Having traveled the world photographing high-profile performers, New York-based portrait photographer Francis Hills began looking for some new contacts in his hometown of London, UK. For a little bit of help, he reached out to Wonderful Machine for a Client List Build. Francis has been mulling over the idea of visiting his roots on a more frequent basis, but he would first need a solid roster of fresh clients.
British by birth, he was planning to spend more time in London and wanted to expand his industry network there. Our initial conversation gave me a good idea of his expectations and goals. Having established a successful career in New York City, Francis knew what he was after when looking at the British market.
The goal was to explore the London market and see if there was a positive reaction to my work returning to the UK, having been in the US for 20 years.
It was clear that he only needed the chance to connect face to face with the right people, and his personality and experience would seal the deal. Francis is charismatic, and his professionalism and energy puts you at ease from the start of any conversation with him.
We decided to focus on a mix between photo agents and advertising agencies with a small selection of publications and the performing arts. I happen to be based in London myself, so a few names came to mind right away. However, I still needed to do quite a bit of research.
After finding the right companies, I then did some digging on the individuals that would be the ideal contacts for Francis to reach out to. By the end of the process, Francis had successfully scheduled a meeting with Vanity Fair‘s Art Director, Channel 4‘s photo department, and the Creative Lead at the National Theatre.
Here’s what Francis had to say about the process:
I had some surprisingly positive reactions from the targets on the list we put together. I’m cautiously optimistic! As always, working with Wonderful Machine was a fantastic experience — great communication and a very thorough job with the list build. It was a great collaborative experience.
Following the success of the London Client List Build, I am now working on a new list for Francis to further expand his network back in New York City.