Selling Out! — Ep 5: Shutter Speed and Chosen Family | Nick Ford & Michael Cheatham / Selling Out!
Selling Out!
Friday, 15 May 2026 - 1 hour 4 minutes
Selling Out! is the podcast for LGBTQIA+ founders, leaders and creatives. Real conversations about building a life and a career on your own terms — straight jackets not included. 🏳️🌈Episode 5 is warm, funny, and quietly profound — and features one of the most unexpectedly moving answers we've had to our closing question yet.Nick Ford (he/him, G) was born in Brighton — one of the rare ones who didn't just wash up here. He cold-called his way through his teens as Sharon from Sales (a persona so convincing, men flirted their way into double glazing appointments), photographed passengers on cruise ships around the world, and eventually got his name on a studio door on Oxford Street in Brighton — the one everyone knows but no one can name. He's been shooting professionally for nearly 20 years, has a photography A-level he somehow got through without writing a single essay, and will tell you, with great patience, why your forehead is not as big as you think it is.Michael Cheatham (he/him, G) studied architecture, started moonlighting as a photographer after Argos, and landed a client early in his career who kept him busy for over 150 events across Mayfair and Victoria. He went solo in 2017, opened Embassy Studios near Brighton station 15 months ago, and runs a creative hub that's home to marketers, social media managers, and a genuine community of like-minded people. His wedding brand, Amity — from the word for friendship — says everything about how he works.Two people who've built their businesses on patience, craft, and the radical idea that you're not just there to take the picture — you're there to hold the flowers, sew the button back on the dress, and make the whole day feel looked after.This episode goes deep on the death of film, the rise of AI in creative work, the politics of perceived value, racism in the industry, and why getting a studio with bricks and mortar is sometimes the only way people will take you seriously. It also features a genuinely beautiful answer about chosen family, and what it actually means to find your people."My queer friends have had a lot of painful journeys. But as a result of having them around, my life is so much richer."Powered by GoSucceed®🎙️ Sponsored by Legends Brighton — legendsresortbrighton.com — and Mortgage Medics — mortgage-medics.comVideo & Audio by Always Cinematic — AlwaysCinematic.comKeywords / Tags: LGBTQIA+, queer business, photography, creative industries, Brighton, wedding photography, AI, film photography, chosen family, DEI, racism, identity, podcast, Selling Out!, GoSucceedSeason: 1 | Episode: 5Selling Out! is the podcast for LGBTQIA+ founders, leaders and creatives. Real conversations about building a business your way, hosted by Gary Salters and Jonny Monroe.New episodes drop on the first and third Friday of every month. Follow us and never miss a story.Selling Out! is the podcast for LGBTQIA+ founders, leaders and creatives. Real conversations about building a business your way, hosted by Gary Salters and Jonny Monroe.New episodes drop on the first and third Friday of every month. Follow us and never miss a story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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