Jon Melson
This week on Nick’s Picks – my interview show where I interview influencers – I had the pleasure of welcoming Jon Melson to the screen. Besides having photography skills out of the wazoo (you can urban dictionary that word if you need to), he is incredibly insightful and down to Earth. I am hard to impress, from people’s accomplishments to their looks, there isn’t much that wows me. That wasn’t the case with Jon. Jon wow’d me.
Jon gives value to people
Jon lives in the heart of downtown L.A., the fashion district, where life moves almost as fast as Jon drinks his coffee. After I pulled into an open parking space outside of his apartment he greeted me with a familiar smile and a welcoming bro-hug (you can also urban dictionary that if you need to). There’s something unique about Jon. Jon is determined – yes – but he’s also caring and that’s reflected not only in his work but how he handles his relationships. Jon isn’t self seeking. He’d like to promote his career but not at the expense of compromising who he is or what he believes in. Jon isn’t trying to climb the corporate ladder – because for Jon, there isn’t one. Mr. Melson has the freedom of picking and choosing who he collaborates with and who he believes he can add value to. For him, creating a work-relationship isn’t about what he could gain from an individual, he wants the give and take to be mutual. What I came to find,
he was even willing to give more so than he desired to take.
Jon has morals
It’s uncommon to find a young entrepreneur – or any entrepreneur for that matter – in the entertainment industry that isn’t a sly dog. If anything, Jon is a gentle grizzly bear. Jon is intentional with the work he puts out and follows a great rule of thumb don’t shoot people naked. Jon has created his brand around who he is – positive, fun, and clean. His brand reflects who he is as a person and he’s put himself in a position where people who approach him for work opportunities already know what he’s about and willing to shoot. Over the course of my visit with Jon we joked about how he wouldn’t shoot naked models but he might shoot models naked. I suppose the world will never know the truth about that.
Jon never stops learning
During the interview and outside of the interview it was clear that Jon sought opportunities to learn from. You’ll hear him say in the interview, “Never be the biggest fish in the pond”. He says that because he wants to surround himself with people who are better than him or have a different style than him. He wants to be able to keep growing and learning so that he never becomes content with where his skills are at and he can produce content that will inspire others. For Jon, when he creates a photo he is sharing something that he thinks will have a positive impact on people. For Jon, he desires to push his skills because he wants to be able to present good energy to the people he has influence to.
My notes to Jon
Jon, thank you for having me over! I had a blast working with you. Anyone out there reading this – do not hesitate to work with Jon. He is so much fun to work with, a stand up guy, and whatever you end up creating with him will always be worth the process. Jon, thank you for being such a fun guest and teaching me that
we’re either fulfilling our own vision or we’re fulfilling someone else’s.
I learned a lot from you during this interview and just picking your brain over a very hipster cup of coffee. Thank you brother and I’ll see you soon!