When I first met Hillary, it was when she worked at Crispin Porter and Bogusky in Colorado. I knew we would like each other when she immediately accepted our invitation for dinner at a nearby restaurant; The Kitchen. I mention the name only because it was fabulous and their own wine was equally as fabulous. Maybe that is why we had such a great time. Needless to say, we kept in touch and have enjoyed getting to know each other and working together over the years. Hillary recently moved to NYC to work as a Senior Art Producer Saatchi & Saatchi and she continues to be one of the “good ones.” Thank you Hillary for taking the time to answer our questions, reply to our emails, host our portfolio shows and of course making our job more fun!
How do you search for photography nowadays?
I am huge about asking my fellow art producers who they love or have had successful shoots with. I also like checking with the gang over at the Art Producers Forum and Yahoo and Facebook as they are always there for a quick reference as to who is doing great stuff. Word of mouth can go way further than a million promos or emails!
Where do you find inspiration?
I am a magazine junkie and love seeing great work done in all of the various publications that I subscribe to. I also look at promos (if they are easy to open and don’t come from the same photographer every other week)! I love meeting reps and photographers in person so that I can put a name to the face and promo!
What are you reading online?
Right now I check out various blogs that are either photography related blogs (Aphotoeditor) or sometimes a photographer’s own blog that aren’t all advertising focused and more just an interesting read. I also love myself NYT!
What are photographers doing lately to stand out from their competitors?
I find a lot of photographers making personal calls themselves these days and touching base in a more social atmosphere. I also find more links to blogs and personal work done outside of advertising which helps to see what a
photographer’s actual interests are!
What does your client value most from a photographer? Does that differ from what you value? And, has that changed over the years?
Recently there has been a lot more pre-production meetings being done over the phone and there is nothing that pleases the team and client more than a photographer who can give “good phone”. It never hurts to act like you are uber enthusiastic about a project and offer up details on how the shoot is going to go down. And when the actual shoot does happen it always helps to have a calm, but commanding presence over the whole crew. The client loves updates and check-ins just as much as the art producer does!
Helpful perspective!
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