JAY SANTIAGO
name: jay santiago
occupation: banker/ entrepreneur/ photographer / part time designer
age you feel: i feel like i'm 29 which i am, nothing younger or older
CAREER
GGNYC: tell us about banking
JS: i'm a bank manager, i manage a portfolio of large business accounts... my favorite things about this field are that i get to meet new business owners and i get to learn what makes their businesses succeed. i'm learning the ins and outs of different business structures, what makes a company survive, grow and fail.
GGNYC: what about your photography and the creative side of you
JS: i've been into photography since high school, i went to Long Island University and studied digital art and design. i've always had a need for creativity in my life... growing up my uncle was a dj and graffiti artists. watching the way he lived his life was inspiring, i wanted to be like him.
GGNYC: and are you currently pursuing that creativity on the side
JS: recently i've started to get back into photography, so i'm looking to rebrand my jaysant photo company that i started years ago and probably relaunch early 2016 with new equipment. this time around i want to do things that make me happy and satisfy my artistic side.
GGNYC: tell us about a project that you've worked on that you're really proud of
JS: a couple of years ago, a buddy of mine, mike brown, reached out to me and wanted me to do some photography for his company called bk nerd & co. i felt like i could do so much more for the company than just photography so after discussing it with him i became a partner in the company and i helped gear it in a different direction. we started to work with some big up and coming companies, did a lot of their branding work... we had around 15 clients, we were a one stop shop. being a part of that is a proud moment for me.
JUST FOR FUN
GGNYC: name a few brands you'd love to collaborate with
JS: oh my god, there's so many... i like street wear brands. so something like supreme, belief nyc and stussy
GGNYC: tell us about your first kiss
JS: i must have been in kindergarden, there was a bbq in the side of my building and there was a girl that lived in the building next door. we were in the alley way playing hide-and-seek and somehow we just ended up kissing... i don't remember how, but i remember the bbq and being in the alley next to my building! to be honest with you i think she was slightly older and initiated it.
GGNYC: finish this sentence: the last time you were crazy about a girl was because she______
JS: had curly hair {laughs}
GGNYC: describe yourself in three words
JS: confident, powerful and authentic
GGNYC: which are the top four apps on your phone right now
JS: instagram, acorns which is an investment app, worldstar and vsco
GGNYC: what's your favorite nyc spot
JS: well i'm stuck on brooklyn, i'm a brooklyn guy so i'll say prospect park. you feel like you're not in nyc, it's a getaway.
GGNYC: they're remaking one of your favorite movies and you got a part in it, which one is it and who would you be
JS: i'd be nas in belly
LETS GET PERSONAL
GGNYC: tell us about your first heartbreak
JS: i was in junior highschool and i used to show her so much attention but she clearly didn't like me and what she did was she would basically mess with my head and lead me on... she'd be like "i do like you" and then completely play me! she would abuse me {laughs}.
GGNYC: women don't get why men do certain things, imagine you're talking to your 24 year old daughter, what would you tell her
JS: i have a seven year old daughter so i have some of these conversations with her now, i tell her to follow her heart. i know that sounds cliche but you have to do that and be confident in who you are... never let a guy make you want to change yourself for the purpose of being liked. growing up i'd do things like that, try to alter things that i thought would make me more likable. so be true to yourself.
GGNYC: what's the hardest part about being a dad
JS: i'd say at this moment it would be co-parenting. as i'm becoming more mature and seeing things differently, i'm learning to stay on the same page with her mother because we are two different individuals.
GGNYC: what's one thing your daughter has taught you so far
JS: to be happy! not stress the little things, enjoy yourself. when she's not doing her schoolwork she can spend hours drawing and painting and she's so free and innocent. that's beautiful.
GGNYC: what's one thing that you really like about yourself
JS: that i'm a go getter, that i'm very goal oriented. i want to achieve great things, i don't want to live a mediocre life. i want to be influential.
GGNYC: when was the last time you cried and why
JS: i've gotten a little more sentimental {laughs}, but the last time was actually recently at a friends wedding and a buddy of mine was saying the best man speech and he was talking about how he looked up to his older brother and how excited he was that he had found someone to be with... that got me to shed a little tear. i was thinking about my daughter growing up and how i'd react to her getting married... i'm gonna be a wreck.
GGNYC: finish this sentence: the women in my life are ____
JS: beautiful, strong and educated
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