Simon Yau Media

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Simon Yau Media

Taking away the pain of standing out online. For leaders in the health, wellbeing and fitness space.
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High-end social media content creation: promotional videos, testimonials, behind-the-scenes, live event media, photoshoots.

14/11/2024

4 years ago, I thought I could feed a family just by photographing fitness events, but barely made minimum wage.

Today, I help all sorts of businesses be leaders in their field in the online space - comfortably exceeding my old corporate salary.

“Simon, from the outside it looks like you’re absolutely smashing it” - said an Insta-friend in DM voice note.

But did you know earlier this year I fell into a hole and almost packed this all in, *this close* to deleting my pages and selling tens of thousands of pounds of equipment.

But then - after a bit of therapy - I re-discovered what it meant to shoot things for fun, and not for an Instagram er****on or money.

And it goes back to how this all started: when I was called .sportography, a pure fitness photographer - shooting for s**ts and giggles.

All that to say, I still make some time to shoot fitness events - because it’s fun, and stays true to my original tagline ⬇️

I’m Simon, and I capture ordinary people in extraordinary pursuits of fitness.

Note to everyone: remember your “why”, that’s what keeps you going 🤌

See you all this weekend at Winter Soldiers 🫡🎥

📸 capturing my inner Spider-Man at

08/11/2024

Something in the water this week… bunch of enquiries coming all at once for:
• Personal fitness shoots
• PT and online coach social media shoots
• and media duties for a new CrossFit Licensed Event… in the Caribbean 🏝️

Standing out this week is the few of you willing to make that leap from mid-life employment to chasing your own ideas/dreams.

Even more amazing is trusting me help them look their best and show up on here in high-end flair:
• Starter Photography Pack
• Business Promotional Videos
• Client Testimonials
• Social Media Shoots

Reminder that it’s nearly 2025. Hopefully you’re not in the same place you were a year ago.

As professionals in the health and fitness space, there’s no excuse for “winging it” on here. It’s crowded with lots of hungry newcomers.

If you’re in this for the long haul, then we have to show we’re relevant and the real deal.

So set goals, recognise your strengths, get help for the weaknesses, and see you all bigger and better in the new year 🎥💪🚀

📸: throwback to a personal shoot with the man behind , with whom I spend a lot of my weekend weddings with - unfairly epic behind AND in front of a camera 🫶

06/11/2024

Here’s ONE way I’d use professional photography to overhaul a start-up’s social media feed.

If you’re trying to GROW i.e. get new eyeballs on your business, then it pays to put effort into what your feed looks and feels like.

If it doesn’t look good in the first 3 seconds, say goodbye.

I stand by video content as the king of engagement on here. But if you’re like in the early phase of the business, and you just need a high quality pool of images to get all your website and social media visuals cohesive and on point, then a photography shoot is an EASY win to start looking legit.

Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. So make it count 🤌

Let’s shoot 🤝

14/10/2024

Hello to all old and new followers.

I’m Simon: dad, husband, ex-nuclear engineer, mediocre athlete, over-thinker and professional camera/lighting nerd.

In the last 4 years I’ve had an incredible range of shoots: gyms, coaches, clothing apparel, schools, charities, weddings, corporate events, hospitals, food, real estate, aesthetics, wellbeing, care homes, dance, horse jumping… and of course fitness.

What does this mean for you, potentially looking for a photographer/videographer?

Yes I’m a specialist in health and fitness. Not because I don’t shoot anything else, but because I do and best serve fitness/health/wellbeing professionals with my life experience and mindset => helping people be better.

Blessed to feed a family doing this for a living. Grateful for those who reach out to book, enquire or even just chat on how to actually be social on social media.

This record year is going to be tough to beat, but it’s coming.

📸: making me feel like a hero

23/09/2024

Outstanding team photos at , some of you going as far as printing and framing them on the wall.

Setting this up was a trial, and something that may stick around at both North and South.

EVENT ORGANISERS, here’s what I learned:

1. This is incredibly likeable/shareable content for an event to get tagged in and shouted about online, better visibility for you

2. DJs, MCs, vendors and volunteers should also be encouraged to come have a mini shoot, better experience for them

3. I can turn all images around the next day to keep the hype train rolling

ATHLETES, here’s what I learned:

1. For some, this was the BEST photo you got from the event 💪

2. For some, this was the ONLY photo you got from the event 🥲

3. You all look better AFTER a workout when you’re moist/glistening/pumped

~

Should the photoshoot studio make a return?

20/09/2024

The events just keep coming, Summer Event 2024 🥳

Fitness pros like Jake put these days on to meet clients, foster community and celebrate incredible client success stories.

Jake’s coaching philosophy?

“If you get to get in shape, but your diet doesn’t allow you to go out and enjoy life…

You’ve literally missed the f**king point completely and utterly…”

Well said, and enjoy this event they all did - a free bar may have had something to do with that 🍻

An absolute blast working with the team again after doing their team headshots several months ago.

Event video coming shortly 👀

13/09/2024

The cat’s out of the bag… the pilot of ‘s next hit series is now live - hosted by Bailey of

The residents of Tanglewood Care Homes are not short of stories. After two days of filming Bailey sitting down with “people who’ve seen it all”, it’s clear he is changing the conversation around care homes and celebrating the beautiful lives of those living in them.

First video is up at with over 1 million views. Stay tuned, this is just the beginning 🚀

Shoutout to Ollie Williams, Head of Original Programming at Pubity for bringing us all together, and trusting me to put the cameras and microphones where I see fit!

For more wholesome content, give both and a follow 🫶

06/09/2024

I’m Simon, and today I’m 40 years.

The last 20 of them, I’ve photographed and filmed people - the last 4 of them, it’s been my full-time job. What a privilege.

It’s also been the best and worst year of my life…

Best because I realise I get to spend each minute of the day how I want, doing this.

Worst because I realise I only have forty more summers left - if I’m lucky, and I’m finally seeing a therapist to get things off my chest.

“Simon, almost everyone is just winging it - so cut yourself some slack. Anyone who looks like they’ve figured it out, is 99% faking it or trying to sell you coaching.”

So… we can’t change the past and the future isn’t here yet, all we have is the present.

Choose health before wealth, find and hang onto people who are there for you when you lose - not just when you win.

Also, here’s a nudge to stop putting off the photo/video shoot, your business needs it more than you realise.

Lastly, do more uncomfortable things. Like booking a pro headshot session: huge thank you to Chris 🙏

04/09/2024

A record September month kicks off with a photo shoot for - launching soon, check them out 👀

At first, we were going to dig out old CrossFit photos I’ve shot over the years - but then it made more sense to kit people out in branded tops and make a day of it to create something bespoke for the app, the socials and the website.

Shoutout to for hosting us and providing the athlete talent, who brought their a-game for the action shots. Lush industrial vibes and some studio lighting helped it all come together.

Your project/business does not deserve stolen or stock images. Ready to create something unique? Let’s shoot 🤝

02/09/2024

Ok I lied: not a testimonial but a comment from the organiser himself after shooting North 2023

We’re just under two weeks out from the 2024 edition in Manchester - my 4th time on this floor. One-of-a-kind atmosphere out of all the events I’ve shot - flash skills an absolute must in the nightclub vibe.

As per, superfast turnaround of photos to help:
a) promote the event by giving non-attendees fomo
b) single athletes level up their Tinder/Grindr game with some epic profile pics

It’s 2024 - events only look as good as their visuals. Let’s shoot 🤝

05/07/2024

* WEDDING FILM PREVIEW *

A slow burning project has been wedding work, alongside the health and fitness.

“Hold up, why would anyone hire a health and fitness specialist to shoot a wedding?”

Because it’s still about people, being awesome, looking beautiful, with a unique human story that’s worth celebrating.

To Hayley Amison & Rich Amison - thanks for an incredible day, and proud to have been a part of your celebrations.

* FULL WEDDING FILM COMING SOON *

03/07/2024

Here’s ONE way I’d re-design a social media feed for a sports massage therapist I shot for recently.

If you’re trying to GROW i.e. get new eyeballs on your business, then do your revenue a favour and put some effort into what your feed looks and feels like.

This is literally the first touch point new followers will see after being funnelled your way. I mean, I’m assuming you tidy up your gym, clinic, house when you receive guests?

Same goes for this digital storefront: more foot traffic passes here than into your home - yet most of us can’t be bothered to make this look half appealing.

I stand by video content as the king of engagement on here. But If you’re like , and you’re not quite (or ever!) ready for talk-to-camera, then photography is an EASY win to start looking like a proper business.

You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Get in touch to see how I can shoot AND also help sort out your socials to make it 5-star experience for your audience.

19/06/2024

Instagram vs reality

Fitness professionals… you can’t fool our audiences these days. They see right past the rainbows and unicorns, the constant er****on of you and your clients “living the dream”.

If all you’re putting out into the world are highlights that make 5% of your life - the results, your followers will never know what the other 95% looks and feels like - the actual process to get there.

After dancing and memes, the content that really ENGAGES on here is real people behind-the-scenes, what the daily experience is like, asking for opinions, generating conversations, showing what a s**t client check-in sounds like and how you deal with it, what a bad review is complaining about and how you use it as an opportunity to improve.

To conclude…

Out: highlight montages and transformations that teach nothing, “top tips” that anyone can copy/paste

In: keeping it real with talk-to-camera, spitting some truth and opinion, sharing what YOU know works for your clients

Well, that’s what I’m starting to do anyway - and you should to if you haven’t already.

First one dropping shortly, stay tuned 👀

17/06/2024

It’s a wrap!

After 7 months of monthly visits, Giuseppe is in a VERY good place.

What did we achieve?

1. Less stress and more rhythm/engagement in his posts and stories.
2. Less time wasted on DIY content and a fuller client diary.
3. Less “winging it”, and more clarity on his unique offer

The best bit? It’s all come from him - amazing what you can achieve when you’re not slaving away in Canva and CapCut every night editing selfie phone content, and have someone in DMs to chat and bounce ideas off.

We’re taking a summer break so he can get the most out of the promotional, testimonial, educational and behind-the-scenes content library we’ve built. Everything he needs to guide followers along the “know-like-trust” journey.

The what-now journey?

All can be explained in free 20-min call, if you want to start posting better content 🤝

12/06/2024

On discovery calls, I’ll often ask health and fitness professionals “what’s the dream?” or “where do you see the business 1, 2, 3 years from now?”

Many reply “oh I dunno, just gonna see where this goes and hope it grows”.

Facepalm.

It’s like signing up to a gym, then “hoping” you’ll lose weight.

Come on now…

Do the reps - consistently. Stick to the plan - relentlessly.

Three years ago on the CrossFit scene, I set out a goal to beat my old corporate salary doing media. Smashed it this year.

And it’s off the back of consistent outreach, conversations, social media posts, and not being a dick to people I work for and with.

Today, I found myself assisting Sky’s in-house creative team to set up a green screen rig to video our Prime Minister and party leader of the Labour Party - Sir Kier Starmer - on a spinning turntable. Politics with Sky Sports visual flair - why not?

That, I never planned. But is a signpost that I am moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately can’t share any BTS of when they did come, so you’ll have to make do with me and my moment of fame.

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Videos

CrossFest North 2024, you were a riot. 4th year on the trot capturing the chaos.

"We need a serious tone for these videos". Ex Great Britain tumbling gymnast @sammyrockettmiller being anything but, during @battleformiddleground Winter Soldiers qualifier filming yesterday at @graftevents HQ. Lights, cameras and great action coming up in some seriously educational content to get athletes clued up on how best to tackle their qualifier attempts. Let your personality shine through on talk-to-camera. Your audience will love it. Let's shoot 🤝

Throwback to the Arnold Fitness Games in March, where on-the-go video content is vital for creating online hype. A workout reel takes me around 2 hours to film and edit on the day. This one was never posted, but it's "classic Simon" of walking through a workout so the audience know what athletes have been through. DIRTY THIRTY 30cal row 30 ring pushups/dips 30 deadlifts 30 wall balls 30 chest-to-bar pull ups 30cal row 😮‍💨 Awesome lighting, floor layout and athlete hustle brought the whole day's content together nicely - more of which you can see further down my feed Event promo, workout highlights, on-the-spot athlete testimonials, sponsor/vendor content... all have their role in making your brand prominent 🤩, instead of just present 🥱 Ready to make a statement through your content? Let's shoot 🤝

Saturday cinematics at the Arnold Fitness Games 2024. Two days down, one day to go 🎥

Vibes at the Arnold Fitness Games 2024.

Arnold Fitness Games 2024. Day 1 - Workout 1.

Had an absolute blast creating this promo video at The BodyFit Clinic to showcase who they are, what they offer and who they help. When Lauren booked this in, we had to fit in lot of information yet keep it short and engaging. With some team effort in the script writing, Lauren has absolutely smashed it. An impeccably furnished new clinic, along with star client testimonial snippets from Nicola (from Tape2Tape Events) and Dane helped it all come together nicely. If your audience can't immediately see what you offer and who you help in your business, you're likely missing out on enquiries. DM to see how we can fix that 🤝

Meet the team! Seems more small businesses are doing professional scripted promos these days - and it’s absolutely necessary. It’s our responsibility to quickly educate new followers if you’re worth their attention: who you are, what you do, who you help. But audiences also love seeing unscripted human goofiness - THIS is what creates connection and relatability in a world often described as intimidating. Outtakes from a promo video shoot at CrossFit Grimsby - arguably showing off way more personality than a scripted promo can.

Battle For Middle Ground Winter Soldiers Nov ‘23 - DAY 2 HIGHLIGHT. 8 hours of CrossFit Licensed elite fitness in 80 seconds 🔥 Struggling to show the appeal of your event? I’m available for hire 🙋‍♂️

"The photos have made my day. I feel like you can see the team's personality in them" - @marketingrach Jake McArthur Coaching is a bit of a local and established legend, operating with a team of coaches behind him. BUT THERE'S MORE... the coaches are all ex-clients who've walked the path to achieve their goals. 2024 is the year of a huge brand revamp, taking the online coaching business to new heights. Phase 1 was all about a bank of fresh headshots for "meet the team" page on the new website - one that actually shows personality. Phase 2... watch this space 👀 As the saying goes, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. What does your profile pic say about you? Don't tell me you're still hiding behind a logo 🙏

Calling all fitness professionals… Struggling to stand out and communicate how serious you are? A promo video is vital. It’s the flagship content piece that educates your audience who you are, what your services are and who you help. Yes, even whilst you sleep. Here, we helped Giuseppe kick of 2024 with a video that shows why his offering is a bit different out there. Missing out on standing out? DM “content” and we’ll get a brief chat to see where you are and how we can get you to where you want to be.

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