May 12, 2020

Meet Braden Bingham of Bingham X in Sunnyside

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Braden Bingham.

Braden, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have quite a diverse background actually. Growing up in Vail, I spent almost all my time cycling, skiing and going to school. During the summers when I had a bit more time. I got my first real taste of photography by assisting my parents with their photography and printing business. They taught me everything from lighting to editing to how to run a business. At the time I didn’t realize how important those years would be, and I’m so grateful I was able to learn so much from them! In college, I studied mechanical engineering while pursuing my dream of becoming a professional cyclist. I worked as a graphic and web designer on the side to allow myself the freedom to train and race, but eventually took a job as a product engineer and industrial designer. I traveled across the world and had the opportunity to create and patent several products. After a couple years in engineering, I was offered a position in marketing for General Mills and started a totally different career path! After sevem years in field marketing, digital marketing and as director of marketing for two different startups. My wife and I changed directions again and started Bingham X.

My wife Chris, is my partner and has been essential to starting Bingham X. She has a distinctive taste for art from growing up in Santa Fe and working for her father’s art gallery. After high school, she attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA to study marketing. Since then, she has spent almost a decade as a stylist, social media manager, digital marketer, and content creator for various companies. She is an incredible editor and notices details like no one I’ve ever met a little too well sometimes!

In 2018, I bought her our first real camera as a creative outlet and soon discovered that between our skills we could take photography and videography beyond just a hobby! The years we spent working in marketing made us realize there was a strong need for creatives that are also skilled in marketing. In 2019, we had a breakthrough when we were hired by Ducati to create photos and videos, and we’ve been full steam ahead since then! In January of 2020, we left our careers behind and took the leap to launch Bingham X!

Together, we found that we balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses which gave us the confidence to dive in and focus on our business full time. We couldn’t be happier to be working for ourselves and with each other in this creative space.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just like any startup we’ve definitely had our obstacles! One of our biggest challenges has been breaking into a market filled with agencies and photographers with established relationships and have been working in the industry for years. Getting noticed by brands takes work, but we’re extremely happy with our success and have had the opportunity to work with some really amazing companies and people. Each door we open ends up opening two more, and we gain more skills and improve with every shoot. COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into the mix, but we thrive in tough situations and continue to grow our clientele. We have our goals set extremely high and can’t wait to see where we can take Bingham X!

Please tell us about your work.
While we focus on photography and videography, our diverse backgrounds allow us to create more than “just” photos and videos. We immerse ourselves in a company or person’s history before shooting with them and we bring out those details in a creative way to tell their story. In addition to creating content, we offer social media management, social grid design, copywriting, influencer partnerships, and giveaway collaborations. We make sure that branding and product education is prominent, balanced, and intentional in every image and caption. We have seen from both sides how much brands need a dedicated person or agency to manage social media as well as create effective content, which is right where we fit in.

Right now, we are best known for bringing a new eye and level of creativity to an industry that often times can be stale or plays it safe. In a world where competition is endless, we don’t want to limit our artistry or skills by sticking to one style or category, and we want to learn and create everything we can. We strive to be true visionaries and innovators in the space.

Our proudest moment so far was the moment we left the stability of our careers to take Bingham X full time. Taking that step is both intimidating and exciting, but to finally commit to creating our own business and future is freeing and has been more rewarding and fun than any job we’ve ever had!

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Most of my favorite childhood memories surround sports. I took up skiing and snowboarding when I was super young, then found a love for cross country skiing and bike racing by the time I was in middle school. These sports brought me all over North America, where I’ve competed with some of the most talented athletes in the world. Through my years of cycling as an amateur and a professional, I built incredible friendships and learned important values that carry over into every aspect of my life!

Contact Info:

Website: www.binghamx.com
Phone: 970-306-2203
Email: braden@binghamx.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bingham_x/

Image Credit:
Bingham X

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