001 - Why I Started Rising Tide Film w/ Steve Govel

Timing is everything, and this one moment in May 2021 changed everything for me.
We moved from New Jersey to Sydney in November 2019, just before COVID changed the world.
Moving meant re-establishing my commercial content and portrait photography business in Sydney, which came with its share of challenges over the first 5 months. COVID came to Australia in April 2020, and introduced restrictions that took those challenges to a whole new level. Almost every day presented a new hurdle that meant finding new ways just to keep the business afloat and provide for my family.
That was the beginning of the end for Stephen Govel Photography, and it was easy to blame COVID for the downward spiral.
A year later in May 2021, I was on the phone with my accountant Jac, reviewing the year-end financials. She stopped me a few minutes into our call and asked, “Steve, are you okay?”
I really wasn’t.
The reality of my situation, being in the worst financial position I’d ever experienced and the stress that comes with it, the defeat in my voice was impossible to hide.
I had put in so much effort, time, and money to re-establish the business that had brought me so much joy, pride, and fulfilment over the past 12 years, and it just wasn’t happening.
That was a hard pill to swallow. I didn’t realise it at the time, but the failure of that business was the start of something else that has brought me more joy, pride and fulfilment in my career than ever before.
After that call with Jac, I spent the next month searching for work outside the industry I knew so well because I was so unsure of the future. It wasn’t a great place to be mentally. I nearly applied to drive a Woolies delivery truck at one stage and even got certified in SaaS sales to have options.
I spent every day sifting through job posts on Seek, looking for anything that sounded exciting and enjoyable. I’d throw in a Hail Mary at the end of each day and search for “Videographer” hoping to find a job that would keep doing what I loved.
In May 2021, that Hail Mary led to a monumental moment in my career.
Short Marine was looking for a content creator to help build their marketing department. Someone passionate about the ocean and boating, who could tell great stories, loved their brands, spoke the language of business, and could produce high-quality content of their boats on the water.
Reading that job post gave me instant goosebumps. It felt like the stars aligned. Growing up on the water in New Jersey, some of my best childhood memories were fishing with my Dad and spending time on the water. I got more excited with every word as I read Sam and Ryan Short’s story and mission for being in business and saw the brands they represented.
I don’t know why I never explored combining my passion for creating meaningful content, storytelling, and boating before, but this was the lightbulb moment for me.
There were so many moments in the first few months of working together that reinforced that I had found something truly special.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve helped Short Marine develop the marketing strategies and create unique, story-driven content that’s been recognised around the world, contributing to their impressive growth in sales, securing new brand partnerships, and attracting top talent. I’ve produced successful campaigns for some of the best boat brands in the world, helped a select few Sydney-based marine businesses grow their brands, and am building the Rising Tide team with some incredibly talented people so we can serve more businesses in the marine industry.
Looking back, it was easy for me to blame COVID for my business failure.
But, I’m pointing the finger at COVID for the sea change to start Rising Tide, which has given me the best three years of my career.
That’s my journey. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but man it’s been fun. 🙌
And today is another monumental moment I’m excited to look back on.
The Rising Tidecast is live.
I started this podcast to share the stories and life lessons of great people doing great things in our industry. It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m so stoked to share it with you.
Watch Episode 01 - The Intro on your podcast platform of choice!