Last Wednesday, CEO Bill Cramer and Producer Jess Dudley left the Wonderful Machine office for Austin, Texas. The trip was first arranged because they’d been asked to participate in Texas Photo Roundup. Not ones to waste an out of town opportunity, they booked three portfolio meetings as well.
Once in Texas, Bill and Jess drove to their hotel in their “bitchin” (Jess’s word) Dodge minivan and settled in for the night. The next morning began with a flurry of emails and conference calls before they even left their rooms. Eventually they emerged into a beautiful Austin day and drove to GSD&M. But before entering the agency, Jess showed veteran photographer Bill—who knows a DSLR like the back of his hand—how to use the point-and-shoot. Newly acquired skill and portfolios at hand, they went into the meeting.
Having visited GSD&M before, Jess knew what kinds of books the creatives were looking for—and spread about twenty across the table. A good group gathered to check out the portfolios, with favorites including still life photographer James Imbrogno, sports shooter Mike Basher, and retoucher Janko Williams. The creatives also enjoyed hearing about WM’s on-demand stock services and new crew page.
After the portfolios were reviewed, the Whole Foods catering eaten, and our t-shirt supply depleted, Bill and Jess loaded up the van and grabbed a bite to eat at Mexican joint, Corazon at Castle Hill—conveniently located near their next meeting at Pentagram.
Pentagram is the world’s largest independent design consultancy, and has worked with a wide range of clients including Guitar Hero, The Guggenheim, and Truvia Natural Sweetener. They design a number of custom publications and photo books—which made it a perfect place to share some great photography.
Bill and Jess were greeted by Pentagram’s roughly ten employees and their crew of adorable puppy friends, including Brodie, Chloe and Roy. Once the books were laid out, the group instantly recognized the work a number of local shooters, but were surprised and excited to also see some “new-to-them” names like Katie Hayes Luke. The Beall + Thomas portfolio also received nice feedback while King Lawrence‘s was singled out as being a good fit for a client.
The meeting came to a close with a bit of Republic Tequila (a Pentagram client) and renowned CD/Partner DJ Stout stopping by for a look; a nice end to a fun meeting.
After packing up and saying goodbye, the duo boogied over to T3, a “technology-fueled creative agency.” Their clients include brands like Chase, Coca-Cola, and Ford. Arriving at their retro, 60s style building, they laid out books in the kitchen/lounge, where Bill requested the light bulb above the table be replaced. This way, creatives could see portfolios in their “best light.”
The meeting went well, with Mark Katzman receiving an enthusiastic email about his work before Bill and Jess even left the building. Chad Holder and Raymond Patrick also received a lot of nice attention. As the group reviewed books, Jess chatted with T3’s art buyer, Amy Cooper, who used to be a photo editor at MTV. Amy loved the new crew site, but admitted that they have less need for it than an editorial client might.
Once the meeting was done, Bill and Jess packed up and headed to the Texas Photo Roundup welcome dinner at Lambert’s, where they enjoyed phenomenal brisket and great company.
The dinner was great; fantastic food and conversation with creatives from Spirit Magazine and Texas Monthly, consultants Jasmine DeFoore and Allegra Wilde, and photographers Jody Horton, Adam Voorhes and Chris Buck, to name a few. The welcome dinner made for an excellent closure to a very productive day.
Check back on Thursday for Austin Diary, Part II!
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