I recently had the opportunity to work with one of the most versatile photographers I have ever met, Dan McBride. Dan — who currently lives in Chicago, but is relocating to Minneapolis — sought out Wonderful Machine as he was looking for assistance in finding agency representation and I was happy to aid in his search.
Dan had previously worked as an ad agency art director for over 10 years, and his background lends itself to understanding clients’ visions in order to create virtually any image his clients can dream up. He truly believes that with CGI and retouching, it’s possible to create anything and make it shine (and I agree with him!). From simple campaigns with top-quality deliverables, to more complex ideas that require different techniques to achieve the original idea’s objective, Dan’s extensive experience enables him to understand all sides of the coin.
When I reviewed his Super Duper Studio company website, I thought he would surely be a photographer in demand by advertising agencies. As we connected on our first call, so many topics came up that the call lasted almost an hour. I asked Dan about his product photography project for Modelo Especial beer, since I am especially fond of it (I had the opportunity to work for Grupo Modelo from the agency that handled the brand in Mexico City, Terán TBWA). He told me that he’s had the opportunity to work on several product projects for the brand, including Negra Modelo and Corona.
Dan was very clear about what he needed from me as a consultant. He shared with me that he loves his work as a photographer, however, he was also very focused and eager to grow much more in CGI, retouching, and compositing. Dan’s work shows talent but also a tireless pursuit of technique.
I put together a list of 28 representatives in different parts of the United States — and mentioned Dan’s future relocation to Minneapolis — but stated his great attitude to travel and create wherever necessary. We made sure to include companies that we felt were already looking to promote the CGI and compositing work that Dan is so interested in promoting.
I think the selection was right on target because we got a great number of views (80.8%) and 10 responses, many of them congratulating Dan on his excellent work. As a final component of our services, I was able to schedule two calls for him with Freda Scott and Kendall Higbee of Matrix Mgmt and Dan was happy to know that he had attracted the attention of several representatives.
For me, working with Dan was a great learning experience, as I understood even more about the evolution of commercial photography towards more complex and technological concepts.
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