Meet Nicholas Haugen | Director and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Haugen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance is difficult for a lot of people in the production industry. It is long hours and a lot of moving parts during the day that you are very drained by the end of the day. But somehow it is the most rewarding and fun job I have ever done. The people I work with are family and we all have a great time at work but we know when its time to go home that we all have lives outside of work.

I do think about the balance quite a bit because to anyone on the outside of the industry I am in they say 12 hour days are something they would never do. But they also do not get to see the day to day. I give major props to anyone who has kids or a large family in this industry because its very hard. Everyone has their way of finding that balance, you just have to find what works best for you and then communicate that with your work. You would be surprised how many bosses are willing to work with you for your life outside of work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a freelance photographer on paper. But I have been perma-lance in the Petco Headquarters studio for almost 4 years now. I started off as a Production Assistant and now I am the Assistant director in the studio. Its crazy to think that I have only been in CA for 5 years and for the majority of it I have been photographing animals. It is a little bit of a dream come true. Like I said before production has super long hours and is draining sometimes. I just have to remind myself of the work that I do and how many people would kill to have this job. The challenges in this position are always about the changes. Let me explain, everyday on a set it’s not about if there is going to be a problem, it is when there is a problem. It is about what you do in those situations even if it is a big or small issue. I have a joke on set that my middle name is pivot but that is how I deal with the challenges. Get the issue, find a solution, and then pivot to complete the task.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I mean the usual places that I go to for anyone that comes into town are…… Mt. Soledad, Cabrillo National Monument, and Sunset Cliffs. The best tacos are at “The Taco Stand”. My opinion is the best burrito in SD is the “Trifecta Burrito” at Harrys Taco Club in Pacific Beach. Ps the Trifecta Burrito is not on the menu. Favorite bar is “The Dog” in PB. I mean every neighborhood of SD is awesome and there is so many pockets. What is not to like about paradise? Because thats where we live!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I know this is super cliche but my mom Julie. She was a single mom for the majority of my life and oh boy did she teach me how to hustle and hustle hard. I am the youngest of five so being at the bottom of the totem poll I definitely had a chip on my shoulder. Julie gave me a lot of my drive in my life because she did anything for us kids to have what we wanted in life. I always say I got the drive from her and after that all I needed was the skill which just came naturally.

Website: www.nicholashaugen.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hicknaugen

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nicholashaugen