Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Raitor
Hi Patrick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The beginning of my creative journey started nearly 25 years ago. My father was a commercial airline pilot and the desire to travel must have been hereditary because I always wanted to be somewhere new. This was the early 2000’s, when digital cameras were becoming more and more common and 35mm film was slowly losing its foothold. Like many photographers before me, I started with the first camera I could find, which was the ancient family point-and-shoot Olympus. This interest intensified the more I traveled, wanting to document the changing world around me the camera went everywhere I did. In high school, I got my first professional DSLR a Canon 5d Mkii, and started to dig even deeper into the world of photography. In college, I spent most of my time at the skatepark or at the local ski hill documenting my friends which led to a job with Red Bull at the tail end of my collegiate career. During all this, I had a smaller itch to scratch and that was fashion. Which has always been an intense interest for me. The root of this can be found in differnt countries and states I found myself in while growing up. The day I graduated college was the day I left for New York. I skipped my graduation entirely and walked down a jetway instead across the stage.
I spent my first few years in New York working with my then-girlfriend, now wife Tess, who is in fashion and a content creator—filming for her, taking pictures, and going to events where action sports were quickly traded for fashion photography. I had done my best to keep up with fashion while living in Minnesota, with the help of GQ, and Details to name a few. Finding myself in the middle of the world of fast-moving fashion, my path started to open up and become a bit more defined. Navigating the world of content creators at the time was still murky. It was undefined and still very new, unlike how it is viewed today. I tried to put myself in my client’s shoes to understand their needs and desires better.
After a bit of practice, I landed my first brand deal and eventually got a manager. None of this would be possible without the help of my wife Tess, she helped me from the start and to this day. Currently, I am a full-time content creator and have just relocated to St. Paul from Brooklyn, New York.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The internet is a weird place to make a living because it is very public-facing and meant for others to see. It’s a high volume output form of visual storytelling which I love, all of the comments, good and bad, land my social media front door. It can take a toll mentally, and has banged up my self-esteem a little bit at times. You learn not to take things too personally or roll with the punches which that can help thicken up your skin a bit. That approach left me more confident and sure of myself than before. The internet moves fast, really fast, trends change along with how people consume, what was popular several years ago has now taken the backseat to something else. There are many pivots in a short period which makes a lot of the growth non-linear. My experience as a creator has been positive overall.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Each day can be pretty different. What the internet sees daily is the final product, there are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes that most people don’t give credit to or are aware of. Some days are spent putting decks together for clients, editing, writing a brief, styling a look or scouting locations for a future photoshoot.
My handle focuses mostly on clothes, cocktails, and cameras. I love to travel and shoot film, which go hand in hand. Fashion has been a major part of my life for a long time, so the integration of it on my social media was a pretty seamless transition. Currently one of my clients is Hilton, they have been a dream client for a long time and have been amazing to work with (and I’m not just saying that) the reason I am so proud of that partnership is because of how natural it feels from a brand and personal standpoint. That allows for a more in-depth/varied experience with the fashion content as well. Using travel as a way to step out of my comfort zone is really what it’s all about.
Ten years ago a prediction of my current self would have been pretty different than where things ended up. I have always liked to take risks and push myself personally and professionally, this field has been the perfect catalyst to see how far I can push the envelope. Whether that be a big ask from a client, long travel days and longer work days, or working with a client that may have been out of reach a few years ago. When I am not doing any creative content I love to roam around with my camera and see what there is to offer, street photography has been a recent hobby that I picked up around 2019 or so. I have found it’s a great way to step back from my other work while still being creative.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
This is a tough question. It’s dependent on how forward you are and what works best for you. I tend to be forward and outgoing which has been working in my favor so far. Having just moved to St. Paul from New York City I am still finding my footholds in the city and navigating the social scene. As a whole, I love going to different events, and pop-ups, and staying active in the community. This is my preferred method for networking, but I understand that it’s not for everyone. Getting out of the house and shaking things up a bit feels a bit more like an adventure, so that’s usually the route I lean on.
So if there are other content creators interested in fashion, or exploring the Twin Cities food scene holler at me, and let’s link up! My mentors are other content creators and photographers. We always find ways to push each other, or provide a sounding board and help with content and moral support.
In short, get out there. Push yourself to get outside of your comfort zone.
Pricing:
- shoot me a message
Contact Info:
- Website: https://moderngypsymedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgm_patrick/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mgmpatrick?lang=en
