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

Hi Taylor, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think my work life balance has changed dramatically over the last 10 years. When I first graduated college, I was working at a national sports network and my schedule was terrible. I was working random days between the hours of 3pm and 12am. The schedule was never the same and every week you worked different days. So one week you’d work Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the next week you’d work Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday. I never was really able to have a life because the majority of my friends work Monday-Friday and I was working almost every weekend. No one wants to hang out on a Monday. Also, the sports world is much different than any other form of media. All of your friends going to the beach for the Fourth of July? Not you because you’ll be producing 2 baseball games that day. I lived that life for the better half of the first five years out of college. My sleep cycles were terrible. My concept of time was brutal. Things got slightly better when I moved up at that network and when I moved on to another network, but it’s never normal. So early on, my work life balance was nonexistent. When you work in sports for any amount of time, you slowly start to not become a fan of sports. The scheduling and just grind of working at a large corporation was wearing on me heavily. So about two years ago, I started doing some media production on the side and after time was slowly building a business until I decided to make my side business, my main business. The work life balance began to slowly even out again. Since I was my own boss, really I could do anything I wanted as long as I got my work done and was handling my projects. So for me it was much more like real life. My parents growing up would always be fine with whatever I did as long as I kept my grades up, got my homework done. So that’s how I viewed my business. Oh there’s a concert on a Tuesday at 5pm? Yeah, I can make it but I have to be able to get XYZ done by 4pm and I have to have things lined up for a shoot the next day. It really comes down to time management and I’ve been happier because of having an “actual” work life balance. I think everyone needs to find some sort of balance because you’re just going to run yourself into the ground if you don’t.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We pride ourselves on doing really anything. We’ve been produced content in the fitness, sports, coffee, medical, personal, and pregnancy spaces. We’ve worked the longest with DEUCE Gyms and BIRTHFIT. No project is too big or too small for us. Whether it’s a family Christmas card or creating a complete online program for a business, we’ve done it. When Covid hit, it was a little nerve racking on how we’d go about moving forward but we’ve been able to pivot and businesses have been able to pivot as well. Since Covid, we’ve been handling a lot of online programs for businesses. It’s definitely an interesting time, but I think that everything will find a way to work itself out. 

I feel like most small businesses are hesitant of media production because they don’t know anything about it and they feel it might be out of their budget. I also understand that having a camera in your face isn’t exactly the most calming experience. So I’m really proud that we’re able to help small mom and pop businesses thrive in this digital era. The satisfaction I get from working with really cool, creative people and businesses is what keeps me going and I looking forward to what the future holds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think this may be the worst thing possible for someone who is from Los Angeles because anyone not from here wants to see all of the touristy things. Like who wants to drive all the way to Hollywood to see some stars on a sidewalk or go to the Hollywood sign, etc? People’s ideas of what Los Angeles is very far off. Los Angeles isn’t just Hollywood and the beach. Los Angeles is really just 40 different smaller cities. The Westside is very different than Silverlake. The South Bay is very different than Hollywood. Each area is going to give you a very different vibe, but for me every trip starts and ends with food. Who cares about looking at things, when you can eat things? In my eyes we’re hitting up – Scopa, Hatchet Hall, Menotti’s coffee, Pasta Sisters, Barrique, Gus’ Fried Chicken, Rutt’s among others for food. You know we’re getting fat delicious burritos and street tacos. We’re hitting up my favorite burger joints and no I’m not telling you because I can’t have my spot blown up. We’re going to breweries like El Segundo Brewery, Mumford, Common Space, etc. I’m taking them to all the spots and joints that you won’t find on Trip Advisor. Obviously, there will be a fair amount of time spent at the beach. I’m taking them to the World Famous Comedy Store, which I still think is the best deal in Los Angeles. Anytime you can see some of the best comics on the planet for under $20 is a steal. I also don’t think you could do Los Angeles in a week. You’d almost need a month to really get Los Angeles and feel everything this city has to offer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Easy. My brother, Logan Gelbrich. My brother is the owner of DEUCE Gym in Venice, DEUCE Athletics in Hermosa Beach, and DEUCE Backlot in West Hollywood among other things. My brother has been great at everything he’s ever done. Where I went the corporate life straight out of college, my brother grinded it out in the entrepreneurial world. He started from nothing and took the bumps into the road to build something that people all over the world want to be apart of. He was huge in me making the jump to starting my own business. He saw how unhappy I was with my job and what I was doing and he was the one that suggested I start my own production company. He wrote a book called, Going Right: A Logical Justification for Pursuing Your Dreams, that basically tells you pursuing your dreams is truly the most logical choice you can make. The problem is that it’s VERY scary to leave your comfort zone and brave a world of uncertainty, but if you accept that the ONLY certain thing in life is uncertainty. I mean look at the time that we’re currently in. My brother was one of the first people to hire me, allowed me to build my portfolio, and supported my pursuit. There’s not a chance that I start my own business without him.

Website: SaltyBoyProductions.com
Instagram: SaltyBoyProductions
Linkedin: Taylor Gelbrich
Facebook: Salty Boy Productions
Yelp: Salty Boy Productions

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