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1/23/14

Madbury + Neon

This lovely collaboration with the mad genius Madbury Club boys was quite an adventure. Below is an excerpt from the editorial of the photos they posted on their site.

Sometimes, you just gotta bring it back to square one. The violently bright 90′s tones, the unmistakable public display of athleticism, the rotary neck force of innocent bystanders. Fssssh, fsssh, fsssh goes the nylon. This was home for us.

The Club is obviously back with a fresh new site and a revamped outlook, but the fuck-never-given antics are still the same. What started out as a healthy morning jog became something entirely different by lunchtime. We’re not prone to skimping on theatrics so we conjured up the most pompous getups we could find and scoured the streets. We took to the finer parts of New York City so we could showcase the squad in it’s full roster form (bless you Marcus), and also just so we could piss some people off. What ensued was pure disruption of Monday morning grumpiness, traffic flow, retinal sensitivity and the occasional AstroTurf Kung Fu tryout. And thank you to those kind women who graciously placed coins in the hat during our dance routine. We surely didn’t spend it all in one place.

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CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION

This lovely collaboration with the mad genius Madbury Club boys was quite an adventure. Below is an excerpt from the editorial of the photos they posted on their site.

Sometimes, you just gotta bring it back to square one. The violently bright 90′s tones, the unmistakable public display of athleticism, the rotary neck force of innocent bystanders. Fssssh, fsssh, fsssh goes the nylon. This was home for us.

The Club is obviously back with a fresh new site and a revamped outlook, but the fuck-never-given antics are still the same. What started out as a healthy morning jog became something entirely different by lunchtime. We’re not prone to skimping on theatrics so we conjured up the most pompous getups we could find and scoured the streets. We took to the finer parts of New York City so we could showcase the squad in it’s full roster form (bless you Marcus), and also just so we could piss some people off. What ensued was pure disruption of Monday morning grumpiness, traffic flow, retinal sensitivity and the occasional AstroTurf Kung Fu tryout. And thank you to those kind women who graciously placed coins in the hat during our dance routine. We surely didn’t spend it all in one place.

1/23/14

Madbury + Neon

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This lovely collaboration with the mad genius Madbury Club boys was quite an adventure. Below is an excerpt from the editorial of the photos they posted on their site.

Sometimes, you just gotta bring it back to square one. The violently bright 90′s tones, the unmistakable public display of athleticism, the rotary neck force of innocent bystanders. Fssssh, fsssh, fsssh goes the nylon. This was home for us.

The Club is obviously back with a fresh new site and a revamped outlook, but the fuck-never-given antics are still the same. What started out as a healthy morning jog became something entirely different by lunchtime. We’re not prone to skimping on theatrics so we conjured up the most pompous getups we could find and scoured the streets. We took to the finer parts of New York City so we could showcase the squad in it’s full roster form (bless you Marcus), and also just so we could piss some people off. What ensued was pure disruption of Monday morning grumpiness, traffic flow, retinal sensitivity and the occasional AstroTurf Kung Fu tryout. And thank you to those kind women who graciously placed coins in the hat during our dance routine. We surely didn’t spend it all in one place.

1/23/14

Madbury + Neon

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Emanate is a creative-direction-led photography experience for entrepreneurs, speakers, and thought leaders in a moment of expansion. This isn’t about better photos. It’s about aligning how you’re seen with who you’ve become. For seasons of rebrand, visibility, and next-level leadership.

Magnetic Authority is a self-guided container for people who feel visible, but not fully anchored.

If your message keeps shifting, your brand feels inconsistent, or your presence doesn’t match your capability yet. This is where you build the foundation before you scale.

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For founders, creatives, and leaders who want a trusted long-term partner. This isn’t coaching or traditional consulting.

It’s an ongoing creative partnership focused on bringing your personal brand identity to life.

Your brand. Your website. Your visuals.
All shaped as a direct extension of who you are. The work also includes a bespoke process of identifying and aligning the right experts when needed, so nothing gets built out of sync with your core.

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The Brand Intelligence Engine is an AI personal brand system that builds the complete infrastructure of a premium brand in three phases. Here’s exactly what happens inside, what it produces, and who it’s built for.

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Your content strategy is not working because the problem isn’t content. It’s what’s underneath it. When your brand lacks identity and visual translation, posting more just amplifies incoherence. Here’s the trap and how to escape it.

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This personal brand audit takes two minutes and reveals exactly where your brand is broken. Four questions, one for each layer of brand intelligence. Most people fail at least two. Here’s the diagnostic.

Elevated Realism portrait demonstrating how personal brand identity is a deliberate translation of the person rather than an unfiltered copy

Your personal brand identity is not you. It’s a translation of you. When you confuse the two, you either freeze up or perform. Neither builds authority. Here’s the distinction that changes how you show up online.

Elevated Realism personal brand portrait demonstrating the visual authority that comes from investing in brand photography at the level that matches your expertise

The biggest personal brand photography investment mistake isn’t underspending on photos. It’s investing $50,000 in coaching, ads, and masterminds while spending $500 on visual identity. Here’s what that costs you and how to fix the order.

Nick Onken Elevated Realism portrait of a personal brand client demonstrating the visual authority that comes from closing the gap between expertise and brand presence

I spent 20 years photographing personal brands. I watched brilliant people stay invisible because they skipped the layers nobody talks about. So I built the Brand Intelligence Engine to fix it. Here’s the full story.

Elevated Realism portrait of a personal brand client whose authentic voice and identity can't be replicated by generic AI content

Your AI content sounds generic because the AI doesn’t know who you are. It’s not a tool problem. It’s an input problem. Without your identity, voice, and brand intelligence loaded, every AI produces the same bland output. Here’s how to fix it.

About the Blogger

I was born in a low middle class conservative religious family in the suburbs of Seattle. Art was and always has been my passion, and more than that a way of life. Starting as a graphic designer, I taught myself photography, built a commercial/editorial business shooting for the worlds biggest brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas and more. I've also had the opportunity to photograph the world's biggest celebrities like Justin Bieber, Usher, Jessica Alba and more. I've curated a lifestyle around creativity and have learned a lot along the way which I get to share here. 

I was born in a low middle class conservative religious family in the suburbs of Seattle. Art was and always has been my passion, and more than that a way of life. Starting as a graphic designer, I taught myself photography, built a commercial/editorial business shooting for the worlds biggest brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas and more. I've also had the opportunity to photograph the world's biggest celebrities like Justin Bieber, Usher, Jessica Alba and more. I've curated a lifestyle around creativity and have learned a lot along the way which I get to share here. 

NICK'S STORY