Media Moussavy of The Agency & DTLA Insider was born and raised in Los Angeles. He has lived all over Southern California and really wasn’t fond of DTLA initially but after closing a few real estate deals and exploring the area, he started to feel the buzz of life and energy that Downtown is known for. He felt a strong pull to Downtown and decided to pack up his home in the Inland Empire and move to where he felt his heart was.

He says, “It was a strange and surreal feeling leaving everything I had known and making such a drastic jump but it was the absolute best move I have made in my life. They say success and opportunity lie on the other side of fear and sometimes we have to take that blind leap of faith and trust in ourselves. I am so glad I did because I can’t imagine living anywhere else in the world. This is home and this is where I belong.” We feel the same way Media.

1. Tell us a little bit about your business and what you do.

Well, to give you the short version… I sell real estate, produce engaging and creative content, and spread love!

I guess you can say there are many parts to “what I do” but they are all definitely entrepreneurial. It all started with selling Los Angeles Real Estate which is what I do daily and have been for several years. From there, my love of content started to evolve as I was a firm believer in putting your brand and product out there to the masses via the many social platforms available to us in this modern day and age. We started to push our creative bounds in terms of what was already out there and “acceptable” in regard to real estate videos as I didn’t want to do the same old boring thing that existed in that realm.

Working with some of my content creators and friends, we started producing some really cool and creative content which was a mix of real estate, lifestyle, and our own touch of magic. That really opened up my mind to video content and the creativity just started to flow from there. Fast forward to a few years later where now we produce content via our show, DTLA Insider, which showcases everything that Downtown LA has to offer in our online video series as well as our production company, Black Rose, which produces content for many different restaurants, businesses, real estate agents, you name it.

2. What made you aspire to be an entrepreneur? 

I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart and the allure of being able to work for yourself and create something from the ground up always appealed to me. There’s also the aspect that you can make as little or as much as you want depending on how much sweat, blood, and tears you are willing to put in. The sky is the limit, and there really is unlimited potential if you are willing to bust your ass and put your heart into a business.

3. What is the one thing you wish you had known before starting your own business?

To have the right mindset that things do not happen overnight, and that “failure” is part of the process and is necessary in order for you to learn and grow. I don’t necessarily believe in failure any more as these are all lessons on the road to success, and you have to understand that it comes with the territory and to embrace it. You have to put in a lot of work and go through a lot of trials and tribulations before you succeed at anything and that is one thing I wish I had understood when first starting out. Although, I don’t think any of us really know that until we are in the game. Oh, and the fact that starting and running your business means you work 24/7 and more than double the time you do working for someone else! LOL!

4. What has been the most successful avenue for building and growing your brand/business (social media, ads, word of mouth, referrals, etc.)?

A combination of things, but if I had to choose, there are 2 major factors that have made up most of my successes in growing my brand/business. Marketing and brand awareness via social platforms is definitely one of them. If you think about traditional advertising in the past, it was very costly and difficult to present your brand or product to the public and a lot of barriers to entry. Today, you can post a product on your Instagram page, and if it’s something that is of value to a particular audience, you can become a full blown business selling millions of dollars of items within a year. Definitely a game changer and a tool that any successful brand and business needs to utilize to succeed. The second most important avenue would have to be people. By people I mean networking and meeting as many people as you can daily and making REAL and AUTHENTIC connections and relationships. Relationships take time to develop and nurture, but the more people you know, the more opportunity you have for referrals, word of mouth, connections, everything. People are the most important factor in any business.

5. What are the aspects of your business that you enjoy the most?

Meeting people from all walks of life and many different industries, hearing their stories and being able to work with them. I am a people person so it is definitely a big plus for me being on the move and being able to meet new people. There is also the creativity aspect that comes with the content production side of my business and what is “possible.” Being able to brainstorm and come up with new and creative ideas for shows and segments is definitely one of my favorite parts of the job.

6. What do you love doing in your free time to refuel and have fun?

I love to work. They say when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. This is true to some extent, but I think what “they” mean is that when you love what you do… you’re always working. Whether it’s showing homes, selling LA Real Estate, meeting restaurant owners and their patrons all over Downtown for DTLA Insider, it’s all a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun to me and I am on it all the time. It really never stops but you don’t want it to either. I love Downtown so I am always exploring the city on foot, checking out new restaurants, coffee shops, businesses, etc. and enjoying down time with my lady. I also love to explore other creators’ content, travel, and eat good food and drink some delicious and creative cocktails. Oh… and sometimes catch up on sleep! 🙂