Lifestyle

Marco Varga – Footballer, Photographer, Influencer, He Has Done It All

Published

5 years ago

May 4, 2020

Marco Varga, a Swiss-born photographer, was a professional soccer player till the age of 25. And now, he is not just a professional photographer, much-admired for his beautiful clicks, but he is also a renowned filmmaker and social media consultant. If there is one person who can teach the present generation a thing or two about having your cake and eating it too, it would be Marco!

His website describes him as a “Creator of quality designs and thinker of fresh ideas” but if you take a look at his early life, Marco was set for a totally different life. Growing up in a pristine Swiss village of Urdorf, Marco started playing soccer at the age of 5. After playing for the village team, FC Urdorf, till the age of 12, Marco was transferred to the prestigious Grasshoppers Club Zurich where he put himself head first into building a career of a professional footballer.

He was one month into his University education and 20-years-old when he signed his first professional soccer contract. It was at that time that he decided to quit the traditional education and focus completely on soccer as a career. He realized his dream and played professional soccer for the next five years. However, at 25, it was time to reorganize his priorities, simply because he could not achieve that stage in his sports life, where he could think of being a soccer player forever.

He took a U-turn towards his University education & became a graduate of the University of Economy in Zurich. After passing out, he went on to work for IBM. But that was again a stopover rather than the final destination.

During his time at University, Marco dabbled in modelling and went on Instagram to share his photographs with his followers. With the increase in his followers on social media, he began to receive influencer campaigns to execute. Then, one thing led to another and soon Marco was wielding the camera to capture images of himself and his surroundings. And now, for the past four years, he has been working as a content creator for several big companies, with his main goal to “produce captivating social media content.” He lives in and operates from Zurich. He is also fluent in English, German and Italian. Marco worked real hard to learn the photography and videography skills such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, etc.

So far, he has done campaigns with such prestigious clients like Zalando, Mercedes, IWC, Hotelplan, Victorinox, Migros, IWC, SIGG, Nirvan Javan, JOBS, Decathlon, etc.

Speaking about the period of his last switch in careers, Marco says, “I started as a fashion influencer as I got more and more attention because of my modelling pictures. But I always saw my modelling career as a 2nd income. It was more a way to earn money than an addiction. I always wanted to travel and take pictures of the beauty of nature.”

After opening his social media content creation company, dmus-media, with a partner, he has been travelling the world with his girlfriend.

Lifestyle

Why Derik Fay Is Becoming a Case Study in Long-Haul Entrepreneurship

Published

1 day ago

July 2, 2025

Michelle Langton

Entrepreneurship today is often framed in extremes — overnight exits or public flameouts. But a small cohort of operators is being studied for something far less viral: consistency. Among them, Derik Fay has quietly surfaced as a long-term figure whose name appears frequently across sectors, interviews, and editorial mentions — yet whose personal visibility remains relatively limited.

Fay’s career spans more than 20 years and includes work in private investment, business operations, and emerging entertainment ventures. Though many of his companies are not household names, the volume and duration of his activity have made him a subject of interest among business media outlets and founders who study entrepreneurial longevity over fame.

He was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1978, and while much of his early career remains undocumented publicly, recent profiles including recurring features in Forbes — have chronicled his current portfolio and leadership methods. These accounts often emphasize his pattern of working behind the scenes, embedding within businesses rather than leading from a distance. His style is often described by peers as “operational first, media last.”

Fay has also become recognizable for his consistency in leadership approach: focus on internal systems, low public profile, and long-term strategy over short-term visibility. At 46 years old, his posture in business remains one of longevity rather than disruption a contrast to many of the more heavily publicized entrepreneurs of the post-2010 era.

While Fay has never publicly confirmed his net worth, independent analysis based on documented real estate holdings, corporate exits, and investment activity suggests a conservative floor of $100 million, with several credible indicators placing the figure at well over $250 million. The exact number may remain private but the scale is increasingly difficult to overlook.

He is also involved in creative sectors, including film and media, and maintains a presence on social platforms, though not at the scale or tone of many personal-brand-driven CEOs. He lives with his long-term partner, Shandra Phillips, and is the father of two daughters — both occasionally referenced in interviews, though rarely centered.

While not an outspoken figure, Fay’s work continues to gain media attention. The reason may lie in the contrast he presents: in a climate of rapid rises and equally rapid burnout, his profile reflects something less dramatic but increasingly valuable — steadiness.

There are no viral speeches. No Twitter threads drawing blueprints. Just a track record that’s building its own momentum over time.

Whether that style becomes the norm for the next wave of founders is unknown. But it does offer something more enduring than buzz: a model of entrepreneurship where attention isn’t the currency — results are.