Looks like you have JavaScript disabled. For the full Twine experience, you will need to re-enable it.

I'm a Southern California-based photographer, cinematographer, producer, and creative director with more than 20 years of experience creating award-winning visual content across surf, outdoor, travel, and lifestyle markets. My work has appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Surfline, The Surfer's Journal, Stab, and other outlets. I've produced and captured content featuring world-class athletes such as Caitlin Simmers, Griffin Colapinto, Kelly Slater, and Rob Machado, and I spent 13 years as Surfline staff photographer, producer, and creator of Maps to Nowhere. I now lead independent productions for brands seeking authentic connections to surf and outdoor culture.…I'm a Southern California-based photographer, cinematographer, producer, and creative director with more than 20 years of experience creating award-winning visual content across surf, outdoor, travel, and lifestyle markets. My work has appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Surfline, The Surfer's Journal, Stab, and other outlets. I've produced and captured content featuring world-class athletes such as Caitlin Simmers, Griffin Colapinto, Kelly Slater, and Rob Machado, and I spent 13 years as Surfline staff photographer, producer, and creator of Maps to Nowhere. I now lead independent productions for brands seeking authentic connections to surf and outdoor culture.

Billy Watts

Photographer, Cinematographer, Creative Director, +6





I'm a Southern California-based photographer, cinematographer, producer, and creative director with more than 20 years of experience creating award-winning visual content across surf, outdoor, travel, and lifestyle markets. My work has appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Surfline, The Surfer's Journal, Stab, and other outlets. I've produced and captured content featuring world-class athletes such as Caitlin Simmers, Griffin Colapinto, Kelly Slater, and Rob Machado, and I spent 13 years as Surfline staff photographer, producer, and creator of Maps to Nowhere. I now lead independent productions for brands seeking authentic connections to surf and outdoor culture.…I'm a Southern California-based photographer, cinematographer, producer, and creative director with more than 20 years of experience creating award-winning visual content across surf, outdoor, travel, and lifestyle markets. My work has appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Surfline, The Surfer's Journal, Stab, and other outlets. I've produced and captured content featuring world-class athletes such as Caitlin Simmers, Griffin Colapinto, Kelly Slater, and Rob Machado, and I spent 13 years as Surfline staff photographer, producer, and creator of Maps to Nowhere. I now lead independent productions for brands seeking authentic connections to surf and outdoor culture.

Available to hire

I’m a Southern California-based photographer, cinematographer, producer, and creative director with more than 20 years of experience creating award-winning visual content across surf, outdoor, travel, and lifestyle markets.

My work has appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Surfline, The Surfer’s Journal, Stab, and other outlets. I’ve produced and captured content featuring world-class athletes such as Caitlin Simmers, Griffin Colapinto, Kelly Slater, and Rob Machado, and I spent 13 years as Surfline staff photographer, producer, and creator of Maps to Nowhere. I now lead independent productions for brands seeking authentic connections to surf and outdoor culture.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

DaVinci Resolve Studio

Expert

Microsoft Office

Expert

WordPress

Expert

Language

English

Fluent

Spanish; Castilian

Beginner

Work Experience

Photographer / Producer at Billy Watts Photography

January 1, 2025 - Present

Operate an independent production studio delivering commercial photography and video campaigns for lifestyle, outdoor, fashion, and action-sports brands. Lead productions from creative development through final delivery, managing crews, talent, locations, budgets, schedules, and post-production. Produce integrated still and motion content while serving as the primary client contact and creative lead throughout the production process. Recent: Greyson Clothing, DSRT Surf, Spy, Mint & Lily, Caesars Republic.

Creative Content Producer at Surfline

January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025

Produced Surfline's original content and YouTube programming, including Maps to Nowhere, a standout travel and surf series that generated millions of views and helped establish Surfline's presence in long-form original content. Led end-to-end production of episodic travel and surf content, managing creative development, budgets, logistics, crew coordination, field production, and post-production across remote international locations. Operated as lead photographer, drone operator, and B-camera videographer while delivering long-form episodes, social content, and branded assets that expanded audience engagement and strengthened Surfline's content portfolio.

Sponsored Content Editor at Surfline

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2022

Led the development and execution of sponsored content campaigns for premier surf and outdoor brands, creating multimedia stories that balanced commercial objectives with Surfline's editorial voice. Partnered closely with marketing teams to develop creative concepts, commission photographers and creators, and produce high-performing digital content across editorial, social, and branded channels. Owned projects end-to-end, serving as photographer, photo editor, curator, and client-facing creative lead from ideation through final delivery.

Photo Editor at Surfline

March 1, 2012 - January 1, 2017

Led Surfline's photo department, managing a global network of 100+ contributing photographers and coordinating coverage around major swell events worldwide. Curated and edited high-volume image submissions into timely editorial galleries that became a core audience product. Collaborated with editorial, design, and product teams to transform Surfline's photo platform — from 640-pixel slideshows to immersive full-screen multimedia experiences — a product evolution that generated millions in incremental revenue. Oversaw daily photo editing, captioning, metadata, asset management, and archive workflows across Adobe Creative Suite and proprietary DAM systems.