That’s an interesting question. Since announcing the sale of “Phantom” for $6.5M there has been much discussion in the media. A lot of people congratulating Peter Lik for doing something extraordinary, others of course questioning the value of the sale. I have had the great pleasure of knowing Peter for many years, and like others who know him, this sale is no real surprise. He is a typical overnight success – 30 years as a photographer, taking many risks, both financially and physically, to become the best he can be.
I just wrote this article for Inc.com – where I define the key points behind Peter’s success. It is certainly not luck, it is hard work, courage and tenacity – mixed in with a sprinkling of crazy! Well done Peter. To read my Inc article click on the image below.
PHANTOM IMAGE COURTESY OF PETER LIK, WWW.LIK.COM
Hi Andrew – For those of us who knew Peter when he kicked off in Cairns, aren’t surprised…..I remember the first trip Peter and I (Merv) did to the US to kick off his business, roughing it in the back of a camper van, catching all the sunsrise and sunset oipportunities over San Francisco – fun times – but dedication and committment to his craft.
Hey Merv – so good to see you add comment here. You better than anyone knows just how much it took to kick things off in the USA (and you played an enormous role). And just how hard it was to keep feeding the machine as it grew around Pete. I guess for me I feel quite protective of him, not that he needs it of course, but I read a few really crappy articles from Australia media about the sale – and thought I could do my part by adding a little balance to the argument.
Anyway, those who matter know the full story and I still reckon if Pete was getting paid by the hour, after all of the work he has done this sale would still work out to about ten bucks an hour. Great to hear from you Steve – and all the best for 2015.
Cheers – AG