Meet Jonathan Heit | Art Dealer & Actor

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

Hi Jonathan, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
This is a question that plagues many entrepreneurs. When you are working for yourself there are days where you feel like you’d be better off starting anew. The first couple months of starting a business is easy. Everyday you have something to do and every day feels productive. The journey is just beginning and everyone seems excited about you and your brand. The momentum that comes with that initial excitement is hard to keep going. At some point you may look at your business and think why in the fuck did I spend all this time and money, the weight of the world is on my shoulders, there are too many things to do, theres not enough to do, or some combination of all of these. Knowing when to let things go is a skill that takes a long time to learn. It takes ending things to early and letting things go too long. But I look at it like this:

Look at the thing that may or may not need to be given up on. For this example, let’s use a business and more specifically my business. Imagine Heit Gallery has a bad year where the company doesn’t turn a profit. It’s not easy doing luxury sales no matter how amazing my artists are. I have business expenses that need to get paid regardless of how well or awfully the company is doing. I have to look at my business practically. There is always something I can be doing better, but at the end of the day you need money to create and grow a successful business.

The question of whether or not to continue or give up boils down to: do you believe in your business as a whole, is there something you could be doing better, is your business sustainable? If there is something you can be doing better, do it. If you don’t believe in your business as a whole… why? Be objective. Do you enjoy what you do? If you don’t: simple.. SEE YA. Move on with a new life lesson. If you do enjoy it, keep going. Have patience; no successful entrepreneur got where they were and stayed there by accident. Many hills to climb and time doesn’t grow at the bottom. But at the end of the day if you don’t have a passion for what you do, give up. You didn’t want to do it in the first place.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Hollywood, CA. In true Hollywood form, I started acting at the age of 4. I worked often and had a knack for it. By 8 years old my career had taken off. I worked on some big projects, met some inspiring people and had the opportunity to travel all around the world. While this part of my life is important to my story it is not the focus of my current chapter. In the midst of my childhood stardom, I met an extraordinary character and next-door neighbor: Tyler Shields. The story goes that Tyler heard a knock on the door, he and his crew opened it to find me with a holiday basket the size of my upper body with the question of : “Can we be friends?” That innocent question turned in to a life long friendship.

At that time he was just beginning his career in the fine art world, but had already solidified himself as the “It” photographer taking shocking images of faces all too familiar. When I was 14 I began working alongside him assisting on shoots and prepping for gallery openings. At some point it clicked: I have a ton of connection from entertainment, ‘I wonder if anyone I know would want some of his prints. I kept seeing my friends who had made money young blow their fortunes on fancy cars and modern homes, but their cars were worth very little after a couple years and their walls were bare. I had already seen how a small investment in a single image or painting could see huge returns. I had some success with my community because lets face it, Tyler’s work was wildly impressive. He introduced me to the Helmut Newton foundation and just like that I had two of some of the most famous photographers of all time’s work ready to be framed and shipped anywhere in the world.

I advertised through social media and shopped their work to the people I know in the most nonchalant of ways. Over dinner or at a friend’s house I would show them the work of these two giants of the art world and for a while this model proved effective. I too was collecting these same artists and showing just how effortless art collecting can be.

When covid shut the world down in 2020 this wheeling and dealing model screeched to a halt. Sure, there were sales here and there, but I needed a home to display the archive I had curated to an audience at home. And so Heit Gallery was born. I added some insanely talented artists to my roster including Markus Klinko, Mike Gray, and Noemi Safir and built a website that felt luxurious, but accessible. Partnering with Artsy gave me a stamp of approval that I needed to draw in buyers that I don’t know personally and the rest is history. An online fine art gallery with an emphasis in fine art photography tailored to make the user experience seamless.

While the road to success is still going, the road hasn’t been perfectly smooth. As with any small business there are challenges that I have faced. In the world of luxury sales, no sale is easy. The cost of many of these prints are high and even if someone has the means, art is subjective. I am never the pushy salesperson who wants to make a sale for the profit and I think my collectors appreciate that about me. I want my buyers to be happy even if that means sending them in the direction of another gallery to find the right piece they are looking for. However, the biggest challenge has been doubt. People tend to be wary of young entrepreneurs. I don’t blame them. I am young and have been around for less time than many of the galleries people are familiar with. In my eyes this is an advantage as it allows me to see the art world from a new perspective, but a wary glare or quick shutdown is something I am all too familiar with. It doesn’t bother me though and I actually take it as encouragement. My name will be on their radar soon enough.

When it comes to Heit Gallery. My message is simple. I want to make the art buying process easy. For too long buyers have been judged by the watch on their wrist or the purse on their arm. Now you can buy art from the comfort of home. The daunting walk into a gallery setting is just a simple click of your mouse. We see all of our artist as long term investments both intrinsically and fiscally. Yes, the goal of any art buyer is that the price of their work increases, but the pieces our collectors buy could be in their homes or offices for generations. So, want to provide the work of art that you whisper to yourself wow every time you see it whether thats for a year or 50 years. We ship all over the world and help facilitate the framing process a caveat many buyer forget about when buying so that when your piece arrives it is ready to be hung wherever.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ok wow this is a hard question. LA is so spread out, but here would be my LA Hitlist.

Jonah’s Kitchen in Santa Monica on Tuesday is a must. “Tacos and Tulum” is their late night tacos and drinks and event that happens every week. Food till 12; Music till 2am.

Since we were out late last night I think we need to sleep in. Malibu Seafood for some shrimp and chips and finish off with a dip in the ocean. You can’t go wrong with Neptunes net, but its just a little far for my liking.

Perhaps because I’m in the art world and maybe because it’s one of the coolest places in LA, but LACMA and the new Oscars museum is incredible, Also, theres an amazing gallery called Algorithm right in West Hollywood. Not my gallery, but one with an insane caliber of artists and run by a good friend of mine.

Friday’s theres this car meet up in Venice in the parking lot where people bring their classic cars and just enjoy the sunset.

Sunday, we may have to head back to Venice for some live Jazz. Fuck maybe Sunday’s jazz day. We gotta go get all fancy and try and squeeze our way into Delilah for Jazz night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to my amazing artists for without which, I wouldn’t be where I am today. To my brother Tyler Sheilds for teaching me about art and bringing me into this world, to Mike Gray for hustling in the uhaul with me to pick up framed works many hours away, to Markus Klinko for trusting me with Heit Gallery’s first official art show, to Justin Owensby for tracking me down and showing me his vision, and to Noemi Safir my first international artist and only current painter on our roster. Last but not least Helmut Newton for inspiring so many young photographers and for being the first blue chip artist I had the fortune of selling. These people whom I have grown a close relationship with are what keep my going. Their eye so unique and inspiring. Thank you thank you thank you for trusting me and bringing art in to my life.

Website: https://heitgallery.com/Heit-Gallery-Home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heitgallery/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-heit-75626b1b9/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heitgalleryinc

Image Credits
Tyler Shields, Markus Klinko, Mike Gray, Justin Owensby, Noemi Safir, Helmut Newton