Spotlight: Ian Curcio for Lenovo

BY 30 September 2024

Greenville, South Carolina-based photographer Ian Curcio recently collaborated with The Cargo Agency on a dynamic new campaign for Lenovo, a global tech company. The Cargo Agency is a creative firm specializing in forward-thinking marketing strategies to promote business growth by utilizing digital innovation, content production, and leveraging data to achieve results. The agency’s concept for the “Dirty Work” campaign was a stills and video story about a young mother who used Lenovo’s ThinkBook laptops to build her composting business. Over a four-day shoot, Ian was responsible for creating key-frame art to complement a simultaneous video production for the client’s new campaign.

This was Ian’s second collaboration with The Cargo Agency for Lenovo, following a successful project he completed in 2019, where he photographed talent for printed cardboard life-size cutouts. For this new project, the agency specifically sought a photographer skilled in lighting portraiture, who was comfortable working with both professional and non-professional talent.

The Cargo Agency is full of fun and talented people without egos. This return collaboration was relaxed and inclusive, a great experience.

A photo by Ian Curcio of a Lenovo laptop placed on a wooden desk, accompanied by a mouse, a pen, sticky notes, and a small potted plant.

The Photoshoot

Ian described the logistics and timing of the shoot, which took place over multiple days at various locations.

We spent four days shooting in several locations in and around Greenville, South Carolina. Not knowing when I could squeeze in and get my part of the work done, I stayed on location with the video team from sun up to sun down on all four days. It was a lot of hurry-up and wait situations.

A portrait by Ian Curcio of a woman in a lilac shirt, confidently holding a Lenovo laptop.

A woman working on a Lenovo laptop at a wooden desk, with a child sitting across from her, eagerly watching her every move with a look of excitement.

He, further, shared some of his background and how it inspires his work.

The talent was a mix of real people and paid talent. I always prefer to work with real people. I attended grade school in the United States, Central Europe, and Southeast Asia. This early exposure to diverse cultures, mixed values, and rapid change fueled my curiosity and continues to influence how I connect with people today and the work I create.

A woman working on a Lenovo laptop at a wooden desk that's covered with papers, scissors, a cup of pens and a cup of water.

Challenges

Ian faced the challenge of working around a video production team, which required patience and flexibility. He described the importance of being able to adapt in such situations, saying that the experience underscored the need to be flexible, nimble, and fully integrated into the team.

Sometimes, I would wait hours for the video to finish a scene before I could set up and work on the key-frame art. Because there are a lot of moving parts, it’s essential to be patient and a team player. If I wasn’t shooting, I was helping in some other way.