The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast

Summary

Jason Hamilton of Bed Bath and Beyond joins Daniel to discuss what the future of e-commerce content could look like. We discuss the early days of product rendering, its evolution, and how today's creative teams likely fit into to this new generation of content. 

Key Takeaways

• Computer Renderings have the potential to overtake traditional e-commerce  imagery  as the process gets cheaper and faster
• Retailers in home goods and other traditionally large items are using renderings already to save costs associated with photographing huge products
• The process for creating rendered product images can look a lot like a traditional photography process, except virtual
• Current photographers, stylists and other studio teams can provide invaluable input to help aid rendered imagery. We expect todays studio teams to play a big role in the future of rendered imagery

Links & Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjhamilton/

Additional Reading: https://kulturehub.com/cgi-vs-photography-market/

Ikea Case Study: https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/see-how-ikea-3d-models-the-rooms-in-their-catalogs/

LinkedIn Learning - Shoe Rendering: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/modo-product-visualization-shoe-rendering/render-a-shoe-model-in-modo

Glossary
CGI: Computer-Generated Imagery
Rendering: The process involved in the generation of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image from a model by means of application programs

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

Summary

Tony Baker, Director of Product Imaging at Stitch Fix joins Daniel in this episode of The Ecommerce Content Creation Podcast. We discuss his short tenure with Stitch Fix before the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down most creative production in the United States, how he supported his teams through the uncertainty of the pandemic, and how he leverages lessons and tools from his time at Amazon, Nike, and Stitch Fix to understand his teams, who they are, and what drives them. Once the picture of his team begins to focus, you can begin finding and creating opportunity for your creative teams.

Key Takeaways

• Engage your teams one on one. You need to learn who they are, so you can support their passion.
• Data can help you understand and encourage your team, when collected and used well.
• Positioning your high volume production studio as a way to allow creatives to learn techniques can be a great way to balance asset needs with team growth.
• "Simple done well" is one of the hardest things to master.

Links & Resources

Tony Baker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonybaker615/

Stitch Fix is launching a new studio in Atlanta Georgia. You can check out current job openings here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stitch-fix/jobs/

Summary

Daniel is joined by Linda Wallace to discuss managing relationships between creatives, particularly when faced with rapidly changing work environment. Linda was with Nordstrom through the shift from film to digital, the 2008 recession, and the 2020 pandemic, each of these major industry upset moments giving her an important perspective on managing how your teams interact with each other. 

Key Takeaways

• "A team is not a group of people that work together, a team is a group of people that trust each other" -Simon Sinek
• See, hear, support, and challenge your teams to build trust
• Fear and creativity cannot exist at the same time
• Curiosity breeds creativity
• Honest communication and truly listening to your team can help them feel supported
• Leading with vulnerability can help your teams understand that they aren't alone
• Developing a healthy sense of self awareness can help you support your colleagues better
• Challenges (or hills) can be difficult but offer us valuable new perspective

Links & Resources

You can connect with Linda  by email at [email protected] or through her LinkedIn account here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindawallacestudio/

On Fear and Creativity
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolyncenteno/2018/04/18/fear-shrinks-your-brain-and-makes-you-less-creative/?sh=1496ec0c1c6d

Glossary
 

Summary

Brian Guidry of Pixelz talks with Daniel and shares some tips about how to think about and set up lasting relationships with outsource vendors and why you should care about how they operate and who's doing the work behind the scenes. 

Key Takeaways

• Learn about your potential partners, build a trust based relationship
• Transparency is key to long-lasting productive and trustworthy vendor relationships
• After 2020, ecommerce will not be the same, content production will not be the same
• Agility and Flexibility will be key to future success in creative production

Links & Resources

Brian Guidry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianguidry/

Pixelz: https://www.pixelz.com/

Jobs at Pixelz: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixelz_inc/jobs/

Glossary

• CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility
• SLA - Service Level Agreement
• SAW - Pixelz system that stands for Specialist Assisted Workflow

Summary

Adam Parker joins host Daniel Jester to talk about creating effective KPIs for your commercial production studio. We get into do and don'ts, deriving actionable goals from vague mandates, and telling fun stories about our past in studios. 

Key Takeaways

• Determining which KPIs you need starts with having a goal
• It's not useful to know every detail about your studio metrics if they don't support a goal
• Beware of weaponizing KPIs and in turn breeding fear into your teams
• Learn how to derive actionable goals from vague mandates
• Pizza parties make for sleepy studios

Notes about the KPI Guide

The KPI guide will be released very soon, please check these shows notes for links and resources.