Meet Madeleine Davis of Downtown Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeleine Davis

Hi Madeleine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After graduating from Vanderbilt University as a triple-major in Political Science and Ancient Languages, I knew I wanted two things- a career that focused on community connections and more time to decide what that looked like. I began bartending, where I found myself surrounded by the best artists in Nashville. Attending coworkers’ shows throughout the summer of 2022 marks my creative awakening.
In October 2022, I traveled to Miami- the city of lively inspiration and lost phones. Long story short, I purchased the iPhone 14 there, less than two weeks after its release onto the market. I was instantly obsessed with the camera quality, capturing life’s little moments, and creating crisp content to make my friends smile.
By May 2023, I invested in my first camera. A Canon EOS Rebel T7 had become my plus one when going to see my growing network of musicians play their shows.
In June, I met a venture capital attorney at a concert. We hit it off and bartered services. I managed content creation for his social media accounts while he drafted the necessary documents to walk me through founding MGD LLC. At this time, I resigned from my bartending position. I believed that if I was starting from ground zero, I would need twenty-four hours a day to devote to myself and my business.
Today, an average day consists of discussing brand image with clients, editing videos, scheduling content across social media accounts, and shooting a live show. Through my experiences working for musicians in Nashville, I have had the immense pleasure of meeting other creatives in the room. I feel fortunate to live and work in a city that emits an air of inspiration. Live music lurks around every street corner, coming from artists who are more than happy to share their creativity.
Throughout 15 months as a registered business, I have video/photographed over 40 shows, 4 venues hosting live events, 2 festivals, plus 1 wedding. I have also partnered with 2 brands on video editing projects. Today, I shoot predominantly on a Sony Alpha A7 III for concerts and community events. I prioritize collaborating with local businesses and independent artists to support the community that supports MGD LLC.
I believe that in business as well as life, you get what you give. Not literally, but the world works to reward those who show up and put in the effort. Some moments of my story have felt catastrophic. However, as an entrepreneur, you have to stay comfortable redefining the word, “no,” because it is the challenging moments that play a leading role in nudging people onto the right path, myself included.

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?
No! As an entrepreneur, you represent every department. It is not simple to learn how to balance the books, client accounts, personal brand management, content creation, plus lining up the next opportunity.
These tasks occasionally felt insurmountable while I was on an artist residency in the rural mountains of New Mexico in spring 2024. Taking time to distance myself from a routine physical environment allowed me to perceive my business and myself as a business owner differently. However, it created numerous connectivity issues due to the specific location. A digital marketer goes to live without Wi-Fi in 2024. It sounds like the start to a bad joke. Ultimately, the firm structure improved my productivity and work-life balance, by separating work and home for someone who works from home. In New Mexico, I also explored analog photography, which improved my ability to quickly assess lighting to determine camera settings- a skill that translates into shooting digital photography as well.
Abstractly, I believe one key to success is defining personal strengths and weaknesses requires reflection free from ego. Self-doubt stood at the core of a plethora of my early struggles. As a twenty-three year old female, I had not been accustomed to walking into a room and demanding respect. I had to rewrite my own story, using vulnerabilities as assets for my brand, before I could fully embrace the professional role I carved out for myself.
One key to maintaining a strong sense of self-image starts with seeking respect from people I respect. A five star review is fabulous, if you know and trust the opinion of who wrote it. Conversely, a one star review from someone you do not know should not affect you even for a moment.
Additionally, as a service-based entrepreneur, business has its high months and its low months. During drier spells, keeping my boots on the ground and head in the game can be a challenge. However, a change in pace offers time to deepen meaningful relationships. This summer, I volunteered as a business consultant for a pre-teen entrepreneurship camp that developed student understanding of the market. An action packed week of camp concluded with an open market where each entrepreneur brought a real business model to life. A room full of 38 ten to thirteen year olds, all full of ideas, offers a plethora of fresh energy.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a creative coordinator, photo/videographer, photo/video editor, social media manager, and visual artist. Essentially, I am fluent in Adobe and have a passion for marketing. I specialize in concert photo/videography, and collaborate with musicians to develop the visual aspects of their brand story.
I am most proud of the ability to conquer personal fears and to have a meaningful conversation with any individual in a room. Work specific, I impressed myself the most with a video editing project for the release of Hit Me With Music: Roots Rock Reggae by Lee Jaffe, published by Rizzoli Books. The project accelerated my animation skills, knowledge of art and artists over time, and professional persona.
When pitching MGD LLC to potential clients, I highlight my whimsical imagination as an exclusive benefit. Perhaps it is nontraditional in professional settings, but I did not establish a business to follow anyone else’s rule book. One trait that sets me apart is finding the most value in spending time searching for the negative space. Good is the enemy of great. The greatest thinkers are able to take a step back and approach a project from an avant-garde angle. It is a crucial switch of the mindset that creates opportunities to fill gaps in the market, as well as the market over time.

How do you think about luck?
While there is no denying I have lived a fortunate life thus far, I operate off the principle that you make your own luck. Like Tim Notke said, “hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.”
Exciting opportunities often follow massive flops, at least for me. Much like diamonds and fine wines, the more pressure an artist experiences, the higher quality the product is in the end. Whether it will amount to the next million dollar idea or get cut before production, I believe that staying in your lane and work flow is necessary. In short, if you stay hungry, you will always eat.

Pricing:

• Live Event Media Coverage & Content Creation: 2 hours on-site, ~50 photos, 1 ~30 second video, all shared with you in under 48 hours, $500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://madeleinegdavis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgd.art.photo?igsh=MWx4ZTgxa2pmem43Yw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555948117908
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mgdartphoto

Image Credits
“Personal Photo” taken by Max Blachman