Hi, I'm Julee.
I'm a proud mother to a saucy toddler, a lover of furry rescues, a passionate food enthusiast, and a lifelong learner of business.
Before my daughter came along, my first child was Julee Ho Media. The company was founded at the intersection of my love of food, experience in photography and my background in tech.
Growing up in a Vietnamese household, food was quite literally a symbol of love. My mom always had pots of phở (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) simmering on the stove and walking through my front door was usually met with freshly cut fruit from my grandma. Sharing incredible food was the only way I knew how to eat. And photography has allowed me to share food in a new way.
My journey led me to one of the food meccas of the world–New York City. There, I worked for tech startups that taught me a new caliber for grit, building client relationships, and creating a seamless user experience. I think about those values each time we bring on a new client at Julee Ho Media.
Nearly a decade later, our company's values around client relationships and sharing the art of food remain the same. Julee Ho Media is where food-passionate creatives and brands meet to tell meaningful visual stories. Have a seat, take a bite and let's chat.
A Decade of Food as Art
Living in NYC, I picked up my first DSLR–a refurbished Canon Rebel–just for fun. I roamed Central Park shooting everything and nothing at all. That little hobby turned into an obsession.
Soon, I was climbing onto rooftops and getting stuck in mud with my fellow photophiles, all to get that perfect landscape shot. I traveled, I ate, I shot.
The company I worked for went remote so I moved back to California. I was closer to family but lost my photography community. Shooting landscapes just wasn't the same. I decided to try a different genre of photography. Something that felt natural to me–food.
I started out shooting for local restaurants in Orange County. I got my work in some magazines and occasionally traveled to shoot for companies like Regal Cinemas and Royal Caribbean.
I discovered that the clients I loved the most were my CPG, food and beverage clients and went all in. But after a few on-location, in-studio photoshoots, I realized the process was typically tedious, resource-heavy and inefficient. There must be a better way, I thought.
And so I created a different process–the remote process. I'd build out a studio in my home, started my own collection of props, and carefully plan out the photoshoot in advance. The client was responsible only for approving the Mood Board and shipping the products and I'd bring their vision to life.
The remote photoshoot was a success! But now I had more work than I could handle. It was time to build out my team. The problem: the network of food photographers is SMALL; and the network of great food photographers was even smaller.
Thankfully, with time and patience, I found them–our team of extraordinary food photographers. I was then able to transition to a role I loved most, working directly with clients on the creative direction.
Over 600 photoshoots later, here we are today. Our hearts and bellies full, our shutter button rubbed shiny, and our minds exhilarated by thoughts of our next food photography adventure.