On our second day in Minneapolis, Jess and I woke early and started what would be quite the long day. Our first stop was at the advertising agency Periscope, whose clients include Target, Truvia, Cox Communications, Red Robin, Arctic Cat and many more. We arrived right on time and met up with our contact, the friendly art buyer Keely.
Keely led us to a conference room where we unloaded the portfolios and spread out the breakfast treats. Keely then showed us their huge and utterly amazing touchscreen TV where we put up the Wonderful Machine website. Keely, Jess, and a Periscope creative played around with the touch screen, looking at websites of photographers that we felt fit what the creative was looking for. Soon after, a larger group of creatives joined us and we all chatted and paged through books.
We really enjoyed the Periscope meeting and the group seemed to enjoy our company as well. Most left with a smile and a WM t-shirt over their shoulder along with a handful of promos. A few of the books that stood out at Periscope included Michael Haug‘s iPad portfolio (and his nice interface) and all of the animal shooters on the table—the creatives were searching for an animal photographer—like Bruton Stroube Studios, Mark Katzman and Barbara O’Brien. They were also on the lookout for some boat photographers and we wrote down a few suggestions as well. All in all, it was a very successful meeting.
After Periscope, Jess and I decided to grab a bite to eat. We made our way to Black Sheep, a coal-fired pizza joint. However, both being good, we didn’t try the pizza and opted for salads instead—but the pizzas looked fantastic!
Once our stomachs were thoroughly filled with lettuce, we headed to KNOCK, a creative ad and design agency. A few of KNOCK’s clients include Target, New Balance, and Namco Bandai. Their office was tres chic with wood walls, wood ceilings, and polished concrete floors. Once inside, Jess and I were led to their conference room where we laid out the portfolios. A group of around 10-15 creatives came through in waves, browsing and asking questions.
The group showed interest in David Ellis‘ large-sized prints and in Mark Katzman’s recognizable work. They scooped up leave behinds, listened to our spiel, and exchanged cards. Soon after the crowd had left, Jess and I packed up and headed to our last meeting of the day.
Our next review was at the full service agency, Colle+McVoy. We easily made our way up to their floor without having to take a freight elevator (unlike in New York) and stepped out into their bright and airy office. We immediately noticed the work of our photographer Jonathan Chapman plastered all over the wall—huge prints of their Purina campaign. After browsing around the lobby, our contact, art buyer Chris Peters, arrived and showed us to the meeting area.
I was wowed by the large space. This was mostly due to the ping pong table and fountain soda machine! I was green with envy but put that aside to focus on laying out the portfolios. Once everything was set, and the snacks were in full view, Chris called in the creatives who happily started browsing our selection and crunching on cucumbers. Several commented on what a great group of photographers we had.
Julian Love‘s snowboarding images were soon discovered and the creatives wanted us to write his info down for them. Another creative enjoyed Jay Reilly’s laid-back lifestyle work while several pointed out Richard Fleischman‘s food shots.
As the creatives passed through, Jess and I chatted with Chris about all the things Wonderful Machine has to offer. He was happy to hear how much help we provide art buyers, especially when it comes to tracking down good photographers in obscure places. He was also enthused about our stock request capabilities.
After saying our goodbyes to the C+M group, Jess and I made our way to the ASMP Minneapolis event, Photo Marketing Rehab. There, Jess would be speaking on a panel moderated by Campbell Mithun art buyer Kat Dalager. The other panelists included freelance art buyer/producer Dave Lewis, Fallon art buyer Jason Cooper Hall, consultant Mary Virginia Swanson, Periscope creative resource manager Tina Long, consultant Carolyn Potts, Olson art buyer Mark Pakulski, and Target global photography manager Desiree Barbeyto. Jess was certainly in good company.
The room was packed as the discussion got started. Photographers sat and captively listened as the panel discussed promos, websites, emailers, and general marketing ideas. They also spoke on the best ways to contact potential clients. It was a very informative night with a lot of info packed into a relatively short amount of time. The audience seemed quite satisfied with the event and stayed around after to chat about what they’d learn.
Once the chatting had died down, the panelists and a few of our photographers decided to get together for a celebratory drink. We all met up at the Red Stag and squeezed in around two tables. We had a great time, laughing, talking and drinking for quite some time. However, Jess and I eventually had to leave as we had a very early morning flight to catch (this is the last time Jess makes the reservations). We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel just in time for a good two hours of sleep. Then, half asleep, we flew back to Philadelphia.
I have to say, this trip was not only successful but also very enjoyable. Hope to visit again soon, Minneapolis!
Further Reading
Wonderful Machine: Portfolio Events: Minneapolis Diary, Part I
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