We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tanner Godown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tanner below.
Hi Tanner, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Growing up in a small town with a population of less than 900 people and only two stop lights, it was mostly all farm land. My mom, a nurse, and my dad, a CDL driver, forklift operator, and ambulance driver, I saw nothing but hard work from both of them. When my parents and 6 of us kids moved to Florida, my mom continued her nursing, and my father was a manager for an auction company. My twin brother and I wanted to always work with our dad. Auctions excited us. My uncle Jack (a resident in florida with his wife) was also teaching us things like math, the bible, and how to work on cars, electrical, run equipment like tractors, mowers, air compressors… etc. There, the spark began
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I remember when I was really young watching my grandmother taking photos on her camera and it was always fascinating to me. So naturally when I was around 14 years old I started my videoing business. I started off buying cheap drones and recording basketball games, or small bands with GoPro cameras. Eventually with hard work and dedication I became a licensed drone pilot with the FAA at 16 years old. I started working with realtors, businesses, and large events but I wasn’t going to stop there. I started making promo videos and eventually I flew my drone at the Atlanta Braves Spring Training facility and they wanted to hire me right away. Now working there for about 4 years I do things like set up equipment, run a wireless camera, shading, and fly my drone. Not only that I work with Charlotte County setting up live streaming equipment and even a new business with a partner filming music videos and movies
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?
Dedication, hard work ethic, and knowledge.
My uncle Jack always wanted to learn how to do everything and seeing him that way made me want to do that too. I see pride in myself when I learn something new and do it well. My advice don’t be lazy and try to learn everything you can. Have dedication to do something new and always listen to what elders have to say and show.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Being a “Jack of all trades” I freelance and do work on cars, fencing, odd jobs, mowing… etc.
Recently doing a fence job I had a freak accident. Pulling up on a piece of plastic trim with a pair of pliers they accidentally slipped and went through my sunglasses and punctured my right eye.
I was airlifted to the hospital where a 3 – 4 hour emergency surgery was conducted
The struggle, I use that eye to run a wireless camera at the stadium. Through much pain and lots of healing I can run the camera. However I am legally blind in that eye. I wear a positive 12 contact lens that helps me see but a stronger one is needed in the future.
I am literally a blind camera operator
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mirrorimageproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tannergodown?igsh=ZGR6ajRmMDd0ajdx
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