Dear Art Producer

Brenda Whaley is an Executive Producer based in Chicago who has been producing for 15+ years. Heather and Brenda talk about the path to being an executive producer, the art of delegating and hiring go-to staff as well as what they're learning while shooting in the time of Covid-19. They also discuss educating clients on new production protocols, how to control viewing shoots remotely, social distancing, location shoots versus studio shoots, managing catering, added time and budget for pre-production and how to maintain professional boundaries.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guests:

Find Executive Producer Brenda Whaley on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Mentions:

Create in Place Directory - Produce still and motion content now with photographers and directors working from home.

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Doug Menuez is a professional photographer based in New York, and Lynda Goldstein is a freelance producer with Pix Producers. They collaborated on a project called "Sheltering" following strict Covid-19 CDC guidelines with PPE and social distancing. Heather talks with them about pre-production best practices, production safety support, choreography on set, compliance personnel, finding talent during the pandemic and how to best work when clients aren't present.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guests:

Find photographer Doug Menuez on Instagram. Find Lynda Goldstein on Instagram.

Mentions:

"Sheltering"

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Tim Tadder is a professional photographer based near San Diego, and Dahlia Weidmann is Tim's executive producer. Heather talks with them about estimating jobs and creating content within the Covid-19 protocols as well as sourcing shoot protocol information (CDC, APA, OSHA, etc.). They also discuss how Tim rediscovered his pure creative style when shoot sizes were minimized, creative collaborations by working remotely, the roles and responsibilities of safety officers on set, taping off department sections with colored tape that coordinates with arm bands (and other coronavirus safety protocols), streaming communication channels on set and what agencies and clients can do now to prepare what productions will be like in the future.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit her HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guests:

Find photographer Tim Tadder on LinkedIn. Find Dahlia Wiedmann on LinkedIn.

Mentions:

Barriers: A Tim Tadder Collection

"Tim Tadder Prompts Contemplation with "Barriers"

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Alicia Hansen is a professional photographer and Founder of NYC SALT, a non-profit organization which creates opportunities in visual arts and pathways to college for underserved New York City youth, by engaging them in a rigorous blend of professional photography instruction, one-on-one mentoring, college-preparatory workshops, and career exposure. Heather and Alicia discuss how the SALT youth development program works, positive anecdotes and success stories, approaches to online portfolio reviews and the Prints by Salt Print Sale.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guest:

Find Alicia Hansen, Founder & CEO of NYC SALT on LinkedIn.

Mentions:

NYC SALT - https://www.nycsalt.org/

SALT Print Sale - https://printsbysalt.com/

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Tess Rockers is a Producer at Evolution Bureau (EVB) and Jennifer Davick is a Food director, DP and still photographer on the Heather Elder Represents roster. They recently created four motion spots for a cookware client, and they talk about how they did the production under COVID-19 restrictions.

Heather, Tess and Jennifer discuss the Create in Place online directory of photographers and videographers that are able to create content from within their own studios or homes, the evolving protocols, solutions and equipment for remote shooting, production and live-streaming, the need for creative flexibility when there are smaller crews, setting realistic expectations for clients and teams, best practices for group discussions and one-on-one discussions during virtual meetings. They also cover topics such as how to select what team members should be part of the virtual decision-making, communications manager roles, the heightened importance of pre-production, doing trial runs of virtually communicating and production postmortems. In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit her HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guests:

Find Tess Rockers, Producer at EVB on LinkedIn. Find Jennifer Davick, Food director, DP and still photographer on LinkedIn.

Mentions:

Create in Place: An online directory of photographers and videographers that are able to create content from within their own homes.

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Karin Onsager Birch is Chief Creative Officer at FCB West in San Francisco. She is creatively responsible for the Levi's and Clarks brands worldwide. Karin is also known for frequent wins at Cannes, the One Show, and YouTube Top 10. Before joining FCB West, she was in London at Blue Hive running Ford's advertising across Europe, and before that at Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Heather and Karin discuss the Create in Place online directory of photographers and videographers that are able to create content from within their own homes, the necessity of clear communication among everyone involved in productions, challenges of maintaining high levels of creativity while working from home and what clients are doing right now to adjust to this pandemic and repurpose campaigns (e.g. going back through historical work to find the most optimistic and uplifting work that reflects the common good). They also speak about working with clients to completely change campaigns that no longer work in this moment, talking to content creators about the fundamentals of creating right now, productions in other countries that have opened up and how artists can create a trust level with their clients.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com. Visit HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guest:

Find Karin Onsager-Birch, Chief Creative Officer at FCB West on LinkedIn.

Mentions:

Create in Place: An online directory of photographers and videographers that are able to create content from within their own homes.

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Emily Hoskins is Senior Producer at The Designory. She's based in Long Beach, CA. She works with clients such as Subaru, Infiniti and Nissan.

She has spent time as an agent, an advocate for photographers and directors on the rep side of the business and currently applies that experience to her agency productions.

Heather and Emily discuss what post-pandemic insurance and cancellations (example: force majeure) might look like, how photographers should be protecting themselves regarding terms and conditions, the creative solutions that are safely being offered, such as shooting in home studios, tech-based solutions and access to their stock libraries. They also speak to what the next phase of production might look like, the way that brands will redefine their message and their stories, how photographers should communicate and market their capabilities and the unexpected partnerships and relationships that will emerge after the pandemic.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARepsJournal.com; visit her HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guest:

Find Emily Hoskins, the Senior Producer at The Designory on LinkedIn.

Collaboration Tools Mentioned:

• Frame.io
• Slack
• Zoom

More about your host:

• Heather Elder's Bio
• Heather Elder's Blog
• Heather Elder on Instagram
• Heather Elder on Twitter
• Heather Elder on LinkedIn
• Heather Elder on Facebook

Renee Jung is VP/Executive Art Producer at Area 23 in NYC. She is an award-winning art producer who began her career as a photographer but realized being behind the scenes was more of her calling. She spent many years as a photo agent and producer to then find that the ad agency life was where she wanted to be. Heather and Renee discuss the challenges with balancing the to-do list and taking care of oneself emotionally while WFH; photographers who are setting up shoots in their homes with their families; solutions for creating content using CGI, 2D illustrations and stock; marketing strategies; advice on housekeeping and reflecting on your work during this time; and the future of productions. In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front lines. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARep'sJournal.com; visit her HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

More about our guest

Find Renee Jung, the VP/Executive Art Producer at Area 23 on LinkedIn

More about your host

Heather Elder's Bio

Heather Elder's Blog

Heather Elder on Instagram

Heather Elder on Twitter

Heather Elder on LinkedIn

Heather Elder on Facebook

Ken comes on the show as the first repeat guest! This episode is filled with tips and advice as well as very thoughtful conversations about the current ways we work and how these can be improved to the benefit of all.

Key Takeaways

[:30] Heather welcomes Ken and asks him to share his background from being a photographer to freelancing today.

[3:15] Ken shares a little about what he does at AtEdge and he talks about current styles.

[7:00] The state of the industry has drastically changed and is poised to keep doing so, Kenneth shares his take on it and the challenges he sees on the horizon, from the rise of social to the extensive range of media formats available today.

[11:20] Ken and Heather discuss the importance for a photographer to be clear on their studio capabilities.

[12:35] The all-important creative call! Ken shares advice for the softer spoken or timid people: practice, and ask questions.

[15:54] Treatment or call first? Heather and Ken chat about the possibility of sandwiching the treatment between creative calls!

[18:30] Getting Ken's attention follows a few usual paths, but he does love finding out a bit of personal information about the photographers he looks up. But more and more people have been reaching out to him through Instagram — despite him not checking messages until the last six months!

[23:38] To all photographers out there: make sure you're reachable!

[24:08] AtEdge is going through a few upgrades, Ken shares which and why they're being implemented as well as the cool face to face events!

[28:28] Getting jobs approved is a long and painful process, Ken talks about the complexity of estimating with or without cost consulting and depending on the agency.

[32:15] Ken speaks to the library usage questions he often fields and tries to clear up the misconceptions.

[34:51] Sharing who is bidding against whom can lead to problems; Ken shares a professional story.

[40:10] Ken shares what he's been hearing from photographers around the coronavirus pandemic and the issues it raises for them.

[43:45] Heather thanks Ken for coming on the podcast and sharing so much of his experience.

Thanks for listening.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front line. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARep'sJournal.com; visit her website for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

Mentioned in this episode

AtEdge

More about our guest

Ken Zane on Instagram

Ken Zane on LinkedIn

More about your host

Heather Elder's Bio

Heather Elder's Blog

Heather Elder on Instagram

Heather Elder on Twitter

Heather Elder on LinkedIn

Heather Elder on Facebook

Jennifer Dee is VP/Director Integrated Creative Services at McCann Health in New Jersey. She's been with the agency for 25 years, and she and Heather discuss some of the things McCann Health is doing to humanize this virtual working experience for its employees, pivoting in-the-moment on productions (from live action to CGI), how they're attempting to execute even when the timelines haven't shifted, telling great stories with limited storytelling tools, the value of a steady stream of stock from artists, how talent is the biggest pain point, setting new production precedents and expectations, marketing to agencies and the future of productions. In an industry where the rules are always changing, it's helpful to hear from those on the front line. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARep'sJournal.com; visit her HeatherElder.com for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

Mentioned in this episode

House Party Face-to-Face App

More about our guest

Find Jennifer Dee, VP/Director Integrated Creative Services at McCann Health on LinkedIn

More about your host

Heather Elder's Bio

Heather Elder's Blog

Heather Elder on Instagram

Heather Elder on Twitter

Heather Elder on LinkedIn

Heather Elder on Facebook