The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast

Summary

We’ve talked a bit about change on this podcast, how could we avoid it? Change happens faster then ever and most professional adults with any amount of experience have learned to expect that. But that doesn’t mean that the practice of change management should be be ignored. The opposite in fact. To keep your teams happy and productive during major changes, there’s a few things you can do to keep them from feeling unsettled, and maybe even thriving. Faye Garland, Group Head of Retouch and Image Mangement for THG Studios,  a UK based content creation studio joins Daniel on the podcast today to talk about maintaining a people-centric focus when it comes to change management. 

Key Takeaways

• Change management in the studio starts with determining that there is a need, for a process change or introducing a new technology. 
  • Learn to listen to your team, not just what they're saying, but the subtext as well. Sometimes asking for help doesn't sound like someone asking for help. 
  • Root cause analysis plays an important part of identifying the TRUE problem, so you don't further complicate the process by addressing a symptom. 
• Part of leveraging technology in an organization is keeping up with new features and tools that solve new problems.  Sometimes this is a dedicated team or an individual. 
• Gathering input from your team when possible, but be careful not to give too much weight to the naysayers. Someone needs to have the visibility to all of the dependencies and cost/benefits related to them, and push for the right solution despite some negative knee jerks reactions. 
• Be aware from the beginning of the process how well you will be able to support your teams. Training on a new system is as important as any other factor when determining what solution to use in your studio. 
• Be genuinely open to reversing a decision if it turns out not to work well. 
• Focus on People!

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Adam Parker joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast, which is really sort of an extension of the discussion the pair had during the Henry Stewart Photo Studio Ops forum virtual conference on September 27, 2022.

We break down what Flow production is, how it relates to studios, and what you can do to improve your studio processes once you understand this information. 

Key Takeaways

OK, so this seems like the right way of looking at things. What do I do now? 

If you are looking to improve your studio’s performance, here are some takeaways that are universal. 

1. First, be willing to try. 
   1. Important: “Willing to try” also means “Willing to fail!”
   2. In a studio, there are very few “one-way doors,” encourage “failure”
   3. Testing, iteration, and continuous marginal gains will always win out.
       
2. No step can be sacred. 
   1. The output of our work (imagery) is the entire point – not the process of how we get there
   2. Every step needs to solve a problem and add value - and this constantly changes
       
3. Find a technology that can support this. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Setting goals for yourself is one thing, but making a plan to achieve those goals is another thing entirely. Like many things in life, this is a skill that needs to be developed and Lauren Stefanik of Victoria’s Secret has some excellent advice for you on actionable things you can do to gain momentum toward your goals, and not miss out on the journey itself.

Key Takeaways

• It’s easy to set a goal like “achieve my dream job of the world’s foremost expert in Giraffe husbandry” but how do you break that down into smaller steps?
  1. Define the scope of your goal based on your starting point
     • Short-term: 0-6 months
     • Near-term: 6 months-2 years
     • Long-term: 2-5 years
     • Advise against goals that are realistically >5 years out – too many variables (internal, external) that turn these into chasing unicorns
  2. Determine if & how this new goal fits into the roadmap of your total goals
     • Aim for <4 goals at a time, <2 per scope
       • Warren Buffet’s 5/25 rule
     • “Shuffle the deck” based on what’s most important to you (prioritize)
  3. Break apart your goal into 6-10 bite-sized, achievable milestones
     • Recommend “non-traditional” milestones to promote emphasis on the journey and discourage fixation on the end result
       • Shy away from milestones based on promotions or salaries
       • This could look like “Gain my first direct report” as opposed to “Get promoted to manager”
  4. Build a plan that’s sustainable beyond the completion of your goal
     • Your goal most likely requires maintenance over time
     • To ensure you don’t become complacent or stale, develop a system for yourself that feels doable, repeatable, and can become part of your lifestyle
     • Highly recommend reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies to better understand your motivation style & what works for you (pulled the below from Gretchen’s website)

1. Give yourself the flexibility & grace to pivot as you work toward your goal

• What goal writing systems like STAR do you use? If you prefer a particular one, why?
  1. There are elements of SMART in the above explanation, however I recommend thinking about it this way:
     • BEFORE building a plan: Relevance (sweet spot between fat chance in hell & interesting, attainable diversification)
     • WHILE building a plan: Specific, Time-bound, Measurable
     • FINAL CHECK in building a plan: Achievable
  2. In my own life, I take a more organic approach to professional goal setting (as a recovering perfectionist overachiever… it’s what works for me)
• Is there a strategy for sharing your goals with a supervisor?
  1. Be open, honest & unapologetic about what you’re looking to achieve
     • Double-edged but important sword:
       • A good manager wants to see you grow & succeed, should help you understand whether your goal is achievable within your current team/company
       • The business may not need nor be ready for what you’re looking to achieve, so you must be committed to the goal as it could signal an end of your time with your current company/team
  2. Embed development into your annual objectives & goals (assuming your company has a formal process)
     • Your goals will naturally be a component of any mid-year & year-end review conversations
     • Should aim for a 3-6 month reassessment of your goals anyway
  3. If your company does not have formal goal-setting, take the initiative to create your own
     • ~3 business objectives
     • 1 personal objective for development
• How do you know when your goals need to change? 
  1. Your passion turns to obligation
  2. You lose the intent & purpose of your original goal
  3. A new goal means you deprioritize an existing goal
  4. Jeff Bezos’ Regret Minimization Framework
• How do you know when your approach needs to change?
  1. Assumes you still have a desire & drive to achieve the original goal you set for yourself
  2. If you’re not seeing consistent, measurable progress toward your goal you should reassess your approach
     • Understanding your motivational style is critical here
• How do you handle situations where your current role has goals that are at odds with your personal goals?
  1. The company you work for is a business – treat yourself like a business too
  2. Your role is a transaction between yourself & the company: you perform a service for them and they compensate you for that service
  3. Assess in what way your personal goal is at odds with your business goal
     • Can you blend the goals in a way that ultimately protects your personal goal?
     • Are you comfortable making changes to the plan (ie. extending the timeline of your personal goal) to accommodate your business goal?
     • What is required in order to allow for your personal goal?
  4. Decision point: Can you make it work or should you look for another role?

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

The Content Crisis. Danny Effron said it really well in this episode of our podcast. When a brand makes the decision to move into a new marketing space or channel, they quickly find out that requires its entire own set of assets designed to work within that space. This is why the content studio of the future needs to be able to adapt quickly, while still building a system that ensures accurate and timely work. Joining Daniel for this episode is Danny Effron and Polly Babcock of ShowLabs, a Denver based commercial studio that uses some of the most cutting edge technology available in our industry in order to meet the content crisis head on. 

Key Takeaways

• ShowLabs was founded by Danny Effron to help solve problems that retailers in the sports and outdoors space  were experience with content creation
• The Sports and Outdoors industry was a bit slower to come around on wholesale channels, focusing on D2C. They needed a way to leverage the new technology in the wholesale market.
• ShowLabs builds structure around the content creation process. They build a framework so that brands provide all the information needed to produce exactly the right content.
• "Content Crisis" Brands moving into new and different channels realize that they need to make content for each of these channels.
• ShowLabs was a test studio for the Creative Force integration with Orbitvu devices. ShowLabs has been able to streamline their workflow and ensure accurate file handling and naming with this integration.
• While the Beta had its issues, it's been quite successful.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Automated imaging devices have come a long way in a short period of time, both in terms of capability and the organizational understanding that these devices need to function as part of a system of tools and technology. Joining Daniel for this episode is Mark Duhaime of Orbitvu USA. Mark’s roots in our industry go back to the days of medium format film cameras, but his purpose now is working with studios to automate the parts of the process that can be automated, and help studio invest more time into the truly creative aspects of Creative Production. 

Key Takeaways

• Orbitvu was founded in Poland by the son of a camera shop owner who went to school for engineering. Combining those two parts of his life led to the automated imaging device that became Orbitvu. 
• Background removable was a critical element to this process, making the post production process easier. 
• Orbitvu wholly controls the systems, both hardware and software, which allows for incredible inputs into the algorithms that can dramatically speed up your imaging process. 
• Equipped with a turntable, Orbitvu in some cases can shoot all variants of your images automatically. 
• Orbitvu USA is a consultative company. They want to help your studio succeed first and foremost. 
• Templated workflows allow studios to really speed up work on set, while allowing the photographers to focus on the creative problems they need to solve. 
• Orbitvu wants to automate what we can, recognizing that studios have many needs and not all aspects can or should be automated. 
• Outside of Atlanta, Orbitvu just moved to a 5k sf showroom where you can see the entire device lineup in action. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Joining Daniel for this episode of the show is Rob Cohen of Vizio Imaging. Rob comes from a background in consumer products, where he experienced first hand the challenges of inconsistent or low quality product photography and the impact it could have on marketing and sales. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, in response to his customers needs and his own business seeing the impacts of the pandemic, he started Vizio imaging with an Orbitvu automated imaging device that he had brought to Israel a few years earlier. 

Key Takeaways

• Rob Cohen founded Vizio Imaging, based in Israel, at the beginning of 2020 after realizing he was going to need react to his business slowing down due to COVID.
• Rob had a client who needed product photos, and he decided to dig up an Orbitvu machine he had purchased years earlier to make product images for other projects. 
• Rob found that it took off. He found a niche within mid-level brands, straight product photos with varying angles, and staying away from the more subjective, higher touch work. 
• Focus and client selection are critical to success for new commercial studios.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

We live in a golden age of LED technology. It's been said before on this podcast. Think back to the early years of LED lights for almost any application and you might recall that those products fell pretty flat. Whether it was LED christmas lights, LED consumer light bulbs, or light fixtures for the studio. Since that time, LED has come a long way, and for many applications is now the leading option in both quality and price. Joining Daniel to discuss this golden age of LED technology is Robert Magness, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aputure, one of the leading brands in LED fixtures for film and still production. 

Upcoming Events

FLOW: Barcelona hosted by Pixelz

Henry Stewart Photo Studio Operations Forum - Virtual Event

Key Takeaways

• LED lighting has come a long way since the late 2000s, clear evidence of this is the history of LED Christmas lights. 
• Aputure was founded and is run by filmakers, who deeply care about its customers and what their needs are. 
• The future of lighting for video will be integrations and eco-systems. Expect lights to become the next thing that are enhanced by connectivity and the ability to integrate.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Kim Dirmaier of Burton Snowboards joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast and we discuss the role that location shoots with athletes plays into PDP imagery at burton and the complications that can arise and the organization required to manage so many inputs coming from all over the world. 

Key Takeaways

• Burton has started using more imagery from the field on PDP pages to help support sales and product photography.
• This presents some challenges to traditional studio and post production teams. 
• Images now come in from all over the world  as athletes are in the field training, competing and performing. 
• Art direction is impacted by this and has made concessions to make it easier to make selects for use on the site. 
• Post production teams getting involved in conversations early can help ease pains later on that may not have been 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Daniel is joined by Tim Dalal of Lifetime Brands. Tim is a longtime commercial photographer based in New York City. After an entire career running his own commercial studio, he took on a position as Adjunct Photography Instructor with LaGuardia Community College, along with a role as managing senior photographer with Lifetime Brands. Tim’s experience and observations on the industry make him uniquely suited to discuss with me what the future of the commercial photography labor force might look like. 

Key Takeaways

• With the current iteration of e-commerce creative production becoming a more mature industry, the need exists for some standards in terms of training, terminology, and compensation for experience. 
• This might look similar to cousin industries like film production, where there are distinct requirements to earn the title of the role you inhabit. 
• Imagine Senior Photographer is a standard role that means the person inhabiting that role has attained a certain level of experience as an e-commerce photographer. 
• Something like a governing body of e-commerce creative talent can pay dividend to both employers and employees for a variety of reasons. 
• Continued education for creative talent can also be a mission of this type of arrangement. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com