Behind the Visual with Mark Hanson

Nick is an incredible photographer with clients such as Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas, Justin Bieber and many, many more. In this episode he discusses how he went from being a graphic designer to a world renowned photographer as well as podcast host and custom hat maker. He tells us what he thought after doing his first big campaign for Nike and he came to shoot celebrities Justin Bieber, Usher, Tom Hanks and many others. Also find out with which of these celebrities he has gone on vacation! You can see Nick's work and hear his podcast by going to his website www.NickOnken.com

In this episode I talk with Eric Morley, the co-founder and COO of Blue C (www.bluecusa.com) a branding, marketing and design company with clients such as  Monster Energy, JBL, Toyota, Acura and many more!

Eric talks about how a stream of ups and downs led him and a partner to start their own agency. The best way to get new clients, and why, when they first started Blue C, they had to dump out 50,000 two ounce bottles of Absolute vodka and fill them with sand from San Diego.

We had a great conversation and I really think you'll learn something with this one!

Michelle discusses the time she met Michelle Obama and “Barry”.

Randy is the original cowboy for the hugely popular band from the 70's and 80's, the Village People. With hits like YMCA, In The Navy and Macho Man, The Village People became one of the biggest bands in the world during the late 70's.  In this episode Randy talks about which relative inspired him to be an entertainer, as well as how a loin cloth and a chain belt got him the gig as the original Village People Cowboy. He also gives us some behind the scenes stories of those times at the Playboy mansion, what it was like filming the movie “Can’t Stop the Music” and the television show “The Love Boat”. Randy also tells us what Queen Elizabeth said to him when they met for the first time.

Drew is the Global Senior Photographer for Wilson Sporting goods, which means he gets to hangout with and shoot some great, world-class athletes. He has assisted and worked with Matthew Rolston, Doug Taub and Greg Gorman, all of which helped him learn how to work with and interact with Art Directors and Creative Directors. At one point Drew was in a position to hire photographers for multiple Fortune 50 companies, so hear what he liked and looked for in photographers when he was hiring. Drew also talks about what it was like when he shot and hung out with Roger Federer. You can see Drew's work at www.DrewMeredith.com

In this episode I talk with NYC Art Producer Lisa Oropallo. We discuss how being a former Photography studio manager helps her as a producer. We also talk about what her favorite saying happens to be, the importance of putting together a good team, how the creative call can really help or hurt your chances of getting a gig, the benefits of having an agent and  what she thinks is the best innovation in photography. Lisa was a pleasure to talk with and I think we could have kept talking for an hour more. If you're interested in working with Lisa, you can find her on Linked in.

In this episode I talk to Jami about how she became a makeup artist and hair stylist after going to school to be a fashion designer. How she got jobs when she first started. What it’s like to be a new makeup artists and work on models during runway shows at NYC fashion week. What it was like meeting actress Julianne Moore. The difference between doing H&M makeup for stills vs. Movies, and her new adventure into retail! Check out Jami's work at www.jamisvay.com

Marcela Bartolomeo is a New York City and Miami based fashion stylist who is also the founder of Department 5 Artists management, a boutique agency representing clothing stylists, makeup artists and tailors. You can see the great work of these artists at www.department5artists.com. 

In this episode Marcela talks about how becoming a fashion stylist just fell into her lap, twice! What it's like to style a shoot, from the start until the end. She also talks about what it's like to have an agent, what made her decide to start her own artists representation agency, and how she balances being a wife and mother with being the founder of a new agency.

In this episode, you'll hear how Diana came to produce shoots for Bed Bath and Beyond, Bruegger's bagels, Value City Furniture as well as both Lowe's and Home Depot. She talks about being the first in her family to be born in America. How she went from going to school to be a dentist but ended up being a producer. How she puts together a shoot where everyone gets along even if they've never met before and the time a photographer ended up literally drawing the short straw and had to do a shitty job that no one on set wanted to do.

In this episode I interview London based, American fashion photographer Nathan Richards. Nathan and I discuss what it's like starting out in the photography business, what it takes to move from America and start a career in London as well  as people's first impressions of you when you tell them you're from NC and not some big fashion center like NYC. You can see Nathan's work at www.NathanRichardsPhoto.com or @NathanRichardsPhoto