Meet Garrett Riker | Content Creator

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

Hi Garrett, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk comes in all forms. For me risk has always come down to either working for a brand or working for myself. Working for yourself is definitely more rewarding if you stay tough through the hard times. I choose risk for the reward every time.

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.
As a camera operator and editor I think what sets me apart is I have been on the other side of the camera a lot before I ever started trying to film. Wether it was golf or skateboarding or mountain biking someone was shooting photos and video of me. So when I picked up a camera for the first time I had a pretty good idea of what looked cool and what people wanted and a general idea of how to direct someone just from directing other creatives when shooting me. What I didn’t know was how hard it was to achieve the perfect shot. My success today doesn’t come from one place or one industry, I learned very early that if I say no I can’t do that or no I haven’t ever done that, opportunity will just run right past me. I have shot almost everything it feels like at this point, from weddings and doctors offices to action sports and the biggest names music. Which I also feel sets me apart from other videographer’s because I take a little bit of what I have learned from all types of shoots and bring it to each brand I work with. No part of working for yourself is easy especially as an artist because for most brands paying for professional video or photo is a luxury, which means it’s the first thing to get cut when times get tough. I work far more hours as an independent than any W2 employee but I also have far more freedom.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in San Diego definitely has its perks with the beach just minutes away and mountains to find epic camping. As for where I hang the most probably on the coast and where I eat the most probably city taco in Encinitas.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a lot of people that have helped me and encouraged me through my success. The beginning of my career started in music industry. Strati Hovartos and John Oakes gave me a shot to prove myself as an editor and then brought me on a music tour to assist Strati in shooting and editing content for the tour. From their I met many people like Nick Allen from Rockstar Energy along with many other tour managers, stage managers and Production leaders. Today my wife and kids are my biggest inspiration to stay creative and motivated so that I can provide the best life for them.

Instagram: @garrett.riker

Linkedin: Garrett Riker