Last week, I set out early on another portfolio event, this time with designer Amanda Friend by my side. Loaded into my Rav4 with a trunk full of production cases and a dolly, we made our way up the turnpike to New York City.
Our first stop was at Ogilvy & Mather. We came bearing gifts of breakfast treats from Dean & DeLuca and filled four tables with portfolios. Once everything was set out, we stood back, grabbed some D&D coffee and waited for the onslaught of creatives to arrive.
And boy did they arrive, at first as a trickle and then as a full-on stream. During our two hours at Ogilvy, we reviewed portfolios with around 30 art buyers, art directors, creative directors, and copywriters. There was some definite stand out work in the group, including Matt Dutile‘s travel-themed promos (which were all gone almost immediately), as well as Jim Henderson‘s photographs, which one creative described as rich and vibrant. On the other side of the room, Julie Bidwell‘s food photography had reviewers drooling while Brian Cummings‘s “cool” business cards were being divvied up.
Amanda and I both had some great conversations with the Ogilvy creatives on a variety of topics, from individual shooters, Wonderful Machine, stock, and just how hard it actually is to capture a stand out photo. Eventually, the crowd died down, so Amanda and I packed up and headed to our next meeting at the digital ad agency, R/GA.
A little ahead of schedule, we decided to grab a quick bite. Former New Yorker Amanda’s hawk eyes immediately spotted a little shop, Buongiorno Espresso Bar, pushing “green smoothies”—something she’s been itching for since moving to Philly. We ordered two. I’ll admit, I was a little scared at first when I saw them filling up the blender with broccoli, zucchini and various other green veggies. How is this going to taste as a smoothie?! But, Amanda was right! I’ll never doubt you again, girl. Healthy and delicious.
After drinking our lunches, and feeling like Popeye after a can of spinach, Amanda and I pushed our dolly full of portfolios over to R/GA’s offices. We were pleasantly surprised to find they were very un-New York-like. Instead of a sprawling high rise, we found a hidden gem: a quaint white building surrounded by plants; a mini Manhattan jungle oasis.
The interior was as impressive as the exterior, with walls filled with trophies. There, we met with art buyers Tamara and Kris, the latter of whom was kind enough to help us carry 100 pounds of portfolios up a flight of stairs. Tamara and Kris had been nice enough to squeeze us into their very busy schedule; to return the favor, we pulled out a concise group of books—all lifestyle, as they’d requested. As they looked through portfolios of photographers like Graham MacIndoe and Kinzie + Riehm, we chatted about the site and all the things Wonderful Machine has to offer. Tamara was already a fan of the site, and said she likes how easy it is to find photographers in odd locations. As for the work on the table, favorites included Ryan Donnell and Ashley Davis Tilly.
Once the collections of portfolios had been reviewed, we said goodbye and headed to our last meeting of the day at Men’s Health. Inside Rodale’s building, we entered a model-filled lobby and were mildly offended that the receptionist didn’t ask us if we were there for the casting too (just kidding). Soon, photo editors Mark Haddad and Joe Rodriguez ushered us into a conference room where we shared the work of photographers like Nick Hall, Victor Wang, Simon Bruty and Ackerman + Gruber, to name a few. Mark said he’d used Wonderful Machine, like Tamara, to find photographers in far-off lands. Joe told us that he’s a fan, and reads the blog (Hi Joe!) and follows us on Twitter. For Mark and Joe, Ackerman + Gruber’s humorous reportage really stood out, as did David Arky‘s slick still life. But after awhile Mark and Joe had to wave goodbye—WM t-shirts in hand—as Amanda and I left for our favorite part of every portfolio event: the happy hour.
Our day ended with a couple cold beers at Puffy’s Tavern with Forest Woodward and John Kuczala. We sat in front of a large open window and enjoyed the sunshine as we chatted about photography and shared our favorite Instagram pics.
Our day ended with a couple cold beers at Puffy’s Tavern with Forest Woodward and John Kuczala. We sat in front of a large open window and enjoyed the sunshine as we chatted about photography and shared our favorite Instagram pics.
When our glasses emptied, we said farewell to Forest, John and New York City, and rode off into a beautiful sunset.
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