Prior to his cross-country move from Baltimore to his current home in Los Angeles, John Davis wanted to be sure he was ready to hit the ground running when he got to sunny SoCal. After he reached out to have us help to prepare his brand, we decided a Print Edit, Partial Web Edit, and a List Build of potential clients to target in his location would do just the trick.
In February of 2016, after a two-week vacation in Thailand, my wife and I made the decision to relocate our family to Los Angeles. This was not something we were taking lightly. We had both been in Baltimore for over twenty years and decided it was time for a change. One of the biggest questions for me was how would my business weather this move? Enter Wonderful Machine. I had been with them for about 6 years and knew they would be instrumental in preparing my business for this enormous change. I had worked closely with their team of producers, marketing folks, and designers over the years and knew they could assemble a solid plan. Lucky for me, they had something tailored to my exact needs, a Relocation Package!
Factoring in all three of John’s consulting projects and that he moved across the country, we were able to offer him a new consulting service: our Relocation Package. With this service, a photographer committing to three consulting services while moving to a different market becomes entitled to a discount. As his move was to one of the most competitive markets on the west coast, John was smart to contact us. Now he could arrive in his new home city with fresh marketing materials as well as a new list of potential clients to introduce himself to.
First up was his partial web edit. Our Senior Photo Editor Stacy looked at a number of his images and rearranged his site to be more specific to the types of clients he was aiming to shoot for in the City of Angels. By updating his site, he had a fresh look to go with his new home. His website now incorporates his portrait work first and a list of special corporate & educational projects he’s done, like work for Americorp and Stanford University. With roots in narrative photography, John has welcomed the brand narrative trend in the industry and has been shooting more narrative stories for his web & print portfolio.
After John’s partial web edit, Stacy created a stunning book that represents his work more accurately and appeals to his new client base. John expressed interest in reaching out to lifestyle and brand narrative clients that are more suited to LA, in addition to continuing his work in the education market. The difference between the LA clients and the Baltimore clients might not seem huge, but little things, like changing a book, can add up to make a big difference in how a client perceives a photographer’s work.
The best thing about working with Stacy and Rachel was the collaboration. Although this was a “package” it was never cookie cutter. They wanted to know my perspective and were able to work organically based on my specific needs. I always felt like they understood the direction of my work. They did an amazing job helping me do a light re-edit my website and a complete new print portfolio edit. Because of their help I feel more confident in putting my work in front of clients and know my business will continue to grow.
With new edits to showcase his work, our last step in John’s relocation package was to build him a list. Because he was just arriving in the area, we started with a whole new client base that would be open to a photographer of his caliber. In building his list, we concentrated on agencies and brands in LA that specialize in narrative story-telling and portraits. Luckily for John, there were a number of large agencies that needed his specialties in photography.
I look forward to a continued relationship with Wonderful Machine and know that my business will continue to grow because of their guidance.
Now equipped with an updated brand and a new list of clients to reach out to, John is ready to officially start his new career across the country and enjoy the sunshine…right in time as winter strikes the east coast! Stay tuned for more on John’s adventure in Stacy’s next blog post!
Need help getting the most out of your relocation? Reach out!