Chicago-based photographer Jason Little specializes in conceptual, food/drink, still life/product, and liquids. A while back, he worked with one of our designers, Lindsay, to create a treatment template. Partly because of the success of that project, he was starting to find himself with more work than he could handle all on his own. That’s when Jason came to us to help him consider whether it was time for him to work with an agent. After a conversation where we considered all the pros and cons, we reached the decision to move forward. We decided to launch a “Find a Rep” campaign, which was intended to assist Jason in finding an agent. The goal was to find an agent who would be a good fit for him personally and professionally, enabling him to take on more projects.
My primary goal for this Find a Rep campaign was to ultimately identify and (virtually) meet with a rep that shares my passion for innovative work and forward-thinking clients. Knowing that this outcome is a rarity for similar campaigns, my expectation was to begin conversations and form relationships with potential career partners.
When we take on a Find a Rep campaign for a photographer, it’s important that they are already at a point where they’ve established a track record of success. Any experienced agent is going to want to see that the photographer has already consolidated their photographic style. Additionally, they’ll want to confirm that the photographer has built a steady flow of lucrative work. For Jason’s campaign, we chose to focus on reps in the Midwest, where he is already a known quantity. We also decided to target New York, where he has more room to grow. We created a target list of 30 reps and drafted an initial and follow-up email for our campaign. In addition to emails, I would also make a round of phone calls to anyone who didn’t reply to our emails.
We were really pleased with the results. We had an open rate of 92%, a click-through rate to Jason’s site of 63%, and a reply rate of 53%. In addition to our email response, we were able to schedule three intro calls with three different representatives. This included Kate Ryan Inc., Jellybean Reps, and Friend + Johnson Artist Reps.
Jason received great feedback on his call with Jelly Bean Reps. However, they had just established relationships with two new food & drink photographers. That’s why they were not able to take him on. Nevertheless, they loved his work and said they have him on a list if something comes up in Chicago. There is still an ongoing conversation with Kate Ryan Inc. Therefore, they asked to see more motion pieces in Jason’s portfolio which he is currently working on. Jason also had a great call with Friend + Johnson and they plan to reconnect after the summer.
I also received constructive remarks and criticism from the reps that I did not have an opportunity to meet with. Looking forward to seeing what develops from the initial virtual meetings!
Jason and I are still in contact with any developments from his Find a Rep campaign. Here’s what Jason had to say about his experience,
As always, WM was a delight to work with and made me feel listened to and that they genuinely wanted a successful outcome.