Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Guinigundo.
Hi Bailey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always enjoyed taking photographs. I have also always enjoyed attending different events.
When social media came about, I found myself writing brief summaries about events I was attending, and sharing those onto the early days of Facebook.
Fast forward to October 2013, my wife and I were visiting some relatives in California, when we happened to meet some folks who were in the entourage of famed boxer, Manny Pacquiao. We spoke and kept in touch, and one of them had encouraged that because I took photos and could write fairly well, to begin my own website and start covering events in an official capacity.
2 weeks later, I founded CentralFloridaReview.com in an effort to cover celebrity-attended events here in central Florida.
The site has grown in popularity and I have developed some amazing relationships with different venues, charities, and businesses, and now we’re oftentimes receiving invites to events before we’re having to submit for approvals to even just attend.
6 years ago in 2019, I suffered a major heart attack at the age of42. Thankfully I survived, and have used this platform to encourage many around me to live life to the fullest TODAY, as ‘tomorrow’ was not guaranteed. I believe my ordeal inadvertently influenced my writing and photos as I’m now focusing on all of those ‘little’ details that may have otherwise been missed. There were so many things that happened that happened that night, that could have GREATLY affected the outcome of that night, and so many of those came together in just the right way that I lived to now tell and share my story about it, and the life I’ve been blessed to experience.
At the beginning of the pandemic when there were no concerts or shows to attend, I refocused our concentration during that time to help focus on local businesses and attractions (botanical gardens, art exhibits, theme parks) in our small attempt to help support the local economy. We now felt like we were truly ‘giving back’ to the central Florida community.
We photograph many charity events these days. With this exposure, we feel that our site has now come full circle, able to be viewed more as a service provider to the local community. We now constantly receive requests from local businesses to attend their events with the hope that we can share our experience through our site. We also now receive requests to take headshots for company employees / photograph company events / birthdays / weddings, and are able to do so at costs FAR below what others are charging. Again, it’s our small way of giving back to the community in which we’ve now raised our family all these years.
CentralFloridaReview has given my family the opportunity to also visit attractions in Georgia, Tennessee, and Nevada, as contacts in those states have seen the value in what we’ve been able to offer. Given this heightened platform vs. where we first started, we’ve had amazing opportunities to meet some truly amazing people, and are able to share that with our viewers here in central Florida. It’s been an absolute blessing, and it all started by following what I loved to do (taking photos and writing) and just making the most out of it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road.
There were no blueprints or roadmaps or how-to-videos online for what I was trying to do. I leaned on close family and friends who were remotely close to what I was trying to do, and they were actually discouraging me from trying to move forward. Because I was gaining more and more access to celebrities, there was ALOT of jealously and fake friendships that were developing. Probably the worst part of getting better at something, was having to see that there were some who didn’t actually want to see me succeed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my day job, I am a Global Product Owner for a worldwide supply chain company. In this capacity, I’m able to help influence how our company as a whole will view and improve the Customer Experience.
In my ‘other job’, I do take photos at celebrity-attended events, whether that be a musical concert, a charity with a famous person in attendance, or at a convention at which I’m able to take photos. It’s probably the emerging ‘selfies’ that I take with the celebrities I encounter that I would say I’m ‘most known for.’
Most proud of: I have 2 teenage daughters and a loving wife. My 2 daughters are highly successful in school, and very happy in life. My wife smiles alot and hugs me alot. With this, I believe I’ve done the ‘father’ and ‘husband’ role fairly well thus far. I’ve got a long way to still be good at these roles, but based on the family around me, I’m most proud that I was able to always prioritize my family above all else, and that they are all happy and doing well in life.
What sets me apart from others? I’ve already experienced my life-changing moment, when I had my STEMI heart attack back in 2019. I’ve already made adjustments to my life and know what my priorities are, and what I want and need to accomplish in this life, just in case this gift of life is suddenly taken away from me. It’s because of the potentially tragic night that I almost had, that I just love life and am trying to do everything and make the most out of each day. I do what makes me happy, and am thankful I had my heart attack because it forced me to really focus on what’s important to me.
What does success mean to you?
Some will define their success according to their career or their salary or even by the personal possessions they can accumulate. I would argue that one who tries to measure by these standards will never be content.
However, if what makes someone happy in life is spending 2-3 hours with their family each night, fishing on the weekends, and having a date night with their spouse at least once or twice a week: then I would suggest that success be measured by those tasks being achieved and having a lifestyle and career that will support those needs and wants.
Success is maintaining that balanced life by which one can achieve what they want / need personally, while having a job or career that can support that.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.centralfloridareview.com/
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/guinigundomba
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/bailey.guinigundo
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bailey-james-guinigundo-mba-359b681b
