Today we’d like to introduce you to Saleem aka Slambo.
Saleem, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was much younger, I enjoyed nice cars in video games and occasionally in real life, but I never truly had an eye for them. I had never actually been near an exotic car to appreciate its full glory. That was until I was in high school, probably in my senior year, my friends decided to hang out and go to Cars and Coffee. Back then, it was held at the Classic BMW dealership off of Dallas North Tollway. That was when it hit me. The smell of fuel in the air, the random engine revs throughout the lot, and the glorious sight of dozens of high-performance cars. It was like I was asleep my whole life and this combination of stimuli just woke me up! I was immediately entranced by the exotic cars section. Lamborghini, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, etc. were all sitting in front of me in real life! I took more pictures and videos on my iPhone that day than I had that whole year.
I started posting all this raw content to an Instagram page I made for my new-found obsession with cars. My page grew more quickly than I anticipated, so I bought my first camera. I met some cool car owners at these car meets with whom I would hang out with and learn a lot from. These friends were not just cool for their cars, but these were people who succeeded in life. Their lessons were and are still valuable in guiding me to be successful in my own pursuits.
At some point soon after my obsession began, one of my friends came up with the nickname “Slambo” when I was trying to figure out a Snapchat username. Since then, I went by that nickname and it stuck; it became my personal brand. Before I knew it, opportunities to do amazing things popped up left and right. I got to attend a private car meets and see even more exclusive cars than what I had seen at Cars and Coffee. I had the opportunity to watch a Netflix Original show be filmed. Fun fact: I am in that show for a total of maybe two seconds. But nonetheless, I can say that I am in a Netflix Original show! I was blessed with several chances to experience the extraordinary power of high-performance cars firsthand.
People began to notice my work and photoshoots became a common inquiry. I worked on my skills in camera and in post-processing to bring out the best content I could. I even took a class at my university on photography to gain any knowledge that might help me be a better photographer. I would ask my “car buddies” to bring out their cars for experimental photoshoots from time to time. This is where I would practice things I had never done before without the pressure of fulfilling a client’s needs perfectly. Practice and learning from others were my two best friends in trying to better myself as a photographer.
Today, I am glad to say I have accomplished more than I could have imagined when I first started my Instagram page. Things were not always easy, but persevering through them made it worth it afterwards. This year I have expanded my work from freelance to a full media production company called Slambo Media, LLC. We create content businesses based on their audience, marketing needs, brand growth goals, etc. I have already had the pleasure of working on so many great projects and look forward to what the future holds!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No matter what anyone tells you, the answer to this question is always no. Taking this road was like trying to drive an eighteen-wheeler on a bicycle trail. I have had people degrade my work and others use me for my potential that I could not see at the time. Making a name for myself was also hard with all the competition around.
There were a lot of tough ultimatums life threw at me. There were also countless times where I wanted to give up, shut down my page, and just go on with my life. Even after everything I have been able to do, some times I think “This is it. this is as good as it got and maybe it is time to end this chapter of my life.” Sometimes, I would be combing over some photos after a shoot and just be so dissatisfied with them, despite the fact that they were actually really good. This blindness to potential would always lead me back to thinking about giving up. Most of the time, it was a result of looking at the content, other big creators online were posting, and comparing it to my own work.
I would say one of the most important things that got me through this was having good friends who helped you appreciate your work. Two of my close friends, Ahmad and Bacell, have always supported me from the beginning. They helped me see how good my content really was, and that would usually pull me out of the rut I was in.
Slambo Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business, Slambo Media, specializes in media production, specifically with business in the automotive industry. We create content businesses can use for marketing, social media, etc. I personally specialize in automotive photography, which is why we deal mainly with dealerships and other businesses that service cars. I am well-known for my photos of exotic cars and how well I make them look on camera.
I am most proud of the work I do and the content I put out there. I put my best effort into every photo shoot, and I work as hard as I can to bring out the client’s vision of what they want for their content. For this interview, I was asked to pick eight relevant photos. I looked back at all my photos from the past two years, and it took me hours to pick my favorite photos because I love all my work and the effort that I put into them!
There are a few small things that may set us aside from other photographers like equipment, style, and post-processing method, but the biggest factor is ambition. What got me where I am over the past four years is putting myself out there as much as possible and not being afraid of failure. I may not have been the best choice for all the clients I have worked with, but what got me the job was ambition and professionalism.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This is another tough question. The answer to this would probably be the moment that leads to me working with Aston Martin Dallas. I was at Cars and Cannoli, a private car show, and there were corporate Aston Martin representatives from LA showcasing the new DB11. After a car owner, I was speaking to mentioned that his son follows my Instagram page, one of the Aston Martin representatives took a peek at my page and asked me to meet him at the dealership later that day. Since then, I have had the pleasure of creating content with Aston Martin Dallas on several occasions.
Contact Info:
- Website: slambo77.com
- Phone: 2147990052
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slambo77/
Image Credit:
Saleem Abo-Auda
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