For February’s portfolio reviews, I decided to switch things up and bring along our photo editor, Paul. So last Thursday, we met in the wee hours of the morning at the Wonderful Machine offices and headed out for New York. Our trip was going extremely smoothly, so much so that I bragged to Paul that we might even be able to get breakfast before our first meeting. However, fate decided to laugh at my boldness, and Paul and I ended up stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel for four hours (there went breakfast). After reshuffling our meetings while stuck at standstill, we ended up at JUICE Pharma right on time.
JUICE Pharma Worldwide is a pharmaceutical advertising agency that has deemed itself a “BIGtique.” While waiting in their trendy reception area, Paul and I took the time to snap some photos, including their hallway with red lights and walls, a wood-paneled reception area, and a glass door with “JUICE” etched into it. We were snapping away when our contact came up to greet us, so we grabbed our bags and headed up to a small conference room.
In the conference room, we laid out our books, Whole Foods catering, and promos, and soon creatives started shuffling in. Our first guest was the head art buyer for JUICE, Allison, who was very friendly. She listened intently about Wonderful Machine and what we have to offer while giving us some insight into their current projects. Allison told us that they are doing more simultaneous film and photography and have been on the lookout for photographers who can switch back and forth or who are great at behind-the-scenes work.
Luckily, we had brought the iPad portfolio of our photographer Jason Dewey. His iPad was filled with work from his film studio, FORGE Motion Pictures. Allison was very interested in his film’s clean look, especially his work for Microsoft. I promised to send her more links when I returned to the office.
About six other creatives also came through the review. The group was excited about Claire Benoist’s still life, and her promos were scooped up quickly. A few other JUICE favorites included Robert Houser and Mark Katzman. Many of the creatives knew Robert’s work and also often used Mark’s photos in comps—his style is very much in line with theirs. Natalie Young’s fresh colors and cute kids got some attention as well, while Alfonso Calero’s photos of a food cart got some creatives chatting about pork buns.
After all the books had been flipped through, and we had some good feedback, we packed up at headed to our next meeting at IEEE Spectrum. IEEE Spectrum is the main publication of the IEEE, “the world’s largest professional technology association.” Their magazine covers technology trends and examines how technology affects society and business. We met with their photo editor Randi for a one-on-one review.
This review was quick but went well, with a lot of book flipping and a lot of laughs. Randi’s favorite book of the bunch was Joseph Escamilla’s, but she enjoyed Tadd Myers‘ and Eric Millette’s as well. Randi’s day was very busy, so we had to pack up and go—but not before Randi showed us how well she could pack portfolios!
After IEEE, Paul and I had a little free time to eat lunch. We drove to our next meeting’s location, parked, and looked around for something to eat. The only option was the Amish Market across the street. I convinced Paul to go even though his initial thoughts were along the lines of, “something about Amish food sounds flavorless.” But how wrong he was! The market not only had a full grocery but a nice sit-and-eat prepared food section. We filled up on delicious fares like ribs and macaroni and cheese to make up for our missed breakfast.
After we were stuffed, we took some photos of the market and then headed to our final meeting of the day at AETN (A&E Television Networks), which includes channels such as A&E, History, Lifetime, Bio, and more.
Once we got through some tight security and met the nicest freight elevator operators in New York, we met up with two A&E creatives for an intimate review. They were excited to see our selection, as they had come to Wonderful Machine in the past for photography suggestions.
Tadd Myers’s American Craftsman project was an instant favorite; their photography director exclaimed that he would be perfect for the History Channel. He also called Claire Benoist’s work “beautiful” and liked Laura Barisonzi’s lifestyle images. Joseph Escamilla was a favorite here as well, and Robert Gallagher’s celebrity work caught their eyes.
Tadd Myers’ portfolio video:
The A&E meeting went very well, with their favorite photographers’ promos snatched away. After chatting about A&E shows filmed in Philly, we finally said our goodbyes and headed back to the car. We made our way back through the Lincoln Tunnel, this time in only a few minutes. Paul and I returned to Wonderful Machine, exhausted but happy about the productive day behind us.
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