In 2014 Brian Confer left the corporate world determined to start his entrepreneurial journey.
With a background in acting, Brian was aware of the challenges actors faced in getting high-quality headshots that didn’t cost a month’s rent.
It all clicked when one of Brian’s friends, a talented LA headshot photographer, Adam Hendershot, shared a creative vision that could disrupt the actor’s headshot space.
The solution was to create a mobile photography studio inside a food truck—a 1996 Chevy P30 step van, to be precise. Thus, The Headshot Truck was born.
The Headshot Truck First hits the road
“Adam and I wanted to offer affordable, modern headshots for actors and business professionals that didn’t break the bank,” Brian recalls.
“LA is so difficult to get from one side of the town to the other,” Brian explains. “If people could stay in their local neighborhood and The Headshot Truck could show up curbside to take headshots for them, I felt like it’d make a lot of sense.”
Their mission was to shake up the status quo of actor headshot photography by offering a convenient and efficient alternative to the existing expensive options, while providing an on-demand service.
The initiative of using bright backgrounds that pop and modern styles was new in corporate headshot space and it quickly set THT apart from traditional headshot photo studios.
Challenging photography norms isn’t straightforward
“We understood that we were asking people to climb into a windowless van to take pictures. That was something we needed to be aware of—to make sure we made folks feel comfortable,” Brian says. “That was one of the reasons why the truck is pink. You needed a fun and inviting space for people to feel confident in themselves during the session.”
Despite being unconventional, the positive feedback from clients who appreciated the fast, easy process helped others overcome their initial skepticism around this new way of getting professional photos.
“When people finally got in the truck to shoot, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so amazing. The process was so easy and fast. And the photos are great,'” Brian recalls with a smile.
THT success moves into new markets
The Headshot Truck quickly gained traction, attracting working actors like Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Marissa Jaret Winokur. Significant corporate clients, such as Netflix and NBC Universal, soon followed.
“We work with two of those still today, which is really neat. The studios, in particular, gravitated towards our model because it was industry-friendly, quick, and easy. The Headshot Truck was a fun, novel thing,” says Brian Confer.
Expanding with two additional trucks into New York City and Atlanta, The Headshot Truck faced the challenges of operating in different climates. “There are weather challenges in other markets like New York City, and people don’t want to get into a truck in the middle of winter. They’d much rather you bring your setup inside their offices,” Brian explains. This realization laid the groundwork for Capturely, which now caters to corporate clients nationwide.
Capturely’s first steps
Capturely was founded in 2019 to address the need for indoor headshot options in cities with varying climates, like New York. Rob Eyler, a Headshot Truck advisor and co-founder of Capturely, saw the potential for a nationwide corporate photography service.
Capturely aimed to provide professional photography at corporate offices and conferences, leveraging The Headshot Truck’s innovative mobile studio concept.
While The Headshot Truck catered primarily to actors, Capturely targeted enterprise corporate clients with onsite headshots to meet corporate brand needs. Capturely grew to 25 major markets nationwide servicing enterprise clients with multiple offices to provide consistent headshots.
Capturely’s pivot during the pandemic transforms into a revolutionary service
Once the pandemic hit most corporate clients were working from home and the need for on-site headshots was close to zero. This created a need for an immediate business pivot to stay afloat in an unstable market.
The pivot came in the form of developing a virtual headshot service. This is the only service in the world that allows you to connect to a live professional photographer directly from the comfort of your own phone, from anywhere in the world.
The process is easy. Using our smartphone app, a live photographer (an actual real person) will connect to your phone, direct the photoshoot, and take headshots using your phone camera in 10 minutes. Then we edit and retouch the top 3 images, allow you to add a custom background, and deliver your photos in 24 hours.
The Headshot Truck chapter closes as Brian continues to lead as Capturely’s Chief Growth Officer
Success with the virtual headshot has led Capturely to focus its full attention on supporting the existing and quickly growing volume of remote headshot experiences.
Schedule your virtual headshot session here.
We are excited about possible future new virtual headshot services, but for now, The Headshot Truck is taking its last ride on Sunset Boulevard.
We thank you for supporting The Headshot Truck over the years. Keep on Truckin!
