Wiz Khalifa Loans $4,500 to a Student Who Helped Him Become a Billionaire Photographer

Cameron Kirkland started Cam Kirk Studios in 2017 because he saw a need for better photography services for up-and-coming young artists in Atlanta. He is now the founder and CEO of the company.

 

He became interested in making material when he was a junior at Morehouse College, an HBCU. Forbes says that he originally went to college to become a doctor, but he was interested in the arts. Goldman Sachs says that by 2027, the creator’s economy will be worth $480 billion. It was $250 billion in 2023.

In 2010, Kirkland borrowed $4,500 to book Wiz Khalifa for a show. This was the start of his entrepreneurial journey in the arts. By sending a private message on Twitter to Khalifa’s booking agent, he was able to get in touch with her. About $15,000 was made from the sold-out show. But Kirkland didn’t make much when secret concert fees and venue costs were taken into account.Kirkland told Forbes, “I didn’t make anything important.” But he said, “It made me feel like I was moving toward my goal.”

 

“It helped me find my true calling” as an artist.

He has worked with famous artists like Future, Travis Scott, Megan Thee Stallion, and producer Mike Will Made-It since then. He also works with Atlantic Records and Nike.

Kirkland thinks that his shooting business has made him $6 million so far. Forbes says that he gets money by renting out camera gear and charging up to $260 an hour for studio sessions and fees from his portfolio.

 

Along with that, he gets money by working with big brands like Coca-Cola on commercials. He is also the founder of Collective Gallery, a photography company that helps artists get their work seen. It hires talented people and gives each of them $10,000. The agency mostly gets paid in management fees and percentage splits.

 

The businessman thinks that his two companies, Cam Kirk Studios and Collective Gallery, have made about $2.3 million a year on average over the last two years.

Craigland was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He is the younger boy of two. Robert Kirkland was his father. He was a master sergeant in the U.S. Marines and served two tours in Iraq. Chris Bridges, his mother, is a credit teacher. The businessman says that his mother taught him how to be an entrepreneur and that she is the reason he is willing to take risks.