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I’m happy to present an interview with the manager of art buying at Team One, Lisa Matthews. I met Lisa last January at a Wonderful Machine portfolio review and thought she’d be a perfect person to interview for a little more perspective on the commercial art buying world. Team One handles some impressive accounts including The Ritz Carlton, American Express, Haagen-Daz, Belkin and more, so Lisa is no stranger to large art buying assignments. Not to be outdone by our previous interviews, Lisa went ahead and answered seven questions for us. Enjoy!
How did you get your current position at Team One?
While the majority of my college friends were staying up late at night working on their ad campaigns for their advertising classes, I however was focusing on getting my psychology degree. Little did I know years later I too would be working in advertising. My first job in advertising was with Foote, Cone & Belding shortly after I moved to California from Oklahoma. I started off working for the two Executive Creative Directors and years later my soon to be husband suggested I become an art producer. I had no idea what an art producer was but I knew I wanted to stay in a creative role. Fortunately, I was able to spend some time at our New York and Chicago offices where I was able to learn the basis of production. After Foote, Cone & Belding I moved onto The Designory where I started the art buying department and worked on several automotive accounts. A year later I went to Suissa Miller to work on Acura. In 1999 I became the Co-Manager of Art Production at Saatchi & Saatchi overseeing the department for nine years while working on the Toyota account. In April of 2009 I moved over to our sister agency Team One as the Manager of Art Production working on Lexus, Haagen Dazs and Ritz Carlton.
What makes a photo great?
This is an interesting question because it’s so subjective. I have a love for animals so those are always the first pictures I gravitate towards. Ever since I can remember my dad would get the National Geographic Magazines and I would spend hours looking at all the pictures in the book. I would often wonder how someone was able to get those amazing photos of the animals, landscapes and people. Today I am still impressed by those images and love hearing about all the behind the scenes stories it took for the photographer to capture those incredible photos.
What’s the best way to get your attention?
Call me and set up an appointment, or send me a personal email with pictures you think will be a match for the work we do at Team One.
Has your job/role/industry changed in the last few years?
Yes, it’s changed a lot. We went from film to digital to CGI to video. We are always trying to learn about the next best thing and how we need to adapt to meet those changes.
How does Team One source photography?
We find photography through photographer/reps websites, photography/rep portfolio shows, email promos, PDN etc. I believe it’s easier to find photographers now because of websites, facebook and blogs.
What annoys you the most?
Slow or complicated websites are really frustrating. I get up to 50 emails a day asking me to take a look at a website, so if it’s not easy to navigate or it takes to long to load, I will move on to the next site.
What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
Meeting new interesting photographers or completing a job that was difficult and it turns out nicely.