Meet Simon Eisenbach

We were lucky to catch up with Simon Eisenbach recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Simon, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

In 2016/2017, I was going through a period of rapid growth in my business which required a lot of my time. It was basically 12 hour days 6-7 days a week whether sitting in front of a computer or out in the field filming for client work. I was so focused on building the business that I forgot about my health & wellness along the way. Looking back it was totally unsustainable, but at the moment I thought it was what needed to be done in order for success to happen. I’d also be regularly fighting with lower back injuries from not lifting heavy equipment properly or having the appropriate strength needed for my work. Regular chiropractic visits would ease the pain, but never truly heal the issues.

Approximately, every three months between pain and exhaustion I would go into complete burn out. I’d take three or four days off which was mostly just sleeping… Then I’d go right back to working 12 hour days trying to “get my business to the next level.” I was so focused on growth that it also cost me a romantic relationship. It took about a year of this cycle before realizing how miserable I was, and questioning if the direction my business was going even made sense.

The first change I made was making exercise/strength training a priority. I am one of those people who hates having to think up my workouts, which is probably part of why I didn’t work out in the post-college/early career life. After a short stint with private training, I joined a crossfit gym which not only gave me a solid workout which was pre-planned, but also gave me a community of people to spend time with outside of work. Going three days a week focusing more on having proper form while working out lead to a drastic increase my overall health.

Realizing how beneficial community outside of work was to me as I began my exercise journey, it became something I needed to find other ways too. In 2018, I made a rule that once a week work had to end at 5pm so I could spend time with friends for an evening. Whether it was dinner out, going to a hockey game, 9 holes of golf or something else. It became a fantastic weekly reset which allowed me a break from constantly thinking about work all the time.

Life in 2025 is very different than it was during this period of time, but regular exercise & spending time with friends have been incredibly helpful to keeping me sane with the ebbs and flows of business.

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

I’ve been fortunate to spend my entire life exploring as my family would take an annual two week summer vacation somewhere new. Traveling to remote parts of the world began during my freshman year of college when I helped my dad (who’s an engineer) with a project he was doing in Burkina Faso. I fell into photography during college when it was the only fine arts elective which fit my schedule while playing on a division 2 soccer team.

Starting a business in photography & video production happened because I wanted to have a flexible schedule where I’d be able to go overseas to support non-profits & NGOs working to create sustainable communities in different places. As my professional career took off, I began to realize that the most successful projects all involved helping businesses & non-profits which were looking to do more than make money… They wanted to leave an impact as well. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects with large corporations like Trex discussing sustainability partnerships keeping plastic film out of landfills, small non-profits like E4 Project supporting the hospital in D.R. Congo, and everything in-between.

My personal belief is that everyone wants the same three things from life:

– Basic needs met (food, water, shelter, clothes)

– Their kids to have a better education than they had

– Joy in life

Exactly what that looks like for everyone is different depending on their location, religious beliefs, hobbies, and upbringing. However, no-one should have to become a refugee for any reason other than war making their home inhabitable. Someone shouldn’t have to leave their home because they are unable to find work, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their head. Everyone should also have easy access to clean potable water.

As a professional creative, my goal professionally is to work on as many projects that are enabling people to thrive in their chosen community. Whether I am helping a small business owner so that they can put food on their family’s table or a non-profit providing clean water access to remote villages. This is part of what led me to starting the Common Cultures Podcast. The podcast is an opportunity to showcase people from different places and backgrounds discussing their lives and how they’re all looking for the same core things from life.

The podcast is just one segment of my business as creating marketing/fundraising materials for businesses & non-profits is a much larger portion of the business. My projects range from TV commercials & youtube explainer videos to product & branding photography for a few examples. I have also been pushing into the world of educational immersive experiences. I can’t say anymore on that last bit quite yet… It’ll all be public in June so be sure to stay tuned on my socials.

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?

The most important thing I learned in business which has become my mantra for early career professionals is:

Don’t be a Jerk. Be Interesting

This simple phrase has opened so many doors because relationships are truly how things get done throughout ones career.

In the realm of skills, learning how to quickly adapt to different situations is huge. Whether it is a change in scope of a project last minute requiring a major pivot in what you’re doing, equipment not working properly so you’re figuring out how to make something work in 15 minutes or less that will make the client happy, or being on location when a major protest happens out of nowhere making it unsafe to be where you’re trying to film. Figuring out how to make the most of what gets thrown at you becomes a huge help and reason for people to hire you since the project still becomes a success.

Lastly, learning the tech side of whatever equipment I am using so that it becomes second nature while on location is huge. This allows me to focus on the story which is the much more important part of any project over exactly what camera/lenses etc we are using.

These are three very different things, but have all been a huge part of what’s created my success over the last 12+ years as a professional creative.

How would you describe your ideal client?

As my professional career took off, I began to realize that the most successful projects all involved helping businesses & non-profits which were looking to do more than make money… They wanted to leave an impact as well. Whether it is a non-profit helping people with developmental disabilities in one specific area, a hospital looking to bring in more residents, a business trying to sell more product which will help improve the lives of their customer, or a small business that the owner is trying to keep the lights on and their employees busy. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects with large corporations like Trex discussing sustainability partnerships keeping plastic film out of landfills or Leitner Poma installing a wind turbine at their Tooele, Ut factory, or small non-profits like E4 Project supporting the hospital in D.R. Congo, and everything in-between. My current project is focused on education, and helping children better understand a complex topic. While these are all a bit different, they are working to create a better future for their community.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Andy Morris
Benedick David Photography
Alex Ingram

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