As a part of an ongoing marketing campaign called #Frontierworks, Bulleit Whiskey is documenting a collaboration with a variety of artists. They aim to showcase different types of craftsmanship. Therefore, Bulleit’s creative agency recently contacted California-based photographer Jeff Berting. They approached him to document Lisa Schulte and her team at Nights of Neon, as they practice their mastery of building neon signs for the reputable whiskey brand’s ongoing collaborative campaign.
Tom Bulleit, the founder of Bulleit Bourbon, quit his job as a successful Lawyer. This move allowed him to pursue his lifelong dream of joining the distillery business. Bulleit prides itself on being founded by a pioneering spirit. The company continuously pushes boundaries and explores new territories. The brand considers itself a “frontier whiskey”, hence the creation of the #Frontierworks campaign. The company sees this campaign as an opportunity to highlight others who lead with a similar outlook on life. Nights of Neon is one company that is amidst a revival period in the Los Angeles area. They are finding ways to break out from the traditional construction of sign-making.
After seeing Jeff’s Brand Narrative work on Wonderful Machine, Barton F. Graf, Bulleit’s creative agency, reached out to him. They felt certain that he would bring this portion of the #Frontierworks project to life. Jeff is very talented when it comes to telling other people’s stories through images. He finds it interesting to learn about other people, their craft, and their processes when perfecting their work. Since the goal of the project was to focus on the artists, their methods, and the final product, this campaign piece was a perfect match for Jeff.
During the planning stages of this assignment, an essential part was scheduling different times to photograph Lisa and her team at Nights of Neon. Subsequently, the teams needed to work together to plan multiple shoot dates. These dates aimed to capture the various stages of the sign-building process, which happened over the course of two months.
Jeff enjoyed having the opportunity to shoot this project over its respective time period. Not only did it give him the chance to work closely with Barton F. Graf creative agency, but it also allowed him to show the wider Bulleit team what he’s made of. Furthermore, Jeff made conscious decisions in selecting which images to use to best illustrate the #Frontierwork campaign.
I really enjoyed working with Saul and the people of Barton Graf because they hired me to shoot this project in a way that I have shot other projects and they were very supportive of the approach. So, it was really nice blending my personal interest and style with the client’s needs and style. It made for a very smooth workflow.
Jeff also loved learning about the construction of neon signs, and the broader art form that is neon sign making. They create everything by hand; making the signs requires attention to detail, patience, and serious talent.
Overall, everything went smoothly and Bulleit was pleased with how great the photos turned out. The images can be found displayed on Bulleit’s website and social media. With this colorful project under his belt, Jeff hopes to obtain similar assignments in the future.
See more of Jeff’s photography on his website.
Credits
Creative Director for Barton F. Graf: Nate Naylor
Senior Producer for Barton F. Graf: Saul Metnick
Illustrator: Brendan Donnelly
Further Reading
Read more articles about Jeff Berting.
Read more articles about Brand Narrative photography.
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