Meet Everett Guess | Creative Director & Owner of Guesswork Media LLC.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Everett Guess and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Everett, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from what is known as the Ark-La-Miss, where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi touch. It is extremely rural, and opportunities are limited. My high school guidance counselor discouraged me from pursuing a creative career. “There’s no money in that.” My parents were much more supportive and encouraged me to find my own path.

My parents also instilled a strong work ethic in me that I feel I still have to this day. My dad was an Agricultural Aviator. I worked for him, loading the airplanes, flagging fields, and doing other manual labor. That sort of work makes me appreciate how far I’ve come, and what I’ve accomplished.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Primarily, I’m a Creative Director and Graphic Designer for my company Guesswork Media, but when the job calls for it, I’m a photographer, videographer, illustrator, editor, and whatever else may be called for, even learning an entirely new skill. I believe my tenacity sets my work apart. That attitude has helped me gain a lot of lifelong friends and spectacular contacts. I attribute my success to having that network and reputation.

I’m proud of the business I built, and the work I do, and I am excited about the future. I’m having a great time, and things are only getting better.

During my career, there have been a few bumps in the road, but I follow my intuition and feel like things that should happen will happen. One door closes another opens — that sort of thing. There have been missteps, too, but there’s no shame in failing. It’s important to make mistakes and learn from them.

I am fortunate to have worked with some amazing people, both colleagues and clients, who helped me navigate the ad industry and continue to influence and inspire me. From them, I learned quite a few lessons. A couple of important ones stand out. A producer once told me to try and learn something new on every job no matter how small. I took that to heart, and to this day, I continue to be curious and accumulate as much information as possible.

The second, hardest lesson I learned is how to say “No.” In the beginning and even once I started my own business, I was terrified to say no to anyone. If I didn’t do the work, someone else would and I’d miss out on a project, a raise, or a client, but that wasn’t the case at all. I said “Sorry, can’t get to that right now” and the world didn’t end. I’m not saying there aren’t all-nighters anymore, but my work/life balance and overall happiness have greatly improved once I learned how to set parameters. I love doing what I do for work, but I’m more kind to myself these days and give myself breathing room.

My brand is based on being honest, straightforward, reliable, and creative. I want to get to know my clients and their needs. I want to examine their problems from every angle, exceed their expectations, and help them overachieve their goals. Also, having fun is a big part of my brand. That’s very important to me. I want to enjoy what I’m doing, and I want my clients to have a good time as well. I want to be collaborative and bring them into the process. The work turns out so much better when we’re all doing it with a smile.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Dallas is full of great places to go, but I generally like to keep it mostly local in East Dallas. I’d take my friend to White Rock Coffee before going for a hike around White Rock Lake. I like to swing by Sunset Bay to see the pelicans, ducks, and other birds up close. For shopping, we’d have to visit Dowdy Studio, Good Records, and Curiosities. District 9, Goodfriend, and Dot’s Hop House are always great options for hanging out and enjoying the afternoon. For dinner and cocktails, we could go to Here Lounge, El Vecino, or Terrelli’s. Later, we could leave the neighborhood to watch a movie or concert at The Texas Theater, The Majestic, The Kessler, or Longhorn Ballroom. There are so many great places to go in DFW there is no lack of options.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my family and friends who have helped me become the person I am today. My dad specifically. I got my sense of humor, fearlessness, and entrepreneurial spirit from him.

Website: everettguess.com

Instagram: @everettguess

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/everett-guess-guesswork-media/