Written in Partnership with Maria Williams
It’s been a busy 2023 for young entrepreneur and LA native, Raven Duran. She recently launched a brand new hospitality branding firm, Casa Blahnka which albeit new, has actually been several years in the making. Like most people, Raven found herself with a serious calling to travel after the travel restrictions were lifted. “I experienced quite a bit of loss in 2020 and because of that, creatively I just couldn’t find my inspiration. Traveling was the only thing I could think to do to get out of my own head,” says the photographer.
After seeing some incredible places in Dubai and returning home, her sister and business partner offered her an opportunity to shoot a prestigious multi-million dollar property in the hills of Los Angeles. Admittedly, she was afraid to shoot a home of that magnitude and declined the opportunity. Having never photographed real-estate before she was quite intimidated by the task. Fortunately for her though, her sister wouldn’t take no for an answer and told her she absolutely had no choice but to show up and be ready to shoot — so she did.
“I’m grateful for that moment, for her pushing me like that because it was really the spark I needed to get my inspiration back and was the dawn of what eventually became Casa Blahnka. I never imagined that I’d find myself here. Seeing and experiencing such beautiful places on Earth, that inspire and move the soul — yet, here I am.”
After spending the last several years traveling and documenting such venues and locations, she knew she had to share her love of these places with others. The architects, developers, designers and homeowners that crafted these properties with vision and detail are the reason why she went on the mission to capture their ideas and showcase them in their truest form. From art galleries, to restaurants, resorts and homes, she uses her design and media expertise to carefully create the image her clients have for their brands. Casa Blahnka’s services range from commercial real estate photography, logo design, videography, interior design and branding. It is a full-service production house designed to take the pressure off of homeowners and developers to create their own concepts and generate their own content.
“When we create a brand concept for a property, oftentimes we’re working with developers to design the brand’s identity at its inception, before breaking ground. We’ll sit down, storyboard ideas and together come up with an aesthetic and a vision for the property. It’s important for us to understand our client’s needs, whether it be a resort or a private rental, the brand should speak to its audience and the local market and that is what we aim to do at Casa Blahnka.”
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