Rising Stars: Meet Luke MacNeil

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke MacNeil. 

Hi Luke, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi. I’m Luke. I’m a 40-year-old digital creative mercenary nomad. I started my career as a Linux engineer and worked my way through the infrastructure of several fortune 100 companies. Then, after about 20 years in tech, I pivoted to media. Photography, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, and Video. I quit my job and started a company, MacNeil Media Group, LLC. We provide design for all sorts of media; audio recording, video editing, print media, motion graphic stingers – whatever is called for. A little over a year ago, my wife Jenn and I sold our house and everything in it except the photography gear and hit the road in an RV to explore the country. We traveled from Massachusetts, through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah taking photos of the landscapes and exploring lesser-explored areas. It’s been a great time, and we’re still out here – playing in the rocks. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We made a decision very quickly to live full-time in an RV and made arrangements to sell everything we owned including the house in the span of about 3 months. It was very exciting, but it was also stressful. We ran into several supply chain issues getting parts and supplies that we would need to live off-grid, but with some help from our friends at VanWorx, a custom van builder in Massachusetts – we got through it. Early on in our first hundreds of miles, we had major mechanical issues. The axle in our new rig had come improperly welded from the factory. We were stranded for some time in Indiana and had to resort to very loud and obnoxious tactics to get things resolved. After all – we had nowhere to go, we couldn’t let our rig sit in the back of an RV parking lot for an undetermined amount of time. After a battle, we got everything fixed up and we’ve been solid ever since. Those early days were rough though, exciting, but stressful. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a lifelong creator of something. Sometimes I write and record songs, sometimes I stage and direct video shoots, sometimes I take on small electronics projects – it doesn’t really matter. I’m always creating something. 

Out here, in the wilderness, where the sky is dark and the people are few – I put most of my attention toward astrophotography. I like to be out in the dark, alone at night, under the Milky Way with my thoughts. 

I know lots of photographers, a few videographers, a couple of drone pilots, a bunch of people that write code and make websites, and a couple of digital designers, but I’ve yet to meet anyone else that can do all that at a professional level – so that sets me apart. 

How do you define success?
I define success as doing what I intended to do – and that changes every day. I don’t think anyone should really care about anyone else’s definition of success is. Maybe your client or boss’. But then, if your definition of success is not in agreement with your boss’s definition of success – you’ve got an alignment issue and you probably need a new boss or client. 

Contact Info:

• Website: macneilmediagroup.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lukemacneil92
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/luke.macnei1
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukemacneil
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/MacNeilsOnWheels