Prospect Research & Outreach: October 2019

Leaves crackle and swirl orange in the breeze. Inside, floorboards creak as they tense from the cold, and in the final days of this month swarms of monsters, witches, and werewolves run amok in the streets (alongside clever internet-memes-turned-costume): it’s October. Unfazed by the frights, candy-hangovers, and 40-degree cold-fronts, our outreach team has kept busy, adding 192 new people and 71 new companies to our collection of prospective clients.

Here at Wonderful Machine, we’ve geared our outreach process toward a grassroots style of correspondence. Every email is sent by hand (as long as we’re counting typing on a computer as such) and every conversation begins as a means of getting on the phone with somebody who needs pictures. This month, our outreach team sent 549 emails, followed by 43 initial responses, leading to seven phone calls, and three portfolio events: with Smithsonian Magazine, NPR, and Air & Space. We are eager to show our members’ work at these meetings (and to write about the experience in a portfolio event article).

Here are some nice things we heard from clients during our outreach this month:

I am a HUGE fan of you guys… I am actually headed to Nashville to take a gig…and will certainly make sure folks there know you guys if they don’t already.

– Creative Director at Bohan Advertising

I have only ever heard good things about Wonderful Machine. 

– Creative Director and Co-founder of Highopes

I’ve been using Wonderful Machine for a decade, and I remember discovering WM and thinking, ‘this is amazing because I don’t have to look at a million random portfolios anymore.’

– VP of Design at Imagination Publishing

Wonderful Machine is a great resource for us on the hiring side.

– Art Director at Imagination Publishing

Your search tool is wonderful.

– Photography Specialist at RedBull Content Pool

I hire photographers ALL the time from you guys. You all built my database!

– Photo Producer at Pace Communications

What a haul! We are always grateful to hear such kind words from those whose lives we seek to make easier.

This month, our photographers also had a handful of successes that we’d like to share. San Francisco-based Ian Tuttle photographed a corporate lifestyle shoot for HP. Louisville, Kentucky-based Clay Cook was hired by Norton Healthcare to shoot pictures of doctors interacting with patients. Kansas City, Missouri-based Lauren Pusateri shot a handful of H&R Block projects. Jennifer May of New York City photographed a campaign for the grocery chain, D’Arrigo. New York City-based Will Strawser directed a holiday video scene for Wegman’s. And Erik Isakson of Los Angeles licensed an image to Modelo for in-store use.

With October behind us, and a few portfolio meetings upcoming in D.C., we are excited to keep it pushing. Now, we head into the most active time of the year for business as editors scramble to source photography for the incoming new year.

Check-in with us next month to see how we’re doing! If you have any questions, feel free to email us or call us at 1 610 260 0200.