You may have heard Dave Perlman’s “work” at local restaurants, pubs, bars and venues over the last several years. Or maybe you’ve seen his real estate photos or videos.

Perlman, 30, has spent most of his life living in Lewiston and Auburn, and over the last several years, has shared his art – both visual and musical – across the state of Maine.

While Perlman started down the path of photography as a hobby, it has quickly become a way of life for him. He started his own commercial videography business, Horizon Visual Media, several years ago as a parent company to his real estate photography business and has been networking across the state since then, learning new technologies and meeting new people.

When he’s not doing that, he can often be found playing music, something he’s done with several popular local bands and solo for years.

Perlman said the success he’s experienced so far as an entrepreneur is the result of “perseverance.”

“Being self-employed is wonderful and rewarding, but simultaneously stressful and can feel hopeless at times,” Perlman said.

However, he said the experience of meeting new people, visiting new places and working on unique projects from week to week is what keeps him motivated.

Dave Perlman Submitted photo

Name: Dave Perlman

Age: 30

Occupation: Photographer/videographer

Residence: Sabattus

When did you get into photography and the field of visual arts? What drove you to focus on this type of work? Photography was never really on my radar until about five years ago. A friend of mine bought an inexpensive camera to bring along on his rock and ice climbing trips. I drew inspiration from some of the shots he was able to create and decided I’d pick up my own camera to do similar (but less extreme) work.

Where we rely so heavily on social media these days, it’s not surprising that I was hired by my first client as a result of them seeing some of my work on Facebook. I was asked if I’d ever considered real estate photography and despite the fact that I hadn’t, they were kind enough to give me an opportunity that allowed me a start on the path to using my camera and creativity to build a career and future for myself.

Within a very short time (six months or less), I became increasingly aware of the reality of this becoming an actual job and not just a working hobby. I started networking and trying to grow my client base, which I’ve been fortunate to continue growing consistently over the last few years. I started getting hired to do aerial video work for another friend who owns a production company. So started my journey into video.

Something about this type of work that has become increasingly attractive to me is that it’s a very mobile industry. Depending on the needs of the client, I could just as cost effectively do a job in Auburn as I could in Austin or Sacramento.

You’re listed as the owner of Horizon Visual Media. What’s that about? Horizon Visual Media is a commercial videography company, though it’s still the parent to my real estate photography business. Commercial videography can be a somewhat ambiguous term; I use it to refer to creating video content for businesses.

What I offer is a vehicle for my clients to connect with their audience in a way that no other medium allows. Every project is unique, an aspect that I love, presenting its own challenges and problem-solving strategies. I find that the best approach to creating this type of content is to narrow down on who the end viewer is going to be and what specifically they should take away from the viewing experience. I’ve done testimonials, product and service demonstrations, property tours, recruitment videos, and other promotional content for clients of all types.

Many of my clients are either looking to tell the viewer about their company to help their audience get to know them better, or they’re trying to outline a specific product or service. One of my recent projects for Yale Cordage in Saco demonstrated a specific product that the company manufactures to prevent damage to wood chippers. Not only did we create an excellent instructional video that demonstrated that product, but we also showed the company’s passion for safety in the workplace. It’s a very accomplished feeling when you’re creating a video that exudes everything that you’ve been asked to showcase. That’s why you get hired for these jobs — that’s the expectation, and it feels good to deliver on that.

Where do you visualize your work taking you over the next five to 10 years? It can be hard to visualize exactly where any of us will be in the next five to 10 years with so much uncertainty in the world. What I can be certain of is that with the continued kindness and generosity of my current and future clients, I will have a fulfilling and happy future doing the work I love for the people I love to work with! I’d love to have my work take me on the road, specifically to the West as I’ve always wanted to see the Rockies.

You’ve been performing music for years and you frequently play at different restaurants and venues in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Can you talk a little bit about how you got into playing and performing? What sort of music do you like most? I’ve been playing music now for about 17 years. My parents bought me an electric guitar when I was in my early teens. I learned on my own for a couple of years until I was mature enough to handle the responsibility of lessons. I signed up at Carroll’s Music with Steve Grenier, who still teaches at Main Street Music in Auburn and I highly recommend him.

I spent my first couple of years in college without doing much of anything musically until a friend from high school reached out and asked if I’d be interested in playing guitar in his band. I jumped at the opportunity to play again. We wrote a number of original songs and played all around Maine and New Hampshire. Eventually, things came to an end, but three of us wanted to continue playing as a cover band and, lucky me, none of us wanted to sing, but the other two wanted to not sing MORE than I did. And just like that, the Poprocks were born and so was my journey into singing. This was around 2012.

Over the following years, we gained a bit of a following and played in the Lewiston-Auburn area a lot, before finally hanging up the hat in 2015. At this point, I joined another local cover band, the Veggies, as their bass player (another new journey for me) and started to do some of my own solo acoustic shows as well.

The next four years were very busy for me musically. The Veggies had a full schedule when I started with them, but I would book a lot of acoustic shows for myself around the other commitments I had with the band. 2018 was the last year I played with them and I easily played over 100 gigs between the band’s schedule and my own.

In 2019, I joined the L-A Harley Band as a singer, and that’s where I’m still residing. Through L-A Harley, I’ve been given an abundance of opportunities to play some really incredible events. Playing events like the Camp Sunshine ride that raises money for families with children afflicted with terrible illness or opening up for big names in country music like Hunter Hayes and Riley Green at Norway Savings Bank Arena have been some of the most rewarding experiences in my musical career.

I currently play most of my shows as an acoustic duo with my friend Gavin Smith, a phenomenally talented singer and bass player.

It’s cliche to say you like all music, but I honestly can find something to appreciate in just about any genre. We play everything from Johnny Cash to Tupac to Jason Aldean to Backstreet Boys — EVERYTHING.

Was there ever a time where you envisioned yourself focusing more on music than on photography? I started playing music a long time before I ever picked up a camera. When I was young, I had aspirations of wanting to make music a career, but as an adult it’s always seemed somewhat unattainable to me. I love playing music, and I’m very fortunate that I’m able to do as well as I do playing it. For me, that’s enough to make me happy and fulfilled.

What do you do in your spare time, when you’re not working or playing music? When I’m not working or playing music, I like to focus on my mental and physical health. Fitness is pretty important to me, and this time of year especially, you can find me outside jogging or hiking. I like to take short trips to places I haven’t been before just to see what there is to see. Last year I went to Shenandoah National Park, Niagara Falls, and Lubec just to name a few.