they’re here to support me no matter what. Once I feel that reassurance from them that’s when that weight from work has been removed and I’m more relaxed. Then that’s when I’m able to sit alone to read or go for a 3 mile run.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://worldclassfootballco.com
- Instagram: _worldclassmedia_ and worldclassftbl
- Youtube: World Class Media and World Class Football
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