School of Management student forges his path as an entrepreneur

First-year student Myles Clement went from being a self-taught photographer taking photos in his backyard to starting his own business.

Clement already operates a multimedia production business, and he is now pursuing a degree in business administration to learn more about what it takes to run a successful business and to help him expand.

At Binghamton University, Clement is part of the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee for the School of Management. Most of his work, however, is done outside of campus.

Interested in photography since he was young, Clement decided to make a career out of it. He works for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ production crew, and also photographs weddings, sporting events, senior portraits — anything you can name.

In a recent interview, he talked about how he got his start and how SOM is helping him.

How did you get involved as a photographer and videographer for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies? What has your experience been like?

I started with the Rumble Ponies as a videographer doing live media production. We had either a handheld camera or a tripod to film each of the games. As I worked my way up, I became a photographer, which aligns more with what I like to do. I take photos for the team, and those photos get posted on the Rumble Ponies’ social media accounts. Working with the game-day production crew has been a great learning experience.

You operate a multimedia production business. How did you get started, and what have you done so far?

I started my business in October 2023. I have been obsessed with cameras for as long as I can remember. One year, I asked my parents for a nice camera for Christmas, but they said no since we already had one. The camera was a Canon PowerShot. It was an old camera, but it was pretty powerful. I started on that and played around with it for months. I thought I should post the photos somewhere, so I started an Instagram account. It wasn’t meant to be a business at that point — I just wanted to share the photos.

I started off focusing on nature, flowers, scenery and more. I was also really interested in aviation. Then, I got into sports. I started doing photos for the Susquehanna Valley High School sports teams. It got my photos to reach new audiences, and more people started reaching out to me to take pictures at their games.

As I started doing more, I realized I needed an upgrade. I got a new camera and new equipment, and that’s when everything really took off. I decided to turn my work into a business. I made my logo and merchandise, and I started reaching out to people to do portrait photography and photoshoots. It was this point, when I was getting real bookings, that it turned into what I consider a business.

How is the School of Management helping you grow?

Although I could have gone into media for college, I love the business aspect as well. When I go to class, I take notes on how I can apply what we’re doing directly to my business. Our professor will say something in class that resonates with me, and I will instantly make note of how I can update my portfolio.

We were also shown how to make a professional LinkedIn page, so I found ways to improve mine and started a LinkedIn page for my business. I’m taking all these things that I’m learning and immediately applying them. It’s not something that I have to wait to do when I finally have a job or when I’m older.

Tell us about breaking ground as a student entrepreneur.

I taught myself everything I know. I watched YouTube videos and took information from them.

I definitely learned a lot during a couple of internships I had as well. I worked with SUNY Broome’s Media Marketing Department, and that taught me a lot about how flash works and how to carry out photoshoots. I learned how to edit using Adobe applications and create posts for social media. Last year, I was part of the New Visions Business Academy, where we had a business for our class, and I was the marketing department for that business. I learned how to apply my photography in a business marketing aspect.

Other organizations I worked with include NewsChannel 34, Binghamton University Sports Management Group, Logowise and Roots Supplements. These opportunities improved my skills beyond just photography; I learned a lot about content creation and marketing.

The whole process of my business has been about figuring out what I can do with what I have. I have been experimenting with all types of photography and trying to pick up any jobs that I can. The best thing about being young is that I have some leverage because people want to support me. People reach out and really just want to give me opportunities to get my feet wet.

Last month, I did my first wedding and my first real estate shoot. It’s all about trying things that I’ve never done before. Everyone knows that I’m starting out, and they all want to give me a shot. The positive feedback and support are so amazing.

What have you learned at Binghamton, and what more do you hope to experience here to carry into your future?

So far, I’ve learned a lot about marketing, and that’s what I’ve always been interested in. With photography, everything is marketing — posting online, advertising, photos — that’s what you’re showing off. In class, we learn things like how to market your business. With analytics, I can learn what my audience looks like and use those percentages and my work in Excel to apply it to exactly what I’m doing now. I’m also learning about the tier rankings within a business and how a business is run. I’m taking note of all of that and applying what I can, but I’m also keeping that information in mind for when I eventually look into expanding my business.

I have also learned a lot about the social aspects of business and the importance of how I present myself. We are taught how to master soft skills like elevator pitches. So much of what I learn I can use now with my business. I know SOM has many great resources to strengthen these skills, which will really help my business grow and succeed.

How do you hope to grow your business? How do you think SOM can help you?

When I was going into college, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue photography as a career. I almost wanted it to be something I did until I reached my “real” job someday. I was worried that photography wasn’t as profitable as I wanted it to be, but someone told me that I couldn’t be more wrong. He gave me some tips, and the conversation shifted the way I looked at my future.

I want to expand my business. I am still doing photos and videos, but I also rent photography gear. Camera gear is very expensive, so many people will rent it for one-time use rather than buy their own.

SOM can help me expand because there are so many opportunities for networking and forming connections within the area, with alumni and more. Having those connections is extremely important because it gives me the chance to reach out to more people in the future. Meeting people in college allows me to grow my business outside of Binghamton and the surrounding areas. It’s all about having a wide variety of people in my network.

Whenever I meet somebody, I tell them I can take photos for them. It’s a simple connection that keeps you in mind. When I started attending networking events, I wanted to shake hands with everyone and let them know that photography is a service I offer, whether it’s for business, family, pets — I can take photos of anything.