The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast

Summary

Key Takeaways

• Last time we talked, I had opened up the possibility of talking mentorship with you and we didn’t get a chance to touch on it. In your experience, how important is it to find a mentor?
  • The importance of a mentor is directly proportional to the importance you’ve set on your goals and your development
  • If you’re one of those “i’m just happy to be here” kind of people, a mentor will probably feel unnecessary to you
  • If you’re someone who has a target in mind (ie. I’m a manager and I want to be CMO someday, or I started a side hustle and I want to turn it into a full-time gig), it’s a critical component on your journey to your goal to find a mentor (or a few!)
• What should a person look for in a mentor?
  • Someone who has already achieved the goal you’ve set for yourself (NOT someone whose overall achievements are inspirational to you)
    • Meaning – if you have a goal to be a CMO, find someone who currently is or has been a CMO
    • This is NOT – I want to pursue X as a mentor because I think they live a really cool life and I want to be them
      • “Never meet your heroes”
      • Someone’s life & success often is not as it seems
      • It is incredibly difficult & unlikely to mirror your entire life after someone else’s
      • You’ll fall flat in conversations if you’re not clear on what you’re looking to learn
  • Someone who is/was in your industry or one that’s adjacent to yours
    • This leads to a natural progression of networking opportunities
    • Also cuts through the “language barrier” of having to over-explain your role/industry to glean meaningful recommendations toward your goal
  • Someone who is fairly accessible and open to continued communication
    • Goes without saying, but cold-calling a CEO of a Fortune 500 company probably won’t get you anywhere
    • Someone with limited time can be great for a one-time conversation (you can learn a hell of a lot in one phone call), but would not work as a long-term mentor
  • Someone with a communication style that matches your own
    • By this I mean – you both prefer meeting in person, scheduling phone calls, sending emails, etc.
    • If you don’t like talking on the phone and your prospective mentor keeps scheduling calls, it’s probably not going to work over time
• Have you been a part of any orgs that formalize the process of finding and having a mentor?
  • Once, professionally, and it was the worst thing in the world!
    • In one of my previous roles, it was a requirement for new hires as part of the onboarding process to attend quarterly “coffee chats” with a randomly-assigned mentor who may or may not be in your department
  • Mentorship has to be something both parties want to do & are ready for
  • And some of the best mentors operate outside the confines of a defined mentorship relationship
• Does/should you mentor change over the course of your career?
  • They can, but they don’t have to
  • Instances where they do change:
    • Your goal changes
    • Your mentor falls out of sync with your goals
    • Your mentor can no longer dedicate the time to you
  • Recommend having more than one mentor at all times:
    • Ensures you’re hearing a diverse perspective of experiences & insights
    • Ensures you’re not leaning too heavily on one particular person
      • Mentorship burnout can be real
• What are your best tips for early career professionals in this biz on being a good mentee?
  • Be thoughtful in your approach to learning from your mentor
    • Ask detailed questions, not a general “how did you do X”
    • Don’t ask something you can readily find on Google, but do use information you find as a launchpad to ask something else; ie. “I saw on LinkedIn you were at X company as CMO, what about that company made you want to accept that position there?”
  • Be respectful of your mentor’s time
    • Show the hell up if you schedule something
  • Remember it’s a two-way street
    • A good mentor is invested in your success
    • If they don’t show up to something you’ve agreed on & scheduled, consider walking away
  • You can walk away from a mentor if it’s not working out for you
    • We often have such high expectations walking into conversations with strangers, and occasionally it can turn out nothing like what you expected
• Do you want to shout out to any of your mentors?
  • My current manager, Pamela!
  • I legitimately think she would shy away from officially being called a “mentor,” but has been my guiding light in my career
  • She helped shape my approach to mentorship, personal development & how I operate in my role:
    • “Your value is not in what you know, but how you think.”

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

Summary

If you’re like many people, having grown up in commercial photo studios, you may not have spent a lot of time interrogating the history of your grip equipment. But for Martin Torner, who spent close to 20 years as a grip working on film and television productions before joining Matthews Studio Equip., it’s all about the history of innovation and serving a tight knit industry who values efficiency and safety. Martin joins me for this episode to talk about how it all started for Matthews, what it means to be a pioneer and innovator in your industry, and how social media and supporting smaller scale creators plays into it for this legendary equipment manufacturer. 

Key Takeaways

• Matthews has been in business for over 50 years, and was born from the extraordinarily talented key grips and electricians of the old days of film production.
• Matthews developed tools and systems for production that allowed for great advancements in how film productions were produced and much of that informs how we work in e-commerce photo studios.
• Safety is paramount at Matthews, and social media is key in getting that message out.
• Matthews has always been good at viral video, going back to the founder riding a dolly down his driveway to show what it was capable of.
• Matthews believes in servicing all creators, from the individual content creators to full scale bug budget film production.

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

Summary

It’s not an uncommon idea that the tenure of a creative team member in an e-commerce studio tends to be short. 2-3 years typically. It’s easy to understand how this idea persists because creative production for e-commerce can be quite repetitive, and changing teams, studios, brands can help keep things interesting for a career product photographer or other creative role. What if we in the studio challenged this idea? What if we create policies and culture that encourages retention and rewards it? Easier said than done, but Josie Diamond and Daniel have a bit to say about it. 

Key Takeaways

• Often we think of the lifecycle of the creative in a studio as a full time employee to be only 2-3 years. We accept that and in some cases don’t really seem interested in changing it.
  • I believe we should be actively working with our teams to get them ready for their next career move, whether in-house or elsewhere
• What are some reasons that a studio SHOULD consider making an effort to retain employees beyond what is generally accepted?
  • High retention is desirable, especially when recruiting new employees. It’s an attractive pull, and even more so in such a competitive market.
  • Social media is also a strong tool these days, with a high likelihood of good and bad practices being shared - you won’t attract great talent unless you prioritize keeping the great talent you already have
  • Knowledge stays within the team/business, and true progress can be realized in longer term projects, process changes or business-wide strategy
  • Some studies have shown that it can take individuals up to 18 months to fully settle, build confidence and learn the ropes inside & out of a new business - if this is true, we’re losing all positive momentum just as it starts with every resignation
• Have you experienced any programs or policies that you felt helped retention for creatives?
  • Allowing use of equipment and space out of hours for testing & personal shoots
  • Including (& protecting) time for R&D in the job description - this applies to every role, whether its sample management, pre & all the way through to post production
  • COST days (Creative Off Set Time) - I’ve not experienced this myself, though have heard it mentioned enough times - it’s a great initiative, and relatively low cost if it’s planned in effectively
• What types of policies (official or unofficial) tend to hurt retention in the studio?
  • All starts and ends with budget - if there is no budget assigned to learning and development, you will risk your team departing
  • In today’s world - flexibility in terms of location, hours etc. Provide some flexibility for real life scenarios we all deal with.
  • Return to work plans for those on parental leave - I think this is a major area where development is required, especially for those roles that are based on site.
  • Removing any limiting policies in the employment contract that allow you to work elsewhere at the same time - cliché but the world today is a different place, and deterring anyone from benefiting outside of your organization isn’t fitting anymore - if it’s not a direct competitor and little risk to your operation, just remove it from the contract - your team will be happier
  • Image rights for personal work in employment contract - I once worked somewhere where the wording in the contract was so vague, that it stated any image created by the employee would be owned by the business - read your contracts! That business owns a lot of my pet portraits.
• For a studio that is serious about retaining talent, where should they start? (use this to talk about the interview and onboarding processes, in addition to everything else)
  • An honest interview process - don’t gear people up for a perfect workplace, you’ll risk losing your talent far sooner than the 2-3 years!
  • Proper onboarding - shadowing of all areas of the team and stakeholder teams in the wider business. Allow ample time for building relationships.  I think we’ve all been guilty of letting people come in and get on with it. It’s been a recent reminder for me to create an onboarding plan, not just for your full time team but also your freelancers! Super important, with the increase of hybrid teams.
  • Have no expectations of new hires for the first few weeks.
• How can you prioritize expanding the skill stack of your team
  • Do you have a sample support colleague who has a keen interest in production (for example), and can you make them some time to learn this from your existing team, and even support in future
  • If your workload peaks and troughs through the year, can colleagues flex in to different projects or areas to support in busy moments - providing alternative work experience for a future career?
  • In-house support, dedicated to coaching talent - recent job we saw (I think it was Farfetch?)
  • Actively discussing the issues of the world, and how you can implement change in the workplace to address them; whether that be DE&I, Sustainability or work life balance
  • Bring in revered external talent to run training sessions, or for teams to shadow whilst they work (agree this with them up front though!)
  • I can’t stress it enough to create flexibility wherever you can. If that means
• Can good retention help you attract talent?
  • ABSOLUTELY! We all know and have heard of great employers in the market, and I’ll bet they prioritise the development of their talent, so much so, that they want to stick with them longer term.

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

Summary

If your studio has never managed a post production vendor before, the task can seem daunting. But with a little preparation and an understanding of your own studio KPIs, you can rely on the data to help build that relationship. That's one of the great things about data, it becomes that source of truth that, with some transparency and communication, clearly indicates whether the relationship is working or not. Adam Parker joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast to discuss how KPIs can support your vendor and your team in growth and process improvement. 

Key Takeaways

• Data and metrics can help ease the difficulty of managing a post production vendor, especially for the inexperienced studio. 
• It starts with understanding your studios specific needs. What is your expected SLA? What specific tasks need to be performed?
• Take a look at some of the industry leaders for Post Production and determine who fits your needs.
• Be open and transparent about your studio needs and how you expect the vendor to perform.
• Keep regular check-ins with your vendor and use that time to review performance, include the data points you've been tracking. 
• Use this opportunity to grow your own team professionally, involve them in the management process. 

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

Summary

Patrik Bluhme of Profoto joins Daniel for episode 69. About a year ago, Profoto went public with an IPO and as part of that process, explained what their plan for future growth looked like. One area of opportunity that profoto identified was what they called “ecomm workflow solutions” That can mean a lot of things, but we now know that Profoto was interested in moving into the automation space in a big way. It was announced in early april that Profoto had acquired Styleshoots. We invited Patrik to come on the show and talk about not only that, but what else the future holds for brand. 

Key Takeaways

• Profoto has committed to making tools that support creating great light, including in the mobile space. 
• Profoto purchase StyleShoots in order to move more into automation, and bring the lessons they've learned as the industry leader in lighting, to other areas of the creative production workflow. 
• For Profoto, it's also about an automated solution that is consistent with other assets created. Profoto lights it all. 
• The day of this recording, Profoto had released the A2, a soda can sized flash you can throw in any camera bag. 
• Expect more interesting announcements from Profoto and Style Shoots. 

https://profoto.com/int/news-room/profoto-acquires-styleshoots

https://profoto.com/us/a2

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

Summary

There is an art form to asking your company for money or resources, and while business lingo changes and evolves all the time, right now that art form is called making a business case. It might not be a surprise to you that this skill generally doesn’t get taught in photography school nor is it wisdom passed among stylists while setting up the next look. It’s a skill that really gets developed on the job, and the opportunity to practice doesn’t always come up before  your thrust into the hot seat. Lauren Stefaniak joins Daniel on the podcast to help you learn how to make that compelling business case, and hopefully prepare you for a new phase of your career. 

Key Takeaways

• What does it mean to make a business case?
  • At its simplest: preparing, developing and presenting an informed point of view in an effort to persuade decision-making in your favor
  • They can seem daunting but on a micro level we do these every day 
    (“what do you want for dinner”)
  • Most people focus on the presentation, but that’s the smallest part of the whole
  • Iceberg metaphor
    • Preparing - 70%, 10 hours
      • Research the hell out of what you’re talking about
      • Look internal
        1. Who is your company today, tomorrow, yesterday
           1. Can you tie your request to the companies mission or values?
      • Look external (same & different industries
    • Developing - 20%, 3 hours
      • Distill it down into the most relevant & compelling info – 1-pager
        1. Format that works best for me:
           1. Current State
           2. Request or the Change
           3. Benefits
           4. Requirements/Key Enablers
           5. [Short-term Recommendation]
           6. [Long-term Recommendation]
           7. Known Open Questions
      • Use language that a friend or family member outside your industry would understand
      • Try to predict what questions you might be asked based on your information; assume someone will ask something you’re not prepared for
      • It can be hard to temper the desire to “show your work” but the details will drag you down & make your presentation less effective
      • Put the most relevant details into an appendix, 2 pages max
      • Make the document simple, use visuals as needed (must be pretty)
      • Present & gut-check your work with mid-level partners for their feedback & buy-in ahead of the formal presentation
      • SEND A PRE-READ 48-24 HOURS IN ADVANCE
        1. Remember: you’ve spent many hours in this detail & even more hours living this; for some of your key stakeholders, this will be entirely new info for them. Your presentation could fall apart if leaders are caught off guard when they’d prefer to be prepared
    • Presenting - 7%, 1 hour
      • Enter the room with this mindset:
        1. This is not life or death
        2. This is not personal
        3. These people are someone else’s family & friends
      • Ask to hold questions until the end – some questions will be answered in your presentation & Qs won’t derail the whole thing
      • Speak slowly & leave time for your audience to digest the info & what you’re saying (silence is okay)
      • Allow time for questions & be open, honest in your answers
        1. It’s ok to not know the answer – you can say “that’s a great question, i’ll find out that information and get back to you”
      • If you’re doing it right, the best metaphor to describe you is a duck gliding across a pond (graceful on the surface, paddling like hell under the water)
    • Commit to following through – this is when the real work begins
      • Send recap notes & next steps following the meeting

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

Summary

DEI has been a topic on this podcast before, we’ve recorded 3 episodes on the topic with Jessica Lopez in episode 52, with Karen Williams in Episode 47, and way back in episode 8 with Clair Carter-Ginn. While we were recording the live the episode at the Henry Stewart Photo Studio ops event in New York, we heard again during the Q&A session that this topic is still top of mind for many studio professionals. After our recording session in NY, Marc Katzin of Straub Collaborative and told Daniel about an effort that Straub was undertaking, a cultural style guide and defines DEI for Straub. Marc put Daniel in contact with Anna Schaum and they sat down to discuss this document, and what Straub is doing support DEI efforts across the organization, and how it impacts each employees day to day. 

Key Takeaways

• Straub Collaborative has been developing a "Culture Style Guide" since 2020 to help guide the cultural values of Straub and it's employees. 
• The process truly started in 2016 with the presidential election in the United States. The result of that election was a significant departure for contemporary American politics and created a lot of feelings in people across the political spectrum. 
• Straub noticed tensions in the workplace increasing, and experienced an uptick in negative interactions.
• Anna's background as a therapist helped her identify the need to give the team at Straub tools they could use to communicate and interact more effectively.
• As this was in progress, during the summer of 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis. This event precipitated a long, global conversation about race and racism, and we saw many brands and retailers expressing support for black Americans. 
• Following these events, Straub's customers were asking about DEI statements and to express their values. 
• The project really took off when Elizabeth Semple joined the Straub team as VP of Human Resources. 
• The culture team at Straub was developed out of interviews with employees around the mission and values of Straub. 
• The Cultural Style Guide is in 3 parts - Part 1 outlines how straub defines DEI. Part 2 covers inclusive language and part 3 covers diversity in model casting. 

Links

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

Summary

Rhea Pappas joins Daniel to talk about the benefits and pitfalls of remote retouching. We learned some valuable lessons during COVID about how to operate remote production teams and there is a lot of benefit to widening your available labor pool and use remote retouchers. Really it all boils down to developing relationships based on communication and trust. 

Key Takeaways

• Trust and communication are critical for effective remote workflows. 
• Defining standards and then automating everything possible. This is an excellent basis for reducing waste in any process, but when dealing with remote teams it becomes and absolute necessity. 
• There are some challenges that need to be solved for: Color and Retouching Notes. Some notes and tasks can be standardized, but there are still one off requirements that need to be communicated IN CONTEXT.  Color requires a bit more finesse, hiring standards and training. 
• We've set it before, and we'll say it again: include post teams in all phases of the production process or input and improvements. 
• Daniel's Professional Tenet: Be aware of the work that you create for other people, and try to reduce it whenever possible. If you have to create extra work for someone you owe them an explanation. 

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

Summary

We talk a lot on this podcast about the current state of e-commerce product photography. In particular, the studio process, where we control everything. All or most variables are accounted for and we have all the tools we may need to get the job done. Sometimes though, we have to take the show on the road. While most of us creative production professionals are no stranger to the location shoot, taking a dialed in studio process on the road is a bit different. Guest Don Reed of Saks 5th Avenue and Daniel each have stories of situations where they needed to take the show on the road in order to get the job done. 

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

Summary

This is episode 64 of the e-commerce content creation podcast and Daniel is unpacking his terrible fear of changing technology with Conrad Sanderson. If there’s anyone who understands the relationship between change and fear, it’s probably Conrad, while he’s not a licensed therapist or anything, his career has spanned many changes in the technology that drives our industry and his job has taken him halfway around the world, moving back and forth across the US, and now across the Atlantic to Germany. We unpack the fears that creep up when we start to talk about what the future holds for creative production teams, and how we can meet them rationally, and see them for what they are, an opportunity.

The instagram account Daniel reference's in the episode belongs to Peter Tarka, @petertarka

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