Advice: Dust off your portfolio - inside and out.

Three weeks ago, I began a discussion on "How to Land a Big Account”.

Three professionals from national advertising agencies responded. Each had a slightly different take on how they hire commercial artists.

Glen Wexler suggested it takes the Three T’s: Talent, Timing, and Trust.
Tommy Steele’s advice was to be unique, personal, and artistic.
Damian Fulton emphasized building a relationship with the art buyer and concentrating on getting your work noticed within creative circles. He also suggested being really honest with yourself about the quality of your work prior to approaching a tier one agency.

As I write this blog I’m reminded of a story about a new hotshot photographer trying to break into the industry.

Early in my career I shared a studio with a few other photographers and one of our partners would never go out and show his portfolio. He was fairly comfortable financially because he managed a few buildings and made his money off of the rents he collected. Regardless, he was frustrated at his lack of photo work so we encouraged him to get on the phone and make some appointments.

A few days later he had landed an appointment with the owner of a small agency. On the day of his interview he dressed in solid black because that’s what creatives did back then. He dusted off his portfolio case and headed out for his appointment. An hour or so later he showed up back at the studio, completely dejected. The interview was terrible.

Apparently, what had happened was the owner of the agency called in several of his art directors and they all gathered in a semicircle to review the work. Although my friend’s case was clean on the outside, when he carefully unzipped it a huge cockroach sprung out and crawled onto the desk of the President of the agency. He spent the entire interview trying to kill the cockroach. Talk about a killer career move – NOT!

After we finally quit laughing, the rest of us studio-mates made a serious mental note about preparation.

Funny, I don’t think that this was the type of “getting noticed within creative circles” that Damian had in mind, or what Tommy Steel meant when he mentioned “bringing something unique”.

Now for my two cents: establish yourself uniquely. Good is no longer good enough. It is so easy and inexpensive today to showcase your work with personalized Web sites, Internet Blogs, and showcase forums like You-tube. You’re creative! Use your creativity to get attention. Sure, you can always use the reliable source books promoting yourself – just like everyone else does. You should probably always be in the tried and true spots but don’t stop there.

Never be intrusive with spam emails. Always get permission before emailing.

Be respectful of people’s time. Be selective as to what you put in your portfolio and display on your website. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good impression. When you finally land your big interview, dust off the outside as well as the inside of the case and be careful to show work that applies to what the client is seeking. Check out their Web site prior to the interview, have an understanding of the type of accounts they hold and what their mission is as a company.

The next big question is aimed at you: are you willing to invest your time and talents and work really hard to keep the big account? It’s a vicious cycle but can be very rewarding.

How To Land An Account (Part III)

Again, I posed the question, “how do you land a big account?” to renaissance man, Damian Fulton. If you don’t recognize his name, I’m sure you’d recognize his work. He’s been a film director and producer, commercial illustrator (Radical Rick cartoon) as well as a fine artist. Recently, his “surf art” premiered at a local gallery in El Segundo, California and completely sold out. He’s been the Senior Art Director, Creative Director, and Senior Partner at Ogilvy Mather Advertising World Wide in Los Angeles, California. He’s also produced or directed hundreds of television commercials, has been involved in the creation of major advertising campaigns for the past 25 years, and continues to sell original fine art through various galleries and via his website http://www.damianfulton.com/

Here’s what Damian had to say:

“Wow! How to start-as a commercial artist? I would attempt to get as much information from the client as possible then select a portfolio that was specific to their needs. I’d be very careful to not want waste their time at all. Then, there are three reasons for why I would accept a project: 1) Good for my book (portfolio), 2) The job paid extremely well and 3) Either the project or the people (or both) would be a lot of fun.

As a Senior Art Director there are a couple of ways I personally select a commercial artist for a specific project. First, everything starts with research. We sell our concept (to the client) by utilizing stock images and comps. This sets the tone. Then, once the idea is sold to the client, I narrow the field down by who is right for this particular job. This begins with a discussion with the art buyer about the specific project. The art buyer goes straight to the Internet, source books or directly to a Web site in search of an artist that fits the creative.

Most agency Art Directors are so over utilized. Currently, I'm working on three separate accounts and all are due today. So, time is really important. I rely heavily on the Art Buyer so I need them to have a clear understanding of what I need. She'll pull in the best photographers first. If I'm looking for a specific style for a project the Art Buyer will gather twenty or thirty portfolios. If I don't see that the work the artist shows is right for my project, in a very short time, I move on until I find the person who can bring their talent and creative style to the project. The Art Buyer negotiates the fee with either the artist or their representative and schedules the shoot dates.”

Val Gelineau: Okay – so I understand, Damian, how an established photographer gets the big account but what about the entry level artists? How does a new or less experienced artist get their first big account?

DF: “In the current market, it is rare anybody will risk a big piece of business on a new photographer. But, a second tier shooter working with smaller clients with a consistent style can also catch my eye.

Let's assume this commercial artist is already doing great work. He’s already hooked into smaller accounts but is doing something seen in creative circle as really great creative. This is almost like guilt by association. People in various creative circles are already talking about their work in creative circles and we will also begin to take notice. Call it "badge value" - being associated with a great campaign or brand will elevate you, even if it's not a national account.

Art Buyers look for talent first and budget second. ‘Reps’ will come in and wine and dine the buyers but rarely do we hire an artist immediately based on the first showing. Usually, their work shows up a few times. Remember, the Art Buyer does a lot of prep work before beginning their search. They have browsed all the source books, checked the Internet for photographers and gone through an established list of qualified photographers.

My recommendation for a new shooter - Get to the art buyers, pick 2 or 3 agencies that your established style and book are already suited for and make sure they see your work. So, for example, if your are not already a car photographer do not try to get a car account. You have wasted your first impression. Then, when you do get a project assigned to you, make sure you do the job on time and within budget and plan something extra to meet and exceed the client’s expectations.

Some photographers give away the farm to get a foot in the door at a major agency. The key for them is to get in the door. Be realistic with the quality of your work and make sure you are ready to make a great impression because you do not want to get a reputation of wasting time. Be sure your work is at a tier one level before you pursue an agency.

I'm always excited to award the job to an artist because I personally know what they’ve gone through to ensure they get the project.”