We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jessica Sullivan. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Jessica, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I don’t think I have ever felt more proud than I did at Brochella at Marathon Music Works on June 28, 2025.
Myk Ricci, owner of Music City Hero Coalition, has been putting together these massive cover shows since 2022. With the BEST performers in all of Nashville, we’ve taken over Exit/In, Basement East, and The Cowan every few months these last few years, but this time, in June of 2025, we completely packed Marathon Music Works and raised over 4k for charity!! I got to see all of my friends, Myk, and these amazing musicians finally play one of the biggest stages in Nashville, knowing how hard everyone has worked to get here. They were all so deserving, who couldn’t be proud?
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I don’t just want to take pictures—I want to be part of the scene. I don’t care about the stiff “stand and pose” stuff, I want to capture the chaos, the joy, the family vibes that happen on and off stage. I show up early, stay late, help with load-in, take goofy green room photos, and document everything from soundcheck to that post-show exhale. When you hire me, you get more than a photographer – you get your own hype girl, roadie, and front-row fan who studied your setlist like a final exam.
Thanks to the support of the Nashville music community, things took off faster than I ever imagined. I owe everything to people like Junior Padilla (my first-ever client), Goodbye June (for giving me my first press pass), and all of Music City Hero Coalition – fronted by Myk Ricci and followed by some of the best performers here in Nashville. In August 2022, I had one of my craziest nights yet—photographing 91 musicians at the When We Were Emo! at Exit/In, thanks to Myk Ricci. It was like playing a speed-run version of Pokémon. I doubled my client list in four hours. Ever since then, I’ve shot every single MCHC show, it’s a rush I just can’t explain, I love those shows with every fiber of my being.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Everyone I worked with in 2019. I started Synnfox in January of 2019, and while I knew the love I had was boiling over for the concept of working with musicians, I, myself, was not a good person at the time. I was a severe alcoholic with a horrible outlook on life, and I’m sure I hurt people I never meant to along the way. My boyfriend of 10 years this August, Tim Hutchins of Sydewynder, fought like hell to show me that this was my purpose in life and to make sure I had everything I needed to do it at all times. With his help, I’ve been sober since January of 2020 and have obliterated any obstacles that try to stand in the way of my dreams for Synnfox Photography.
I could write an entire book of all of those who have helped me along the way, but the people I met in 2019, while being the absolute worst version of myself, and have hired/helped me throughout the years, are the people I would die for now.
Met Myk Ricci in 2019, I just started a few months beforehand. I was working with the opener, but shot all the bands out of wanting to make connections. He was one of the first to throw me a few bucks for photos, and even though we barely saw each other for a few years, he’s given me the highest honor in Nashville of being the one to capture every MCHC show.
Met Josh Rish, owner of Von Reisch Photography at a storage unit DIY show. I was looking for a bathroom, but when I opened this particular door, all I saw were computers and cameras, I probably looked like a deer in headlights. Instead of a “Get out!!” He said, “wanna come check it out?” That moment meant SO MUCH to me. I still bug him to this day about gear and his god- tier knowledge. He’s the one I want photographing my wedding!
Sydewynder, Pepperwood, Year Of October, Daedalus, even Smile Empty Soul every time they come to town. They were all of my “original’s” that believed in me when I couldn’t even get out of bed back in those days.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, this year actually. In February, I had a complete life shutdown. It started with my car finally dying on Valentine’s Day after 6 years of driving for Lyft, going to shows every weekend, and a few out of state tours. Not only is it impossible to get anywhere in Nashville without a car, it was also my entire income (Lyft) for the past few years while trying to have infinite flexibility for Synnfox. While I was gutted because that car was my baby, I still had an MCHC show to look forward to at the end of the month. Well, the following week, the laptop I had been using for edits was no longer viable. Spiraling, I started to try to burn bridges I spent years building by telling all of my clients I was no longer doing photography after their scheduled shoot. Even wrote Myk to tell him that the February show would be my last and he should start looking for a replacement.
With my head held low, tail between legs, I couldn’t look at anyone at that MCHC show before set, I felt like I failed every single person in that room after they’ve given me nothing but love and support. Myk, being the most genuine person, put the spotlight on me that night and told all of the performers that it was going to be my last show..I could feeeeel the sadness shift into the air, something I never want to cause at a show.
Ran the show and sent out the edits, broken hearted that this would be the last time. My favorite thing to do is edit overnight so everyone can wake up to a link drop like Christmas morning, then I immediately go sleep all day. When I woke up, I myself experienced a “Christmas morning” – a post from Myk. Not the usual “hey, tip and tag our photographer, we love her and want to keep her” along with the link post. It was him asking everyone to donate towards a brand new MacBook, for me. I’ve never felt so much love collectively in all of my life. All of the performers donated, some close friends, some I haven’t had the chance to have a conversation with yet. Everyone pitched in so that I would never have a computer issue again, because my main struggle since the beginning has been burning through secondhand pcs once a year. I still tear up whenever I open it.
Because of them, I can never, EVER give up this dream. I’m not the only one that’s fought to keep Synnfox going, I have an entire army behind me.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Synnfox is everything I’ve ever wanted to be as a person. She’s my happier alter ego for sure. All I ever wanted to be was useful in a way that helped people, in big or small ways. Whether it’s hauling gear or putting it all together, taping cords, giving someone to talk to inbetween the chaos, or being nurse and patching battle wounds from the stage/pit. Whatever someone needs, I just want to be that person. I wear my heart on my sleeve and it’s gotten burned quite a few times, but knowing I have a whole scene that loves me the way I am, is exactly why I’ll never change. Now, am I any different on non show days? You’ll have to ask Valkyrie’s Fire at their next show – they’ve taken me on the road with them for every out of state show in 2025, and man, have we all gotten to bond during the chaos of tour life! They’ve become a second family to me.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m running around a stage like an absolute maniac. There are three ways I always explain how I feel while running a set. 1. You know how sharks hunt, how their eyes roll back when they lock in? My (plugged) ears do that. I study setlists for weeks, because the drums are my heartbeat the entire night, they’re how I find my timing for everything. 2. Ever heard a vocalist say “I don’t know, I blacked out” when asked how they performed such a good set? It’s real! Time doesn’t exist besides the time signatures keeping the structure of the night. Everyone asks how I run the 4+ hour MCHC shows, to be honest, I don’t feel time until the music stops, that’s when the reality of what I just did kicks in and my body wants to collapse. And the third. Have you ever seen the movie Soul? There’s a scene that shows when creatives are locked into their art, they float in a peaceful space that’s just them and their beautiful creations blending hand-in-hand. I know they’re stage lights, but it really feels like I’m floating through the Northern Lights while I’m photographing shows.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synnfoxphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synnfoxphotography
Image Credits
Purple photo of me was taken by Colton Fulcher of FabeledFocusPhotography
Black and white photo of me was taken by Rheanna Elizabeth Moon of PhotoByRhea
All of the other photos where taken by me at the previous two Music City Hero Coalition shows
