Nathan Allen transformed from a marketing graduate to a travel content creator by methodically building his business over the course of two years while working full-time. Armed with international business and marketing degrees from the University of Kentucky, he quickly recognized that the corporate world wasn’t his calling. During his senior year, a sports marketing class sparked his interest.

“They were just talking about how the future is in mobile marketing and how there’s just a lot of opportunities for creatives and people to create their own way and have successful businesses and careers,” Nathan recalls.

This insight reignited his interest in photography, a skill he’d learned in high school, but set aside during college. Nathan began strategically using every bit of paid time off from his corporate job to travel, shoot content, and build his social media presence. After reaching 100,000 followers and securing consistent client work, he took the leap.

“I waited until I could really get things covered. If you have a good base and foundation, then you’re off to a good start,” Nathan explains, highlighting his strategic approach to what many consider a risky career path.

The pivotal moment occurred in 2018, shortly after he got married. When the couple relocated to New Jersey for his wife’s Newark base, Nathan faced a decision: commute to NYC for corporate work or pursue content creation exclusively. By then, his social media earnings matched his corporate salary. “I went full-time and [since] then I haven’t looked back. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made and one of the scariest,” Nathan says.

His philosophy, “Get Busy Living,” borrowed from “Shawshank Redemption,” guides both his content decisions and business practices. This mantra emerged from personal experiences with loss that impressed upon him the fragility of life. “It’s boiling it down to that simple mindset of just living to the utmost possibility we can,” Nathan says.

Finding a Creative Voice 

Nathan’s content has changed notably since his early days. What began as primarily photography on Instagram has expanded to include more video content across multiple platforms, with a shift in his creative perspective.

“One thing that’s really changed is I used to be all about the big moments and the epic moments and trying to capture the most viral scene,” Nathan says. “I think the most beautiful moments are in the day-to-day. I like shifting my focus to the beauty that’s all around us, not just these epic experiences and places.”

This change reflects his deeper philosophy: “The way we choose to see the world creates the world we see.” Rather than chasing only viral-worthy scenery, Nathan now finds equal value in capturing the subtle, everyday beauty that often goes unnoticed.

When it comes to his technical approach, Nathan has a disciplined process. He typically plans about 80% of his shoots meticulously, especially for client work, while leaving room for unexpected moments that often become the most compelling content.

“I am pretty dialed [in] when it comes to shooting, not only because it helps with just understanding the vision and storyboarding and making sure you’re hitting everything,” Nathan explains. “There’s so much that happens on trips and you have weather and things that happen and a lot of factors that are out of your control.”

Despite this structured approach, Nathan values the spontaneity that travel naturally provides. “What I love about travel and shooting outdoors is that you can script something up and then something completely different happens, and you just say, ‘I want to write a different story based on that experience.’”

In terms of aesthetics, Nathan describes his style as “cinematic storytelling” with high production value. While he does create phone content when necessary, he prefers shooting on cinema cameras to achieve the polished, high-end look that has become his signature.

Platform Strategy

Nathan has strategically focused his efforts on Instagram and TikTok, recognizing how they enable similar content to reach different audiences. This approach maximizes his impact without spreading himself too thin across too many platforms.

“The reason why I gravitated towards both is that they allow you to create similar content on both, and so it’s easier to scale without having to just do a ton more work,” Nathan says. 

While he recognizes the value of YouTube, he’s made the conscious decision to focus where he can be most effective with his limited time. “I’ve tried to do YouTube and I don’t have the time because it’s just a totally different format,” Nathan admits.

Nathan is acutely aware of how quickly the digital field changes. He identifies platform adaptability as the greatest challenge facing creators today. “You have to be on all the time and you have to be watching the way algorithms change and how things shift,” he says.

He’s witnessed many creators burn out because they resist these changes, insisting on creating only what they want, rather than adapting to platform demands. “People say that content creators shouldn’t complain, because everything is easy,” Nathan says, “However, every content creator has to have a strong mindset and a thick skin.”

Brand Partnerships

Nathan’s business acumen shines through in his brand collaborations. His client roster includes notable names such as Canon USA, Hyundai, Delta, and American Express. Rather than viewing these as mere transactions, he approaches each partnership with dedication and professionalism.

“Treat it like it’s your baby every single time and make it something that matters,” Nathan advises. “Listen to the brand, hear their vision. Don’t just do it for a quick buck.”

His partnership with Canon USA exemplifies how Nathan builds long-term relationships with brands. What began as a single commercial project has grown into an ongoing collaboration. The initial opportunity came through a casting agency seeking photographers for a channel-based commercial. Despite facing competition from countless talented photographers, Nathan’s pitch stood out and led to a shoot in Utah.

“It was basically out of nowhere. I got a message from a casting agency about a project with a big camera brand,” Nathan recalls. “I submitted something fully expecting that there are a million other photographers out there that are great. I didn’t expect to be chosen, but I ended up getting chosen based on what my idea was.”

That initial project has grown into a major partnership over the years. “Good things take time,” Nathan emphasizes. “It takes years to really develop the trust.”

In these partnerships, Nathan values mutual respect and professionalism. He points to Canon as an exemplary company in how it treats creators. “They treat their creators like family,” Nathan says. “That’s something that’s really appreciated, because a lot of these agencies and clients don’t treat you well.”

Nathan’s monetization primarily comes from these brand partnerships rather than platform revenue-sharing programs. “It would be, like, paid partnerships and then user-generated content,” he says.

The Business Reality of Creator Life

Nathan’s background in marketing and business has proven helpful in handling the creator economy. He emphasizes the importance of viewing content creation as a business, not just a creative pursuit.

“A lot of photographers want to do their own thing and they don’t want to think on the business side of things,” Nathan observes. “It’s really important to see what you’re building as a business. Not necessarily this flighty millennial mindset of ‘I want to do what I’m passionate about’ – and that’s great, but you also have to make money and make a business out of it. Or you’re going to be broke.”

From Nathan’s perspective, the creator economy still has significant areas for improvement, particularly in terms of payment structures. “When I first started, it was, like, net 30 was consistently the thing, and now it’s, like, people are trying to say net 60-90,” Nathan says. “That’s, like, literally a whole quarter of the year.”

This payment issue represents a broader problem in how freelancers are treated in the industry. “The payment aspect of the industry needs work. The transparency and just better communication,” Nathan says. “Freelancers get treated not as well as they should because they just don’t see them as a priority, or they see their work as a priority, but not taking care of them as a priority.”

Despite these challenges, Nathan has developed a practical approach to business relationships. “Don’t take things personally,” he advises fellow creators. “It’s very easy for creators to be overly obsessed with their work and take things personally because they’re so passionate about their work. But you have to turn that off.”

He also emphasizes the importance of understanding your value and being willing to walk away from deals that don’t serve you. “Sometimes you have to say no and not just take every single deal because sometimes the deal’s not best for you. And sometimes walking away can also even get you a better deal,” Nathan says.

The Rewards Beyond Business

Nathan finds genuine fulfillment in his work despite all the hurdles. Beyond the financial benefits, he treasures the experiences and relationships his career has brought him.

“The most rewarding factor of this is just the people,” Nathan reflects. “Being able to be at these beautiful places and experience these things that a lot of people don’t get to experience is something I don’t take for granted … ever.”

These moments of beauty and connection keep Nathan grounded and grateful. “Sometimes I’ll just be standing there watching something happen. I’m like, ‘I just can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s just a pinch-me moment all the time.’”

Collaboration remains one of Nathan’s greatest joys in his work, whether with brands or fellow creators. “I love collaborating with people. I love making visions and turning them into reality and executing and working and collaborating with teams,” he says.

What’s Next for Nathan?

As Nathan prepares to welcome his second child, he’s thinking carefully about balancing family life with career ambitions. While he occasionally includes his son Hudson in videos, he’s thoughtful about how he incorporates his family into his content.

“There’s such a fine line between passion and forcing,” Nathan explains. “I don’t want to be using them for brand deals and money. I don’t want to ever take advantage of my children just for a quick buck.”

Looking ahead, Nathan plans to expand beyond social media content creation into product development and brand building. Recently signing with G&B Management has allowed him to offload some of the business development aspects of his content creation, freeing him to focus on these new ventures.

“Next year, I want to start shifting and start developing some businesses outside of just doing social media, something more for the long term,” he says. “Even though social media is amazing, if my page got deleted right now, I’d be in trouble.”

This next chapter will also enable Nathan to spend more quality time with his growing family while continuing to pursue his passion for travel and storytelling. “These first few years when they’re little, it’s like you won’t ever get that back.”

Through all his ventures, Nathan remains committed to his core philosophy of inspiring others to embrace life fully. As he tells aspiring creators: “Continue to pursue your path and what you love, and keep continuing to get busy living your path. People are going to tell you can’t do something or you can’t be something, but don’t take advice from people that aren’t going where you’re going.”