Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Kulak.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Matthew Kulak, and I am the owner of Kool Vision Media, a real estate media and marketing business located in Clarksville, TN. Kool Vision Media was originally created in New Jersey back in 2018. Originally named Kool Vision Photography, it was the name I used as a private contractor working for a few local companies.
It sounds corny to say, but every day I think about how truly blessed I am to have been called to this very niche yet essential industry. From the moment I walked into my first listing, I knew that I had found what I was truly passionate about and what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I owe everything I have to Frank, the owner of Motion City Media in Asbury Park, NJ. He was willing to give someone like me, with no experience, a chance and taught me everything I know. To this day, I wonder why he decided to take that chance on me — especially when I soon realized that Motion City Media was the highest rated premier luxury real estate media company in all of NJ.
Just for perspective, one of my proudest moments with Motion City Media was being trusted to take listing photos for Bon Jovi’s vacation beach house. I have worked with a lot of different companies across the U.S., but I learned real quick what made Motion City Media so much different than every other company. It was a business run exclusively by passionate creatives whose sole mission was producing the most stunning and captivating visuals possible.
The only things that seemed to matter to everyone else in the industry were photo count budgets, strictly adhering to approved checklists to maximize profit, offering cookie-cutter services, and upselling overpriced add-ons in situations that didn’t call for them — in other words, a creatively focused business bogged down by suits who had never picked up a camera themselves.
See, Frank was never a suit. He started as a lone photographer just like me, and as a matter of fact, he still goes out on shoots to this day because he loves what he does so much. This is what inspired me to flip the table on the whole industry and say, “enough is enough.”
With unwavering encouragement and all the support in the world, I came to TN to start my own company — one built from the values I learned, the experience I gained, and the passion I have for what I do. Kool Vision Media was started with this as the foundation.
In only two years of being in TN so far, and starting the business from literally nothing, we are already trusted by over 90 different agents and a constantly growing number of real estate offices, builders, and property managers to provide the best real estate media and quality service available in the Middle Tennessee area.
I love what I do, and I want to give others a way to do what they love with me. I used to be humble as to not ruffle feathers, but I believe there is no question that Kool Vision Media is the best there is.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My path was anything but easy. During my senior year of high school, I was kicked out of my house. I didn’t have a car, and I worked 56 hours a week at McDonald’s just to afford a place to live. I tried community college, but balancing full-time school with full-time work was impossible. I decided to put college on hold and focus on moving up at McDonald’s, hoping to eventually make a better living.
After five years of dedication, I was promised a promotion — then denied it because of my age. So, I left and took a job at Wawa, a well-known convenience store chain on the East Coast. The same thing happened there. Every time I was up for a promotion, I was told I was “too good” at my current position to move up. After five years, I finally earned a corporate promotion. My job was to travel from store to store fixing theft issues, improving sales, and rebuilding team morale.
In that role, I successfully turned around 13 different stores, created company-wide sales initiatives and employee reward programs, and designed a system that kept perfect inventory levels without relying on sales projections. But when I got to my 14th store, everything fell apart. The head manager there didn’t like me and went out of her way to sabotage my work. It got so bad that I had to demote myself back to a gas attendant just to keep a paycheck.
Before long, I couldn’t afford rent or car payments. One day at work, I came back from a break to find my car gone — repossessed. Everyone thought it had been stolen. That moment hit hard. I’d been working since I was 15 and had never known anything but financial struggle. That’s when I decided I couldn’t let anyone else control my future again.
My mom, who was a real estate agent at the time, helped fund my first drone and told me I could make money taking real estate photos. I had zero experience, no safety net, and was more broke than ever, but I jumped in anyway. That’s when Motion City Media stepped in and gave me a chance. They lent me a camera until I could afford my own, and for the next two years, I worked relentlessly to get on my feet.
Just when things started to stabilize, COVID hit. I decided it was time for a new chapter — to move to Tennessee and build my business fully on my own. But starting over wasn’t easy. None of us had jobs, and we arrived during the real estate slow season. I picked up a part-time delivery job at Papa John’s and worked overnight shifts at Dick’s Sporting Goods unloading trucks. One night, I lifted a treadmill that was just a little too heavy and completely destroyed a disc in my back. I couldn’t walk for two months.
I had no choice but to leave Dick’s. The only thing left to rely on was my business. So I pushed through the pain and gave everything I had to make it work. Slowly, things started to change. My mom got a job as an EMT, I began getting repeat clients, and eventually, I landed my first big contract with the local Keller Williams office.
There were countless moments when I wanted to give up. But I didn’t — and I’m grateful every day that I kept going. Through all the struggle, I found something I love more than anything else. And now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in everything real estate media! Photography, videography, aerial photos/videos, 3D tours, etc. This is my passion and I absolutely love what I do. I have been blessed to have helped over 15,000 agents in my whole career in real estate media. I have also been given the opportunity as a drone pilot to capture scenes for a netflix series, produce listing photos and content for celebrities like Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, and Luke Brian, my real estate photos chosen to be featured in the top luxury real estate magazine for New Jersey, and won multiple awards for my landscape photos and be featured in various exhibitions across the world.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I owe everything I have to Frank, the owner of Motion City Media in Asbury Park, NJ. He was willing to give someone like me, with no experience, a chance and taught me everything I know. To this day, I wonder why he decided to take that chance on me — especially when I soon realized that Motion City Media was the premier luxury real estate media company in all of NJ.
Just for perspective, one of my proudest moments with Motion City Media was being trusted to take listing photos for Bon Jovi’s vacation beach house. I have worked with a lot of different companies across the U.S., but I learned real quick what made Motion City Media so much different than every other company. It was a business run exclusively by passionate creatives whose sole mission was producing the most stunning and captivating visuals possible.
The only things that seemed to matter to everyone else in the industry were photo count budgets, strictly adhering to approved checklists to maximize profit, offering cookie-cutter services, and upselling overpriced add-ons in situations that didn’t call for them — in other words, a creatively focused business bogged down by suits who had never picked up a camera themselves.
See, Frank was never a suit. He started as a lone photographer just like me, and as a matter of fact, he still goes out on shoots to this day because he loves what he does so much. This is what inspired me to flip the table on the whole industry and say, “enough is enough.”
With unwavering encouragement and all the support in the world, I came to TN to start my own company — one built from the values I learned, the experience I gained, and the passion I have for what I do. Kool Vision Media was started with this as the foundation.
In only two years of being in TN so far, and starting the business from literally nothing, we are already trusted by over 90 different agents and a constantly growing number of real estate offices, builders, and property managers to provide the best real estate media and quality service available in the Middle Tennessee area.
I love what I do, and I want to give others a way to do what they love with me. I used to be humble as to not ruffle feathers, but I believe there is no question that Kool Vision Media is the best there is.
Pricing:
- Listing Photos from $200
- Property Marketing Videos from $250
- Zillow 3D tours $100
- Aerial Photos from $125
Contact Info:
- Website: https://KoolVisionMedia.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Kool_Vision_Media
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/KoolVisionMedia
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/kool-vision-media-clarksville
