Wednesday Wisdoms

No matter how you feel, keep it professional.

When negotiating, always wait for your clients to respond before offering more.

Set aside a few unplugged minutes today to contemplate.

Don’t call people if you’re not good on the phone.

TREATMENTS:

Create a template for your treatments to help make it easier each time you are asked to create one. Your template would have sections like location, lighting, casting/talent, wardrobe, etc. I also suggest hiring a writer for each one and hiring a designer to create the template. 

The treatment can make or break it for you when bidding on a job. 

I personally think your portfolio should be enough to get you the job, but nowadays why not do everything you can to make that happen? Use this as a way to demonstrate your approach to this project and the type of professionalism, creativity, and enthusiasm you’ll be bringing to the job.

The word “work” does not just mean paychecks. 

Keeping yourself open to the unexpected may bring success.

Part of your job in a creative field is to feed your ideas.

As Director of Operations at SternRep, I spend a lot of my time looking through photographers’ images. 

Sometimes as I am examining someone’s body of work I find a magic spark somewhere in their portfolio. Something pops out at me. An image or series that is set apart from the rest. 

Something highly marketable, different, bold, unique, and really well done. But mixed in with lots of other stuff in their portfolio. 

Sometimes it’s actually about cleaning out your portfolio, of anything that does not have this magic spark. It’s about finding your spark and then expanding your portfolio based on what makes your work strong and different. It’s kind of like your own magical thread that you need to follow to be successful in the commercial market, explore more, grow, and expand.

But if the photographer can’t see or feel or want to follow it, there’s no forcing it…

Guest Post: Olivia Katz

Director of Operations, SternRep

In business, never take it personally if someone doesn’t respond.

I am dedicated to never using the word “just” in my emails, it sounds like I’m apologizing. 

Sound confident.