In this episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, Daniel discusses the importance of studio audits and the physical layout of studios in enhancing workflow efficiency. He introduces the concept of workshops aimed at improving digital workflows and emphasizes the need for identifying quick wins within studio processes. The conversation highlights the interdependence of studio workflows, the challenges of managing exceptions in production, and the critical role of documentation and last but not least, the importance of celebrating team wins and continuous improvement in studio operations.

Key Takeaways

• The studio audit focuses on both physical layout and workflow.
• Internal tools can sometimes outperform external solutions.
• Physical space impacts digital workflow significantly.
• Workshops can help identify and improve digital processes.
• Quick wins are essential for team morale and efficiency.
• Studio workflows are highly interdependent and complex.
• Managing exceptions is crucial in production processes.
• Documentation is often lacking and relies on tribal knowledge.
• Celebrating wins boosts team motivation and recognition.
• Continuous improvement is key to operational success.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode of The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, Daniel Jester and creative director/photo manager turned creative ops consultant Kelly Garthwait dive into a candid, exploratory conversation about authenticity in visual storytelling and the tensions introduced by AI and automation in creative roles. Their dialogue weaves through the influence of social media on brand identity, the importance of consistency in e-commerce visuals, the enduring value of printed photography, and how storytelling creates meaningful connections between brands and audiences.

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity is more than aesthetics – it's about coherence, trust, and meaningful storytelling.
• Consumers can feel when something is off, even if they can't articulate it.
• A brand’s inconsistent tone across platforms (e.g., social media vs. streaming ads) can erode trust and feel “two-timing.”
• Consistent product photography builds customer trust and reduces friction in the shopping experience.
• Even subtle mismatches in lighting, angles, or image quality can raise subconscious red flags.
• Daniel shared HauteLook’s strategy of using coordinated color themes to maintain daily visual cohesion.
• AI can accelerate execution but cannot replace taste or vision.
• The most successful creative applications of AI come from teams who understand what good looks like and guide the tools accordingly.
• There’s value in observing trends before overcommitting to tools with fleeting hype cycles.
• Storytelling provides the essential context that transforms content into connection.
• Visual narratives, recurring motifs, and Easter eggs (like Daniel’s Signs of the Zodiac series) offer richer engagement.
• In-person experiences with printed photography or museum exhibits deepen emotional resonance far beyond screen-based consumption.
• There’s a growing need to reinvest in creative direction as a function that ensures cohesion, especially in content-heavy environments.
• Creative leadership helps bridge the gap between fast execution (often with AI) and meaningful brand expression.Physical prints offer an emotional and sensory connection that screens can’t replicate.
• Both Kelly and Daniel emphasized the power of printed art to evoke memory, emotion, and a sense of home.
• Tools like Zapier and automated workflows can relieve friction in production processes.
• The goal is not to remove creative roles, but to enable them by reducing logistical bottlenecks (like asset review and approvals).

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, host Daniel Jester discusses treating in-house studios as media companies. He emphasizes the need for organizational respect, investment in creative teams, and the complexity of media production processes. Daniel shares insights from recent workshops and highlights the challenges faced by studio teams, including ad hoc requests and sample management issues. He advocates for a shift in mindset towards recognizing the strategic value of creative teams in e-commerce operations.

Key Takeaways

• Every company with an in-house studio operates as a media company.
• In-house studios need robust support and workflows.
• Creative teams are essential for e-commerce success.
• Organizational respect is crucial for studio efficiency.
• Ad hoc requests can disrupt production processes.
• Sample management is vital for studio operations.
• Investment in creative teams leads to better outcomes.
• Understanding the complexity of media production is key.
• Protecting production time enhances efficiency.
• Shifting mindsets towards in-house studios is necessary.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode, Daniel Jester is joined by studio operations and photography manager Brent Maynard, who shares stories and insights from his unique experience managing photo studios for a major pet brand. Brent dives into the complexities of working with animal talent, from cats and dogs to guinea pigs, birds, and even cockroaches, and explains the specialized studio workflows required to keep animals, handlers, and crew safe and productive. He and Daniel talk about their shared love of optimizing studio layouts, reflect on the importance of removing obstacles for creative teams, and explore how the presence of animal talent transforms everything from set design to crew behavior. It's a fascinating look at the intersection of operational excellence and animal chaos, with a few screaming guinea pigs along the way.

Key Takeaways

1. Animal talent adds layers of complexity to studio operations, requiring specialized workflows to ensure safety and smooth production.
2. Studio layout changes can significantly improve efficiency, even without new investments. Small shifts in shelving and table placement led to measurable productivity gains in Brent’s previous roles.
3. Brent’s approach emphasizes reducing physical strain and mental load on creative teams, which often results in better output and less burnout.
4. Studios working with animals must prioritize safety above all else, including airlock-style door systems, species separation, and cautious scheduling.
5. Pet behavior affects production. Even subtle stress signals can compromise a shoot, which is why the pet team plays a critical role in monitoring and interpreting animal body language.
6. Noise and tension on set can disrupt animal performances, so maintaining a calm and low-stress environment is essential for success.
7. The pet team serves as both handler and advocate, ensuring that animals are safe, comfortable, and not being pushed beyond their limits.
8. Animals with professional experience are more predictable, but many shoots also involve non-working pets, which require more patience and flexibility.
9. Unusual animal talent like birds, guinea pigs, and even cockroaches come with highly specific needs. Guinea pigs may scream, birds may curse, and fish are generally not worth the risk due to their fragility.
10. Brent is passionate about studio operations and finding thoughtful, efficient solutions. His experience with complex sets and talent makes him a valuable resource for any production team.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, Daniel dives deep into the topic of Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, exploring their importance yet lack of widespread adoption in the E-commerce space. He discusses the differences between cloud storage solutions and DAM systems, emphasizing the need for metadata, version control, and user permissions. Daniel also highlights the challenges of managing assets at scale and the necessity of having a structured workflow. He concludes by encouraging listeners to evaluate their current asset management practices and consider the benefits of implementing a DAM system.

Key Takeaways

• DAM adoption is still relatively low in eCommerce.
• Cloud storage tools can become chaotic as assets scale.
• Metadata is crucial for effective asset management.
• Version control helps track asset iterations and approvals.
• User roles in DAM systems provide granular access control.
• Integration with other systems enhances DAM functionality.
• Scalability is a key factor in choosing a DAM system.
• Evaluate your team's ability to find assets efficiently.
• Consider the governance of your digital assets.
• Stockpress offers a user-friendly DAM solution.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode of the Ecommerce Content Creation Podcast, host Daniel Jester discusses the evolving landscape of e-commerce content creation, focusing on the integration of 3D modeling and AI technologies. He explores how these advancements can transform content production, enhance customer experiences, and contribute to sustainability efforts. Daniel emphasizes the importance of understanding customer trust and strategic considerations when adopting 3D technologies, ultimately advocating for a shift towards digital twins and innovative content strategies.

Key Takeaways

• 3D modeling is becoming increasingly relevant in e-commerce.
• AI tools can significantly reduce the cost and time of creating 3D models.
• Digital twins of products can streamline content production processes.
• Sustainability is a key benefit of adopting 3D technologies.
• Customer trust plays a crucial role in the success of new content experiences.
• The transition to 3D can be gradual, allowing for testing and adaptation.
• Strategic planning is essential for successful 3D adoption.
• 3D models can enhance marketing efforts through personalized content.
• The technology for 3D modeling is now scalable and accessible.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode of the eCommerce Content Creation Podcast, Daniel reflects on his personal and professional challenges over the past year, including feelings of burnout and uncertainty in the creative industry. He discusses the impact of these experiences on his work and the podcast, expressing gratitude for the support he has received from friends and colleagues. The episode also covers recent industry news, including Creative Force's acquisition of SpinMe and H&M's new AI initiatives. In this conversation, Daniel explores the potential of 3D product rendering as a transformative tool in product imaging. Daniel also shares his personal job search journey and career aspirations, emphasizing the importance of community and support during transitions.

Key Takeaways

1. Burnout and Honest Reflection

Daniel opens up about severe burnout in 2024, especially in the latter half of the year. He describes it not just as being tired of work, but a profound experience of anxiety that affected his ability to do even basic tasks—like scheduling podcast guests. His honesty about this period is a core theme of the episode.

2. Challenges of Freelance Life

After leaving Creative Force, Daniel attempted to build a freelance consulting and photography business, but struggled with the business side—timing, invoicing, lead generation, and sustainability. Despite having meaningful projects, the inconsistency of work and cash flow took a toll, both mentally and financially.

3. Industry Uncertainty and Shifting Cadence

He reflects on how creative production has changed post-COVID, with traditional seasonal patterns and reliable busy periods now disrupted. Studios no longer have predictable workflows or planning cadences, making it harder for professionals to know when to expect work—or prepare for downturns.

4. Gratitude for Supportive Community

Daniel expresses deep appreciation for the friends, colleagues, and partners who supported him during this difficult time. He calls out people like Kowser Ahmed (The KOW Company), Ian Parkes (Stockpress), Bimi Ibok, and others who provided not only work opportunities but emotional support and career advice.

5. Industry News – Creative Force Acquires SpinMe

He discusses Creative Force's acquisition of SpinMe after the latter entered administration. He speculates on what that might mean for SpinMe customers and offers his own services to help studios navigate that transition.

6. Mixed Feelings About AI in Content Creation

Daniel unpacks his reactions to the rise of AI in eCommerce photography—specifically the use of digital twins of real models (e.g., H&M's recent announcement). While he sees the potential value, he also voices concern about job loss for stylists, models, and creative professionals, and urges the industry to approach these changes thoughtfully.

7. Continued Passion for 3D and Creative Technology

Despite his challenges, Daniel remains excited about 3D product rendering. He sees it as a promising tool for sustainable, scalable eCommerce content creation—particularly because it allows studios to generate high-quality assets from existing imagery without physical reshoots or shipping products across the globe.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Mark Stocker is Senior Creative Manager for The Very Group, a collection of high volume retail brands based in Liverpool England. Mark was a speaker at the Henry Stewart Photo Studios Ops Forum back in October of 2021 and we invited him on this episode to discuss how the proverbial pendulum needs to (and is!) swing away from the lowest cost per shot possible, to a true strategic consideration capable of driving revenue in a more direct way. After all, it is the creative teams and the solutions they develop that will change the way we buy and sell digitally. 

Key Takeaways

• If there were a pendulum, with one side being "Profit Center" and the other side was "Cost Center" for Creative Production at any brand or retailer, the pendulum is probably headed to profit center. That means more investment in creative teams  and creative strategy, and moving away from the pursuit of lowest cost per shot.
• The time is now to focus on investing quality of creative.  The pandemic has forced to embrace EXTREME change in our processes and goals. We can save money now with our eyes closed.
• The power of the creative mind doesn't need to actually click the button to create. It will be todays photographers and stylists that will enable the next revolution of media and e-commerce creative.
• Investing in spaces is important to investing increasing quality.

Links & Resources

Mark on LinkedIn

The Very Group on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

This is episode 64 of the e-commerce content creation podcast and Daniel is unpacking his terrible fear of changing technology with Conrad Sanderson. If there’s anyone who understands the relationship between change and fear, it’s probably Conrad, while he’s not a licensed therapist or anything, his career has spanned many changes in the technology that drives our industry and his job has taken him halfway around the world, moving back and forth across the US, and now across the Atlantic to Germany. We unpack the fears that creep up when we start to talk about what the future holds for creative production teams, and how we can meet them rationally, and see them for what they are, an opportunity.

The instagram account Daniel reference's in the episode belongs to Peter Tarka, @petertarka

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Matthew Schulert was lead photographer and one of the earliest studio team members at HauteLook, a flash sale site that Nordstrom bought in 2011. Matthew and Daniel talk about the the history of that studio as it grew from just 3 sets, to over 10 times that size across many iterations of studios throughout Southern California. Why is this episode called building the plane in the air? No one really knew exactly how to build a high volume e-comm studio to support a flash sale site back then, so everyone had to figure out as they went, and as we mention during the episode: At that time, no one was talking to each other. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

• Linnea's early exposure to photography came from her father's hobby and her own experiences with disposable cameras.
• She emphasizes the importance of personal work in developing her artistic style.
• Linnea discusses the challenges and advantages of shooting with digital versus film cameras.
• The use of grain in photography is highlighted as a technique to enhance images and create a film-like quality.
• She shares her journey of finding a niche in photography and the importance of stylistic consistency.
• Linnea's self-portraits emerged from a place of fear but evolved into a significant aspect of her work.
• The conversation touches on the competitive nature of photography and the pressure to be versatile.
• Linnea's commercial work often reflects her personal style, leading to unique client collaborations.
• She reflects on the evolution of her artistic practice and the confidence gained over time.
• The episode concludes with Linnea's thoughts on the creative process and the joy of photography. The pandemic was a turning point for my photography.
• Client expectations often need to be managed carefully.
• Planning for animations requires careful consideration.
• Simplicity in animation can lead to satisfying results.

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

In this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, host Daniel Jester speaks with Ryan Lustig, a seasoned photographer who transitioned from skateboarder to professional photographer to studio leader. They discuss the evolution of photography careers, particularly in e-commerce, and how many photographers found their way into the industry through unconventional paths. Ryan shares his personal journey, including his experiences working with various brands and the challenges of moving into leadership roles. The conversation also touches on the importance of maintaining a creative outlet and the future aspirations of photographers in a changing industry.

In this episode, Daniel Jester and Matt Ware discuss the evolving landscape of creativity within the eCommerce and photography industries. They explore the importance of community, the impact of the pandemic on social connections, and the necessity of fostering creativity in all aspects of work. The conversation highlights practical approaches to encourage creative exploration and collaboration among teams, emphasizing that creativity is not limited to traditional artistic roles but exists in every workplace. In this conversation, Matt Ware and Daniel discuss the significance of creativity and storytelling in branding, the challenges of data-driven marketing, and the evolving landscape of art and photography. They emphasize the importance of internal culture and community in shaping a brand's narrative, while also addressing the need for a balance between creativity and measurable outcomes. The discussion highlights the potential for art to thrive in challenging times and the necessity of valuing photography in a digital age.

• Matt Licari identifies as a portrait photographer at heart.
• Celebrity photography often involves quick, high-pressure situations.
• Building a connection with subjects is crucial for capturing authentic moments.
• Technical preparation is essential for successful shoots with limited time.
• Finding creative expression within constraints can lead to unique results.
• Emotional intelligence is key in high-stress photography environments.
• Photography can serve as a form of unlicensed therapy for subjects. 
• Personal work can lead to unexpected opportunities.
• SEO efforts can pay off years later.
• Trusting your technical skills enhances creativity.
• Fashion photography requires understanding of the industry.
• Lookbooks have evolved with digital trends.
• Technology has streamlined post-production processes.
• Learning from mistakes is crucial in photography.
• Building a conducive workspace enhances focus.
• Influences shape an artist's unique voice.
• Embracing one's journey is vital for growth.

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

This week's episode features Caleb Raynor, taking us back to school for studio economics 101. We talk about the mechanics and metrics that determine the financial success of the photo studio and how you can learn to speak that language fluently when making the business case for more investment in your creative teams. 

Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, which happens to be Part II of Daniel's recent conversation with Tony Baker. If you haven’t caught part one yet, that was last week’s episode, episode 162 you might want to give that one a listen because in part II Tony is taking us deeper into how he goes about helping his clients understand their value, and how to use that insight to understand purpose. 

Daniel is joined by Tony Baker this week. Tony recently launched his new coaching and mentorship program, aimed at helping creative professionals of all stripes understand their value, and how to incorporate that knowledge in their purpose and goals. This is part one of this two part conversation, they discuss the need for authentic connection in the work that we do, in part so we can use that connection to articulate our value and collaborate more effectively. 

The guest for this episode is Monica Baddar. If that name sounds familiar, you might be remembering Monica from Episode 3 of the Flash Drive Files, the miniseries podcast from our friends at VeryBusy.io that drops in this feed. Monica was kind enough to record for both podcasts over the summer, so full disclosure this episode was recorded a few months ago. Monica is a really special photographer and that shines through her work in a very particular way. In this episode we talk about her approach to connecting with her subject in order to capture that magic.

• Paula Watts has a degree in advertising photography from Brooks.
• She transitioned from general advertising photography to specializing in beauty.
• Defining a personal style can be challenging for photographers.
• Building a relationship with retouchers is crucial for successful post-production.
• Meeting deadlines is a priority in Paula's workflow.
• Personal projects can influence client work and style development.
• Communication with clients about deadlines is essential.
• Retouching should enhance, not overpower the product's natural qualities.
• The photographer-client relationship is collaborative and requires clear expectations.
• Clear communication is crucial when working with remote retouchers.
• Time zone differences can be both beneficial and challenging.
• Lower labor costs in Eastern Europe provide significant advantages.
• Building relationships with retouchers fosters a global creative community.
• Attention to detail is paramount in beauty retouching.
• The history of photo manipulation has shaped the current industry.
• Using technology can streamline the feedback loop with clients.
• Cultivating a diverse team of retouchers can enhance creative output.

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

In this episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, host Daniel Jester speaks with Paul Massingill, senior manager of studio operations at David Yurman. They discuss the critical role of studio operations in e-commerce, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, organization, and effective communication within creative teams. The conversation explores how to balance production demands with quality output, the complexities of studio operations, and the necessity of having complete information for successful shoots. They also touch on the significance of time management and the unique environment of a photo studio, which fosters collaboration and creativity.

In this episode, Daniel interviews Alex Davidovich from Squareshot, discussing the evolution of content creation in eCommerce, they explore the shift from in-house studios to somethign more like agency models, the importance of productizing services, and the implementation of value-based pricing to enhance client relationships. Alex shares insights on how Squareshot has adapted its offerings to meet client needs, including daily rates and flexible solutions, while also addressing the challenges of managing client expectations and the future of creative talent in a managed marketplace.

In this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, Daniel Jester shares his takeaways from the Henry Stewart event in Los Angeles, discussing key sessions on building creative communities, future-proofing studios, and the crucial role of sample operations. He highlights the need for better communication between creative teams and leadership, and the importance of allowing time for creative testing. Daniel also touches on industry shifts, such as the increasing use of commercial studios and the potential of emerging technologies like AI and 3D rendering. Throughout, he offers insights on how creative teams can adapt to ongoing changes and prepares listeners for upcoming episodes.

Welcome back to another episode of The E-commerce Content Creation podcast. Our guest today is a special treat, Hanna Sofia, a Canada based multidisciplinary artist joins Daniel to talk about problem solving when you have that vision, but you need to solve some technical problems to get there. Listen, it’s a bit of a stretch, but we are creative, humans are creative, and the theme for this podcast since we came back from the summer break has been all about learning to make space for, and respect the creative process. Sometimes that process, necessarily must include some trial and error, just to learn what the challenges and roadblocks are.

In this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, host Daniel Jester speaks with Joe Lamb, former Director of Technology and Platforms for Nike, about the intricacies of content production in e-commerce. They discuss the importance of building a robust content production system, future-proofing studios against disasters, and the significance of team wellness and safety. The conversation also delves into business continuity planning, evaluating technology for resilience, streamlining onboarding processes, and balancing documentation with agility. The episode emphasizes the need for data-driven decisions and building strong internal relationships to ensure success in creative operations.

takeaways

• Future-proofing involves considering people, places, and technology.
• Natural disasters can disrupt studio operations; planning is essential.
• Team wellness and safety should be prioritized during crises.
• Business continuity planning is crucial for creative operations.
• Evaluate technology for both efficiency and risk management.
• Onboarding processes should be streamlined for new team members.
• Documentation is vital but should not hinder agility.
• Data plays a key role in measuring creative success.
• Building internal relationships is essential for operational success.
• Advocating for creative teams is necessary for resource allocation.

• Photography can be a form of escapism and creating a world different from reality.
• Post-production and retouching are important aspects of photography, and each photographer has their own process and style.
• File management and communication with clients are crucial for a successful photography business. It is crucial to back up and protect digital files to ensure their safety and accessibility.
• Using a combination of hard drives and online platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox can provide redundancy and easy access to files.
• Clear communication with clients is essential for a successful working relationship and project outcome.
• Setting expectations upfront, including pricing and retouching services, helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures fair compensation.
• Photographing women can be a transformative experience, allowing for deep connections and the discovery of their true essence.
• Monica is planning an in-person photography workshop in Los Angeles, focusing on pre-production, photo shoots, and post-production.

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

Jordan Petsy, a former photography manager at Kendra Scott, shares her career journey and recent move to New York. She discusses the challenges of managing product photography for a large assortment of jewelry and the lack of technology and systems in place at the time. Jordan also talks about her current focus on working with smaller, mission-driven, sustainable brands and her social media efforts to showcase these brands and her photography skills. She emphasizes the importance of ethical production practices and fair wages in the fashion industry. In this conversation, Jordan Petsy and Daniel discuss the importance of customer experience and creativity in the fashion industry. They highlight the value of having relevant experience and building trust with clients. They also touch on the challenges of pricing and the role of AI in the creative process. Jordan shares her experience in creative production and her passion for building long-term relationships with brands. They emphasize the importance of vulnerability and connection in the creative industry.

takeaways

• Managing product photography for a large assortment of jewelry can be challenging, especially without the right technology and systems in place.
• Jordan Petsy has moved to New York to work with smaller, mission-driven, sustainable brands in the fashion industry.
• She uses her social media platform to showcase these brands and her photography skills, while also educating her audience about ethical production practices and fair wages.
• The mid-tier, direct-to-consumer brands are driving innovation in technology and imaging in the fashion industry. Customer experience is crucial in the fashion industry and can be a key differentiator for brands.
• Having relevant experience and building trust with clients can open doors to new opportunities.
• Pricing can be a challenge in the creative industry, and it's important to find a balance that is fair for both parties.
• AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can be valuable for ideation, visual ideation, and post-production tasks.
• Building long-term relationships with brands and being part of their growth can be fulfilling for creative professionals.
• Vulnerability and connection are essential in the creative industry, and sharing personal experiences can help build trust and authenticity.

In this episode Daniel starts off by sharing a cautionary tale about a legendary brand that has fallen on hard times, followed by an interview with Everard Williams Jr. Head of the photo and imaging department at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca. 

• Miscommunication and lack of understanding about photography processes are common challenges within brands.
• The shift towards agencies and commercial studios can provide more support and creative freedom for photographers.
• Technology has made photography more accessible, but expertise and specialization are still important.
• Advocacy and connections play a crucial role in the success of photographers.
• Integrating high-quality brand imagery is crucial for effective marketing.
• Finding inspiration and staying connected to creativity is essential for photographers and creatives.

• The relationship between photographers and retouchers is crucial for creating cohesive brand imagery.
• Clear communication and transparency are key in the creative process.
• Having a trusted retouching team can help navigate tight timelines and limited budgets.
• Collaboration and mutual respect are essential for producing high-quality photography. The modern digital studio allows for fast and high-quality work, but it can also be demanding and exploitative.
• E-commerce retouching is a valuable skillset that requires efficiency and attention to detail.
• Advancements in technology, such as Zoom and Frame.io, have facilitated remote work and improved communication in the industry.
• Building strong relationships and collaborating effectively are essential for success in the industry.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote work and highlighted the importance of adaptability and resilience.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background

06:07 How the Team Came Together

12:55 Involving Retouchers in the Creative Process

16:04 Ideal Circumstances for Working Together

23:12 The Modern Digital Studio: Speed and Quality

25:03 Advancements in Technology for Remote Work

29:41 The Impact of COVID-19 on the Industry

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

• Flash sale sites like Haute Look played a significant role in shaping the modern e-commerce creative production industry.
• The early days of e-commerce product photography involved high-volume shooting and the need for a balance between speed and quality.
• Consistency in imagery, including background color and lighting, became a crucial aspect of e-commerce photography.
• Retouchers played a vital role in identifying equipment issues and collaborating with stylists to ensure accurate and high-quality images. E-commerce photography presents unique challenges, such as time constraints and the need for efficiency.
• The demanding nature of e-commerce photography has led to the recognition of the importance of creativity in the industry.
• The evolution of technology has greatly impacted the way e-commerce photography is conducted, allowing for more efficient workflows and collaboration.
• Training programs for retouchers should focus on establishing standards and autonomy, while utilizing technology to aid in the training process.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:17 Early Days at Haute Look

03:22 Challenges of E-commerce Product Photography

05:27 Impact of Flash Sale Sites on E-commerce Creative Production

09:47 Transition to In-house Studios

12:50 Digital Workflows and File Management

18:19 Retouching Challenges and Standards

21:49 Importance of Consistency in E-commerce Imagery

25:05 Color Accuracy and QA Process

29:15 Role of Retouchers in Identifying Equipment Issues

31:34 Collaboration between Retouchers and Stylists

32:40 The Challenges of E-commerce Photography

36:21 The Impact of E-commerce Photography on Creativity

39:48 The Evolution of E-commerce Photography

45:40 The Importance of Communication in E-commerce Retouching

48:30 Training Retouchers and Autonomy

53:53 The Role of Technology in E-commerce Photography

59:02 Building a Training Program for Retouchers

01:04:46 The Future of E-commerce Photography

Credits

This podcast was produced by verybusy.io and co-produced by Daniel Jester

Visit VeryBusy.io/fdf to learn how they can help you streamline your review process and post production communication

• The creative job market is experiencing both busy and slow periods, with some creative teams being dismantled due to layoffs.
• There is a need to change the way we think about and value creative teams in the industry.
• Daniel Jester plans to offer a podcast playbook ebook and consulting services for those interested in starting a podcast.
• He has been working with studios to improve their processes and efficiency, focusing on areas such as workflow mapping and technology implementation.
• Daniel's upcoming podcast mini-series, The Flash Drive Files, will explore the relationship between photography and retouching teams and how it has evolved over the years.
• The Flash Drive Files is sponsored by Very Busy.io, a review and approval technology platform.
• Daniel invites listeners to meet him at Henry Stewart and teases the first episode of The Flash Drive Files.

• Fair compensation and licensing are crucial for photographers in the e-commerce industry.
• Freelance photographers working in e-commerce studios often face challenges with usage and licensing.
• The conversation around fair compensation and licensing in the creative industry needs to continue.
• Creative Supper Club is a networking event that brings together creatives in the advertising industry.
• The supper club concept provides an opportunity for creatives to connect, build relationships, and potentially collaborate or hire each other.
• Sponsorship and donations can help support the supper club and create a unique experience for attendees.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Recording in Person

09:21 - The Evolution of the Creative Industry and the Need for Conversation

31:18 - Supporting the Supper Club through Sponsorship and Donations

Key Takeaways

*Diverse Backgrounds Lead to Unique Perspectives: Students from different terms and specializations bring varied insights into the photography and creative process.
*Education Plays a Crucial Role: The structured learning and exposure to real-world photography techniques at Art Center highlight the importance of education in shaping creative professionals.
*Passion Drives Learning and Growth: Each student's journey underscores the significant role passion plays in pursuing and excelling in photography, whether it's through overcoming personal challenges or exploring new genres.
*The Importance of Practical Experience: Hands-on experience, whether through class projects or real-world applications, is invaluable for understanding and mastering photography techniques.
*Networking and Exposure are Key: Daniel's mentorship and the discussion around getting into the industry emphasize the importance of networking, building relationships, and continuously seeking opportunities to learn and grow.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Key Takeaways

• The Henry Stewart Photo Studio Operations event focuses on the theme of change in the industry, highlighting the need to adapt and evolve in response to technological advancements.
• AI and 3D have the potential to revolutionize creative content production, offering new possibilities for efficiency, creativity, and sustainability.
• Sessions at the event explore topics such as shifting perspectives, embracing a talent-first mindset, and the balance between creativity and production in commercial photography.
• The use of 3D models in product design and production can lead to more sustainable practices and enhanced customer experiences.

Credits
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Takeaways

• Understanding the needs and knowledge levels of students is crucial for effective teaching.
• Teaching product photography should focus on shooting on white backgrounds and understanding software like Capture One.
• Personal artistic expression should be valued and nurtured, even within a commercial photography career.
• Creativity is increasingly seen as an asset in various fields, driving a new artistic Renaissance.
• Investing in creative teams and imagery is essential for successful e-commerce.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Teaching Experiences

03:12 Teaching Challenges and Lessons Learned

14:24 Defining the Focus of the Photography Class

23:11 Reflection on Personal Career and Artistic Expression

30:52 Creativity and Artistic Renaissance

38:52 Closing Thoughts on Creativity and E-commerce

Credits

Produced and Hosted by: Daniel Jester - www.danieltjester.com

00:00 Introduction and LinkedIn
03:06 Niche Down in Photography
08:30 Defining the Niche
10:10 Choosing the Niche
14:45 Finding Clients in the Niche
17:43 Underrepresentation of Men in Portfolios
19:23 The Value of E-commerce Photography
25:23 Photography as a Job vs. Creative Fulfillment
28:08 The Anxiety of Shooting
29:37 The Emotional High of a Successful Shoot
30:27 Balancing Efficiency and Fun in Studio Shoots
30:52 Managing Time and Production on Set
35:00 Building a Creative Community
43:00 The Importance of Investing in Creative Teams
48:00 Exploring the Future of E-commerce Photography

Credits

Produced and Hosted by: Daniel Jester - www.danieltjester.com

About a month ago in the middle of May, Creative Force CTO Tejs Rasmussen and Daniel recorded a webinar discussing what they see as 5 potential and practical applications of AI tools and technology in the Ecomm Creative Production process. This episode is an edited down version of that webinar where the pair discuss 3 areas, Data Automation, AI Assistant or CO-pilot tools, and AI Image Generation. If you are interested in hearing the entire conversation along with the audience Q&A following the presentation, you can find it at CreativeForce.io Click resources and you will see Webinars in that menu. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode we’re throwing it back to 3 past episodes, each of the guests and clips featured were recently nominated as top e-comm studio professionals in 2023 . We’re going to hear from Clair Carter-Ginn from episode 25 when we chatted about the future of the content studio as we started seeing studios re-open after COVID. We’ll hear from  Curren Calhoun in episode 15 discuss his ideas on studio technology and how process improvement and root cause analysis are vital, and last but not least by a long shot, we hear from Jason Hamilton in episode 5 about his early explorations into 3D rendering. 

Vote Here: https://www.pixelz.com/top-30-photo-studio-professionals/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=vote_post2

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

The guest for this episode is Emily Morris, Photo Studio Manager at Sainsburys and founder of Ecommerce Studio Training Academy, or ESTA. Emily shares a bit of her background in fashion styling before discovering e-commerce photo studios and production, and what inspired her to start ESTA, to help students understand what a career in e-comm content production could look like. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Back in episode 77 we talked to Rob Cohen of Vizio imaging about how his company came to be and how they leverage technology and automation to deliver quality product images to their customers. In this episode we catch up with Rob, who recently has moved his company to a completely 3D based workflow.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We welcome back yet again Lauren Stefaniak Smith, who recently served as chair of Photo Studio Ops for Henry Stewart’s smash hit New York event, which is crazy to say was even bigger than London back in March, but it was. Lauren and Daniel tackled the subject of onboarding and training for creative team members, which has as many elements to it as there are distinct creative roles, but as usual, Lauren knows exactly how to break it down. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Matthew Schulert was lead photographer and one of the earliest studio team members at HauteLook, a flash sale site that Nordstrom bought in 2011. Matthew and Daniel talk about the the history of that studio as it grew from just 3 sets, to over 10 times that size across many iterations of studios throughout Southern California. Why is this episode called building the plane in the air? No one really knew exactly how to build a high volume e-comm studio to support a flash sale site back then, so everyone had to figure out as they went, and as we mention during the episode: At that time, no one was talking to each other. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

At that the time this episode releases, Henry Stewarts Photo Studio Operations New York is just over a week away. Joining Daniel for this episode is the chair of the photo studio ops track, and old friend of the podcast Lauren Stefaniak Smith, creative operations director at Cricut. For anyone keeping score at home, Lauren was with Victoria’s Secret the last time she was on this podcast, so we caught up in advance of Photo Studio Ops to talk about her move from VS to Cricut and what advice she had for others who might be considering a change.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

For two years friend and guest for this episode Terrence Haynes Jr. and Daniel worked in Amazon’s ONT8 Photo Studio, until Daniel left Amazon for Farfetch and T stayed with Amazon as their studio was folded into a new flagship studio just south of downtown Los Angeles. ONT8 was a pretty scrappy studio, mostly being made up of any equipment we could scavenge from other studios storage areas. T and I worked closely together on everything from developing new tools for difficult to style products, to planning and booking talent. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Joining Daniel on the podcast is Karen Williams of Black Visual Queen, which is both her brand and a title given her 10 years of experience as art director, producer, editor, and curator at companies like Masterclass, Barron’s and Netflix.

Recently Karen posted some advice on LinkedIn to help photographers more effectively showcase themselves to creative directors and producers seeking out talent for their next project. We already had time booked with Karen but had to change topics shortly before our recording session, and we thought it would be helpful for the photographers in our audience to go a little more in depth.

Portfolio Links

• https://paulawattsphotography.com/
• https://www.rcrivera.com/
• www.danieltjester.com

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Our guest for this episode is Caitlin Andrews. Caitlin and Daniel are colleagues at Creative Force and they realized recently that we both come from similar backgrounds in the e-commerce creative production space. Caitlin spent close to 10 years prior to joining Creative Force working for Snap36, working with robotic photography systems to capture 360 spin assets for a variety of brand clients. Much of that time was with hard goods, which is where our experiences intersect. For two years Daniel worked at a small start up studio for Amazon product imaging, where about 80% of their volume came from hard goods (typically defined as anything that isn’t apparel, shoes, or fashion accessories). In this episode of the podcast we compare notes on unique challenges we encountered in our various roles and how we overcame them.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We’ve been thinking a lot about planning ever since the recent Creative Force webinar on editorial production. Specifically how planning differs from editorial to product photography. On the editorial side, you know when you start a project you’ll need photo, video, h/mu, styling etc. for a set number of days. Running an ecomm studio adds an element to that, the idea of carryover. How much product will I have left over at the end of the day, and what does that mean for staffing tomorrow, or next week? All of this thinking about planning reminded us of this conversation with Scott Willson of Patagonia, specifically when he talks about how a well functioning, efficient studio often looks like things are running smoothly and easily. Due in no small part to planning. Let’s flash back to Episode 24, process vs. product with Scott Willson of Patagonia. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Joining Daniel for this episode of the podcast is talented photographer and studio operations leader Joe Polifrone. In this episode the pair reminisce about working for Amazon circa 2016 at what was likely the peak of the Product Imaging organization. They worked in a studio of over 20,000sf (over 1800sm for our European listeners) that employed hundreds of people during peak seasons. They talk about how this particular studio was mind blowing, futuristic and so incredibly efficient at moving high volumes of product for not only handbags and apparel, but jewelry and watch as well. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Joining Daniel for this episode is Juliana Vail, longtime creative operations veteran with an emphasis on FashionTech, most recently Director of Service Development and Innovation at Farfetch. This is a bit of a different episode than normal, we have a handful of industry news bits to cover, so we’ll be talking about variety of topics from the Levi’s AI model announcement to some interesting job posts for Amazon Imaging

News Links

• Ikea Article: https://www.fastcompany.com/3034975/75-of-ikeas-catalog-is-computer-generated-imagery
• 3D Roles @ Amazon: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kristaskustad_hiring-creative-artist-activity-7046653425958191105-gYZb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
• Levi's AI Model Announcement
  • https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/levis-uses-ai-models-increase-diversity-incites-backlash/2482046
  • https://petapixel.com/2023/03/24/levis-to-use-ai-generated-models-to-increase-diversity/
  • https://www.levistrauss.com/2023/03/22/lsco-partners-with-lalaland-ai/
• UK Gov't Announcement on AI Regulation: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1146542/a_pro-innovation_approach_to_AI_regulation.pdf

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

It’s easy to get really hyped about new technologies, especially in creative functions, but in creative production for e-commerce, we need to make sure that we are staging focused on the customer, and providing the information they need, and not just a new content experience for the sake of it. Our guest for this episode is Dan Hyde, creative production and ecommerce strategy consultant, to talk about this. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Our guest on the podcast today is Franz Tschimben CEO of Covision Media, a company that produces 3D scanning devices capable of capturing pretty incredible detail to produce high quality 3D models. Franz discusses what his company does, what his customers are currently doing with their technology, and how working in high quality 3D models throughout the production process isn’t only great for business, but great for sustainability too.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Last week we were in London for Photo Studio Operations put on by Henry Stewart. Creative Force sponsored the event and we used our speaking opportunity to record a live episode of the podcast. And we did, we totally did. Our guest Josie Diamond and I had a great conversation, we got some good questions from the audience. But somewhere between recording the session, and getting the files onto my computer, I lost them. Whether it was my fault or something errored with my travel recorder, I lost those recordings. Thankfully Josie was kind enough to take a few minutes to rerecord the session out in the hotel lobby. I’m disappointed we don’t have the original audio to share, but here is our Live Episode from Henry Stewart

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

As of this recording it is the week after the Pixelz FLOW event in Los Angeles, and the day before Daniel heads to London for the upcoming Photo Studio Operations event by Henry Stewart, so Daniel is flying solo this week to talk about some takeaways from FLOW, some talk about 3D adoption in creative teams, and a couple of bits of interesting industry news.

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Raphael Ruz is the Photographic Operations Manager at Hogarth Australia and imaging technologist, researching and testing emerging technologies and how they might impact or influence the creative production industry. In this episode, big surprise, we’re talking about AI. But more specifically, we spend some time talking about how creative ops teams today should be thinking about a future implementation of some iteration of these tools, and how leadership has a responsibility to their team to have a plan when these tools may impact roles.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Creative production for e-commerce is a relatively young industry, and that means that we’re learning as we go when it comes to the growth and development of our creative and operations team members. In this episode we are highlighting one journey, Scott McLean, manager of studio operations at Arc’Teryx. Scott shares with us how his interest in learning about roles and processes adjacent to his gave him important perspective that has helped develop his approach to managing studio teams. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

As we move into 2023, we’ve watched as economic uncertainty has triggered waves off layoffs. While they mostly have been hitting the tech sector, in the couple of week leading up to our 100th episode, we’ve now seen the wave hit many friends and colleagues in content production and Creative Operations.

A very fun fact we recently learned about this podcast is some past guests have use their appearances on here during the interview process for a new role. So for our 100th episode we are going to support our community and give a couple of people an open interview of sorts. 

Key Takeaways

• Valerie Fox
  • Interested in photographer and photography leader roles
  • Loves working big, long lasting campaigns
  • Creative at heart and knowledgable at building and scaling a process
• Suzy Weber
  • Interested in Creative Director type roles
  • Takes a collaborative approach to her campaigns
  • Would love to work with on a brand of project that needs an overhaul

Thanks to all of our listeners for being there with us on our 100th episode. 

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Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We have a tendency to focus on visual content on this podcast but that isn’t the only content you need to be able to sell your products online. Copywriting is another critical element to a telling your products story, and just like photography, it’s a process that needs to be managed, with controls and guardrails in place to make sure you’re saying the right things to the right people in the right places. Joining Daniel for this episode is Brian Hennessy, co-founder and CEO at Talkoot, an AI powered copywriting platform with elements of PIM systems and a lot of cool features to make sure you’re not just telling a story, but telling the right story. 

Key Takeaways

• Talkoot is more than simply a place to store product data, but that is part of it. In order to manage all the written content requirements for your brand, you need to know that you are working with a single source of truth.
• Customer segmentation is great, and there is room for a lot of nuance. Sometimes the segment is who the customers are, and sometimes it's where they shop.
• The need to change, update, or evolve how you talk to your customer with copy isn't limited to commodity e-commerce, many brands in other spaces have found value in Talkoot in order to seasonally change their copy.
• AI is already playing a significant role in copywriting for e-commerce. Talkoot includes useful AI tools and was an early adherent to AI copywriting. Using consumer facing tools cannot truly be scaled for enterprise orgs, you cannot train that AI to speak in YOUR brand voice.
• AI is a powerful tool for copywriting but absolutely requires some curation and controls.

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Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Continuing our theme exploring near future tech in e-commerce content production, my guest today is Sergey Arkhangelskiy of Wanna. Wanna creates 3D experiences for brands that are intended to help customers make more informed decisions, but interestingly, that decision isn’t always simply to purchase.

Key Takeaways

• Wanna offers 3D try on capabilities and  works with many luxury brands to bring virtual try on for items like watches and shoes.
• Some luxury brands see this as an investment in the younger more connected, digital native generations.
• Brand or retail outcomes aren't always about driving conversion. Sometimes its about brand trust, sometimes it's to be digitally present to younger generations, sometimes it's about driving traffic into brick and mortar stores.
• Apparel try-on has challenges that are far greater than shoes or watches, body shape is very complicated for full body, tracking is more difficult. It could 5 years or more before we see a useable apparel try on that has meaningful amount of adoption in e-commerce.
• A big barrier to entry on 3D try on is the cost involved in digitizing your catalog.
• In Sergey's view, 3D doesn't compete with imagery or video, its more matter of showing the customer the object, not simply an image.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Just about a year ago, Mark Milstein of vAIsual joined Daniel to discuss what he referred to as the future of image creation. He described the synthographer, some might now call a prompt engineer. An individual who inputs the correct set of instructions to an AI tool that produces photorealistic images. Flash forward to the second half of 2022, when these tools made a huge splash in creative and marketing circles as they were released to the public, sparking tons of conversations about the future of content creation as well as the legality and ethics of it all.

Mark joins Daniel again today for this episode to give an update on the legal side of the AI conversation, make some predictions on commercial use of AI tools, and share with us forthcoming tool that could accelerate an already quick moving technology

Key Takeaways

• Mark was on this podcast in a previous episode and described a process where a user would enter keywords and an AI based tool would generate photorealistic images. In the second half of 2022, generative AI tools like Dall-e and midjourney burst onto the scene and got creative and marketing professionals everywhere buzzing
• There are still many ethical and legal concerns that need to be cleared up before we can see true adoption of these tools at the enterprise level. Currently there are some lawsuits on the horizon that will clarify and cement some of these things. Between the the recording of this episode and it's release, new lawsuits have been filed that should answer some of these lingering questions around the legality of data sets used to train.
• It's possible that some larger organizations with huge image libraries will be able to train their own licensed and un-trained version of one of these tools, overcoming that legality issue around copyright ownership.
• Sinfusion is a new training algorithm that will allow these tools to create imagery that is very realistic using much smaller data sets then past tools. Mark calls this earth shattering.
• Regarding Daniel's prediction that a brand may generate a campaign this year using AI, Mark feels that it's indeed possible. The building blocks exist including vAIsual's Dataset Shop which has image datasets are available which are totally released and free for use in this capacity.
• Mark predicts that legally and ethically viable generative AI tools will be commercially available by the end of summer 2023.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Daniel has been pretty vocal in his skepticism of NFTs, Crypto and by extension, the blockchain, but the guest today, David Iscove, director of technology consulting at Cella has cautioned him against throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

As David describes this technology and what value it has beyond the applications that most casual observers are familiar with, it becomes pretty clear that there may be some interesting applications in the e-commerce content creation space. 

Key Takeaways

• While it's most commonly associated with crypto currency and NFT's, blockchain technology is essentially a decentralized log that no one entity controls, and by it's nature it can be used to validate all sorts of transactions, including image creation and manipulation. 
• Some of the less publicized use cases of blockchain tech that occur today include archiving important events with imagery and verify the validity of those events with blockchain ledger entries. 
• Adobe is looking at blockchain tech to aid in archiving and authenticating image creation of all types, but its mostly manifesting itself in photojournalism today. 
• Starling Labs is also looking at ways to use blockchain to archive human stories in a way that consumers of this media can be assured that it is authentic. 
• How will this effective e-commerce? Blockchain could become an integral part of how we secure our assets. DAM systems may find a way to use or at least verify blockchain entries and this possibly becomes the new metadata so to speak. 
• Third party selling platforms could use blockchain entries to ensure that sellers are actually entitled to use the assets they are attempting an upload. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Kicking off 2023 for the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, our first guest of the year is David Jonkers, CEO and co-founder of Bright River. Bright River provides image editing services for studios large and small, and works to find ways to make things easier, faster, and cheaper for their customers. David joins Daniel for this episode to talk about Pos3d, a service that enables the creation of on-model assets, without the need for a model. 

Key Takeaways

• Pos3d helps enable decentralized content production, easing the burden presented by COVID and other forms of business disruption.
• Another significant use case for Pos3d, it enables model photography for product categories where model photography is difficult or not an option due to resources.
• Technology like Pos3d also enables producing small sets of assets in different style for things like A/B testing, selling up to the C-suite, etc.
• An interesting anecdote that David shared is that a Pos3d customer found that having the model looking toward the add to cart button has an impact on conversion (!!!)
• Perhaps one of the most beneficial features of Pos3d is being able to test anything and everything under the sun in a much more cost effective way.
• In 2023, studios will almost certainly HAVE to adopt some new tech to meet the demands of the business, whether it's automation, CGI, AI or otherwise.
• We expect content needs to only increase as everything gets harder to compete.

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Happy new year from us at the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast! Last week we had a clip show episode that focused on some near future state technology that we had the opportunity to explore in 2022. In this episode Daniel is going out on a limb to make some predictions about 2023 on some of those same topics. What could happen this year in generative AI, video production, 3d rendering and other types of 3d content and automation. Let's get out our crystal ball, and see what exciting ways we can be wrong about what’s going to happen in e-commerce creative production in 2023. 

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Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
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Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

The last few months has brought some near future technology into the spotlight, in particular generative AI for image creation, copywriting and more. Over the last year on this podcast we’ve had the opportunity to speak to several companies that provide services that we would call future tech for creative production, and so as we get ready to close out 2022 we’ve put together this clip show, our future tech round up. You’ll hear from Ajay Bam of Vyrill, Mark Milstein of Vaisual, Ben Conway of VNTANA, Mark Duhaime of Orbitvu, Patrik Bluhme of ProFoto. Let’s take a look back over some of 2022’s episodes focusing on the technology supporting the future of e-commerce. 

Key Takeaways

• Ajay Bam - Ep 45
  • One of the most interesting things for me is that Vyrill has created a tool that allows you to leverage user videos of your products. Customers are already watching these videos, you can help point your customers to the most helpful content for them personally.
  • Measuring ROI of creative can already be challenging, but one such measure is almost certainly engagement, and Vyrill also helps you understand engagement on YOUR videos, but other creators videos that feature your product. 
  • We only touched on sentiment analysis and other insights capabilities that Vyrill offers, but if we think about this in the context of localization, you can really start to see some value in that.
• Ben Conway of VNTANA - Ep 85
  • When we talk about 3D I think many people jump to thinking about the end customer, but as Ben pointed out, many VNTANA customers have found a lot of value in B2B situations. Designers working with 3D models to help sell a product before any samples have gone into production. I don’t think it's a big leap to make at all that these 3D design renders become the starting point for fully rendered product imagery. Could we see product imagery creation become a part of the merchandising process, before any sample is ever cut or sewn?
  • The second part of that clip illustrates how powerful AR has the potential to be for categories of product that customers have a hard time understanding in e-commerce. In this anecdote we’re talking about handbags and the relative size of handbag has been a perpetually challenging thing to indicate to customers in traditional e-commerce interactions. The numbers are powerful here, very real improvements in return rates.
• Mark Duhaime of Orbitvu - Ep 78
  • One of the big concerns about automation is always flexibility, I think many photography professionals are really hyper aware of this. We learned from Photoshop Automations how badly things can go wrong if your automation interprets your instructions in a way you didn’t intend. But what systems like orbitvu are really automating is a bunch of non-value add steps that a photographer has to do manually today, with a lot of smart ways to avoid unintended consequences. The studio is still in control, but with more time to focus on producing and improving imagery. 
  • While an automated device might ot be right for every production type (today at least) I think almost any studio has space for one. Even the most high touch on figure studio often still has to shoot a box full of accessories that could be dealt with quickly and easily with an automated device. 
• Patrik Bluhme of Profoto - Ep 69
  • This was pretty big news in the industry, profoto is one of the leading brands of studio lighting and has been present in every studio I’ve ever worked in, and maybe even set foot in. They see the value in supporting workflows for many of their customers, and StyleShoots gives them a product they can bring to a studio and show them how automation can change their workflows. 
  • I really think automation for a lot of product photography is going to be big, if not in 2023 then beyond, and part of that is because we have a LOT of things creative production professionals need to focus their time on, and product photos on white maybe doesn’t need to be one of them. 
• Mark Milstein of Vaisual - Ep 45
  • This is obviously a topic that is front and center right now. As various generative AI tools have started becoming publicly available, there have been a lot of questions about how they work, what protections for artists should be in place, and how does this impact the human beings doing these jobs using traditional tools today. I think it will have an impact. But not overnight. We’ve spent 15 years building our ecommerce creative production processes to what they are today and just like any new technology, generative AI will have to be evaluated and adapted into workflows and processes that can keep this all organized. One of the things that Mark said that I found really striking is that he feels that this technology will make traditional art methods MORE valuable in the long run. I think there may be something to that. In the same way that we still value vinyl records after digitization of music, I think the photographer, painter, poet and sculptor will see the public’s value perception of their work go up. 

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Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We are in the holiday season where no matter where you go, you cannot avoid retailers letting you know what your friends and family probably want for their holiday gifts. Here on this podcast we aren’t doing a gift guide per se, but in this episode Lauren Stefaniak Smith and Kimmy Snow share with Daniel what they think makes a GREAT gift guide. 

Key Takeaways

• Determining assortment
  • Assess whether your brand / product line / ethos lends itself to something giftable (and don’t force it if not)
    • Makes me think about the VS product line of bras/panties v. sleepwear items like packaged PJs, robes & slippers, beauty giftsets
    • Gifting isn’t really a time to push a new product; it’s more a time to push your best sellers; either as single items or packaged as a gift set
  • Crafting a story through product is inauthentic & irrelevant – customers often shop for 1 gift item & this is not about building a cart
  • Assort into items that are truly giftable
    • Whimsical / aspirational: items the receiver would not buy for themselves; often expensive & luxurious
    • Thoughtful: often sentimental or personalized; typically are not quick purchases and require longer lead times
    • Practical: often the easiest and most accessible; tend to be less expensive
    • GIFT CARDS, you cannot go wrong with a gift card
  • Think about building an array of products that span a wide price range
  • Buy deep
• Reuse of catalog imagery
  • Here’s where you tell a cohesive story
  • Would err on the side of reusing ecommerce product photography, but would use this moment to shoot a guide-specific editorial/emotional moment
• Gifts you’ve received that you love, or other great gift ideas
  • Artist watercolor painting of a wedding photo
  • Le Labo Discovery Set
  • Vinebox 12 Nights of Wine
  • Ember Mug
  • 3D printer pen

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We’re getting into that time of year where we start reflecting on the past year. We at Creative Force have a year’s worth of product updates, feature releases, and bug fixes that we’re pretty proud of. In this episode Daniel sits down with Creative Force’s CTO Tejs Rasmussen, where we run down his top 3 releases of 2022. You’ll be shocked at number 1. 

Key Takeaways

• Tejs Top 3 Features in 2022
  • 3. Updated Category Management
    • This was a small but very important quality of life update that makes category management much easier for our users.
  • 2. Video
    • Creative Force made two releases that focused on video, initially releasing support for tracking and uploading videos, and then following it up with much more functionality, allowing for review & selection, mark up, external post processing, etc. 
  • 1. Property Alerts
    • Creative Force works by leveraging your product data to create smart workflows, but the smartest workflows are the ones that include a smart work force, and that's why Creative Force uses that same data to provide contextual information to your productions teams, when they need it. 
• Honorable Mentions
  • Delivery Matrix
  • Updated mark up for image notation.
  • Containers
• Coming in 2023
  • Planning
    • Scheduling, set and talent management, going into beta in 2023
  • Copywriting
    • Many studios have copywriters and other web team type roles that physically sit in the studio, having copywriting as part of your content production will allow Creative Force studios to expand their management best practices to other areas beyond imagery. 
  • Editorial
    • While Editorial was launched in 2021, expect to see updates that include the ability to collaborate even further. 

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Picture Instruments is a maker of automated imaging devices and software, everything from all in one studio solutions with automated product & lighting control, to plugins and stand alone software packages. Daniel had the pleasure of hosting Robin Ochs and Austin Timyan on the podcast for this episode, so they could share with him a bit about the origins of the company and where they see themselves growing in the future. 

Key Takeaways

• Picture Instruments began with one tool that Hensel encouraged the team to tak
• The companies growth has been organic, and a bit niche focused. Picture Instruments has built its features and software components based on the needs of customers as they come. Wine sellers, car companies and dealerships, and beyond. 
• While each unique customers solution is specific to them, Picture Instruments doesn't overextend on the customization. Features are developed that benefit as many customers as possible. 
• Picture Instruments also sells some of it's software as stand alone pieces, available to end users who need plugins for various types of work. 

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Does one size fit all when it comes to our content strategy? That’s the question we posed to todays guest, Charlotte Cole, Senior Director of Content Development at Farfetch. Spoiler alert, the answer is not yes. We discuss personalization, regionalization, localization and all the factors that go into an effective global content strategy. 

Key Takeaways

• Does one size fit all? No. It never has, but there wasn't many options to serve your many customer segments. 
• The e-comm landscape has learned a lot in recent years that points to this need. The political and social landscape does shape how your customers shop. 
• In fashion, we've often spoken about our customers in too narrow of terms. You need many more personas and subsections, or an entire shift in the way you think about your customers. 
• At Farfetch, content creation has become de-centralized in order to make better content for those customers. 
• Personalization is really a sort of catch all term in how the experience is built. While it CAN be, it's not only about getting an ad specifically for you or receiving a mailer with your name on it. 
• At Victorias Secret, personalization and regionalization are two halves of the same whole. It helps you get the customer to not just A shopping experience, but the RIGHT shopping experience. 
• DEI means different things to different cultures. What diversity means is different when you're in a predominately western culture vs. the other cultures around the world. 
• It may require another approach to branding. Build a system that allows many diverse team members create content that is ON BRAND while culturally relevant. 
• Translation is NOT the same thing as localization. 
• For global success in content strategy, you have to learn everything you can about your customer. 
• What's the ROI on creative? We still don't know but we're really REALLY trying. 

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In creative production there are many roles and skills that pull together to make the magic happen, and each of those team members have a perspective on how things shake out. One very unique role in creative production is the Hair and Makeup artist. Present on almost every production that requires human talent, the hair and makeup artist sees it all and is impacted directly by every other role. Joining Daniel for this episode is Cathi Singh, Southern California based hair and makeup artist, to talk about how shooting stills and video changes how she approaches her job, and the trends she’s seeing in the types of content being produced. 

Key Takeaways

• When considering how to tackle hair and make up for stills vs. video, there are considerations you need to make to ensure not only continuity between stills and video, but also how the nature of video changes what you can get away with.
• In stills production you can get away with a lot more because of the locked perspective and the fact that nothing moves. You can place hair elements where you need them, and you can use make up to cover things in stills that don't work in video.
• Art direction also should probably move toward more natural and product focused.
• As a hair and make up artist, Cathi must remember that she isn't selling her hair styling skill, but selling the product featured.
• How you approach the shoot for still and video has an impact as well, are you bouncing between stills and video or shooting stills on day 1 and video on day 2.
• Somehow we ended up talking about task switching, as related to stills and video.
• A challenge for campaign shoots in the future: reduce you deliverables per day by 10%, just to see how that impacts the team and quality of the work.
• Many shoots that Cathi is working on are shooting multiple vintage formats on top of digital

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

An interesting problem that many creative teams don’t think of as a problem is the static nature of the photograph. By their very nature, photographs are snapshots in time and making changes to that snapshot historically has been inconceivable, impossible. Our guest in this episode is Robert Alhborg, former fashion photographer turned co-founder and chief Product Officer of Looklet, a fashion tech company that challenges the idea that fashion imagery is static by nature, and is working to unlock a new world of capabilities and synergies between creative production and e-commerce teams.

Key Takeaways

• Looklet was founded 10 years, a fashion tech company that has deconstructed the process of fashion photography for big retailers and brands.
• Customers can shoot models and garments separately, even in different parts of the world, and compile those elements into an image that is hard to distinguish from a traditional photo shoot.
• These images become dynamic. You can take an image you love and replace the apparel within the image.
• Roberts background is as a fashion photographer, his experience taught him that scaling fashion photography is very difficult.
• With Looklet, you can maintain a smaller, faster studio and still produce high quality on figure photography.
• In this deconstructed style of photography, you can change out articles that maybe are out of stock or no longer for sale, and not have to reshoot because of these reasons.
• The main thing for Looklet clients is being able to try new things. A/B testing imagery, Personalization, Regionalization, etc.
• Looklet also enables broader options for talent. You no longer have to book the same models everytime you shoot, you can perhaps afford to book a celebrity model and then use those assets for a long time, changing looks as you need them.
• One of the challenges are e-commerce websites that are to rigid to allow for regionalization or personalization.
• There is a big opportunity for a forward thinking creative team to use a platform to its fullest capability.
• Looklet creates a new layer of cross functionality between studio/creative teams and ecomm/web teams.
• Looklets biggest challenge in the near future is balancing their own road map with features that clients want, and finding the right clients to take personalization to the next level. 

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Elle Mitchel and Arabela Espinoza, the duo behind Weekend Creative, have made a name for themselves as being fun to work with, producing great content for their client brands, and generally being excellent people. That’s not sheer luck, they run a business and have learned a lot over the last several years about how to run it successfully. We invited Weekend Creative to the podcast to give our audience tips on how they can set themselves up for success when working with an external agency or studio.

Key Takeaways

• When approaching a commercial studio or agency for work on your creative project, having a sense of budget and deliverables is a great start. 
• You should investigate the agency that you want to work with. Understand their body of work and style. Having an idea of what you like from the agency you choose makes it easier to get on the same page earlier. 
• Approach the relationship as a partnership. True creative partners where the brand provides input on what is important to the brand and the agency executes that in accordance with their style. 
• There are many practical needs to approaching the external agency or studio, but don't neglect the emotional needs. You should be excellent to work with. 
• Be prepared to be told No. Agencies are businesses in their own right, with values, capacity, ability to execute on certain things, etc. 
• Time and money can unlock a lot of great creative, but you have to respect that it requires that investment. 
• It makes for a challenging relationship if you contract with an agency or studio and treat them like an extension of your full time team. 
• Be a champion for your contractor, internally and externally. 
• It's all about communication. 

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

As we draw ever closer to the next big thing in e-commerce, the fog of what exactly its going to be starts to thin out a little bit. I feel comfortable saying with some amount of certainty that regardless of what becomes of virtual environments such as the metaverse, 3D interactions will become part of the e-commerce experience. My evidence of that is Ben Conway of VNTANA. VNTANA is a 3D infrastructure platform that enables management, optimization and distribution of 3D assets, both for the purposes of internal product development and design, and consumer facing applications such as 3D models of products they want to buy.

Key Takeaways

• VNTANA is a 3D infrastructure platform. VNTANA enables 3D capabilities across the entire lifecycle of the product or asset.
• VNTANA works in three primary areas of 3D asset creation: Management, Optimization, Distribution
• The platform allows users to work with 3D files across locations and workflows, and can even distribute those assets in customer facing e-commerce use cases
• VNTANA can compress 3D assets by 90% or more, to enable better management of those workflows.
• Many VNTANA customers are fashion brands, and they use the tool for multiple internal and external touch points.
• VNTANA started on the end consumer side of the business and found that they may have been too early for that, but their customers were getting a lot of value upstream.
• VNTANA has customer who saw return rates in some categories go from 25% to 8% thanks to the ability of the customer to understand scale in a more meaningful way.
• Ben sees a future where virtual shoe try on is everywhere, virtual clothing try on is available but largely for entertainment, but applying physics of fabric characteristics is used to help aid virtual try on and adds value in some ways.

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Reminder to use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

This Halloween Studio Nightmares is back for Volume 2. You’ll hear about Faye Garland working in a haunted studio, Christopher Kern and the case of the 0kb image files, Caitlin Andrews and the mystery party, Cathi Singh getting trapped, and the night Daniel Jester stayed in a haunted hotel room.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

As an elder millennial Daniel still finds himself awestruck at the technology that we have available to us in our phones. Literally at our fingertips. As a career product photographer, Daniel has tried every iphone app that professes to be able to remove the background from an image, and they have always fallen short of being a serious tool. This is actually true of not just apps, but plugins and even some native photoshop features. Photoshop select and mask is still somehow very easily fooled by tones that are too similar. The solution to this problem, for small businesses and independent creators, is pretty expensive. Hiring a retoucher or service increases the cost of producing images and lengthens the lead time exponentially. Matthieu Rouif of PhotoRoom, recognized an opportunity and knew the engineers who could solve this problem. PhotoRoom was born and has taken off very quickly. With close to 40 million downloads, and Matthieu has seen users of all types, from all backgrounds, all over the world, find a solution with PhotoRoom. 

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Use code ECCP to get your first month of PhotoRoom Pro for free! Thanks to the PhotoRoom team for the generous offer. 

Key Takeaways

• Matthieu was always interested in light and photography, and focused on the science of light at Stanford University. This was in the earlier days of the iPhone and Matthieu wanted to get into photography in some way, it made more sense to make apps for the iphone that supported photography, then try to develop hardware as well as software. 
• After some time working for GoPro when they bought the app that Matthieu founded,  he worked with some brilliant machine learning engineers to develop and app that could support the creative needs of small brands, independent creators, and other "Businesses Of Passion."
• PhotoRoom has grown quickly with a brilliant app that functions much better than most competing apps or features. In Daniel's own tests, PhotoRoom outperformed every other app and the iOS 16 feature 
• PhotoRoom now has close to 40 million downloads
• PhotoRoom uses AI to not only remove the background, but understand what it is you're selling, and help guide you to templates or settings that are optimized for what you're selling, the region you're in, and more. 
• PhotoRoom has observed many users like to use the app for personal use, and then discover that it is powerful enough to solve problems they have at work. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We’ve talked a bit about change on this podcast, how could we avoid it? Change happens faster then ever and most professional adults with any amount of experience have learned to expect that. But that doesn’t mean that the practice of change management should be be ignored. The opposite in fact. To keep your teams happy and productive during major changes, there’s a few things you can do to keep them from feeling unsettled, and maybe even thriving. Faye Garland, Group Head of Retouch and Image Mangement for THG Studios,  a UK based content creation studio joins Daniel on the podcast today to talk about maintaining a people-centric focus when it comes to change management. 

Key Takeaways

• Change management in the studio starts with determining that there is a need, for a process change or introducing a new technology. 
  • Learn to listen to your team, not just what they're saying, but the subtext as well. Sometimes asking for help doesn't sound like someone asking for help. 
  • Root cause analysis plays an important part of identifying the TRUE problem, so you don't further complicate the process by addressing a symptom. 
• Part of leveraging technology in an organization is keeping up with new features and tools that solve new problems.  Sometimes this is a dedicated team or an individual. 
• Gathering input from your team when possible, but be careful not to give too much weight to the naysayers. Someone needs to have the visibility to all of the dependencies and cost/benefits related to them, and push for the right solution despite some negative knee jerks reactions. 
• Be aware from the beginning of the process how well you will be able to support your teams. Training on a new system is as important as any other factor when determining what solution to use in your studio. 
• Be genuinely open to reversing a decision if it turns out not to work well. 
• Focus on People!

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Adam Parker joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast, which is really sort of an extension of the discussion the pair had during the Henry Stewart Photo Studio Ops forum virtual conference on September 27, 2022.

We break down what Flow production is, how it relates to studios, and what you can do to improve your studio processes once you understand this information. 

Key Takeaways

OK, so this seems like the right way of looking at things. What do I do now? 

If you are looking to improve your studio’s performance, here are some takeaways that are universal. 

1. First, be willing to try. 
   1. Important: “Willing to try” also means “Willing to fail!”
   2. In a studio, there are very few “one-way doors,” encourage “failure”
   3. Testing, iteration, and continuous marginal gains will always win out.
       
2. No step can be sacred. 
   1. The output of our work (imagery) is the entire point – not the process of how we get there
   2. Every step needs to solve a problem and add value - and this constantly changes
       
3. Find a technology that can support this. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Setting goals for yourself is one thing, but making a plan to achieve those goals is another thing entirely. Like many things in life, this is a skill that needs to be developed and Lauren Stefanik of Victoria’s Secret has some excellent advice for you on actionable things you can do to gain momentum toward your goals, and not miss out on the journey itself.

Key Takeaways

• It’s easy to set a goal like “achieve my dream job of the world’s foremost expert in Giraffe husbandry” but how do you break that down into smaller steps?
  1. Define the scope of your goal based on your starting point
     • Short-term: 0-6 months
     • Near-term: 6 months-2 years
     • Long-term: 2-5 years
     • Advise against goals that are realistically >5 years out – too many variables (internal, external) that turn these into chasing unicorns
  2. Determine if & how this new goal fits into the roadmap of your total goals
     • Aim for <4 goals at a time, <2 per scope
       • Warren Buffet’s 5/25 rule
     • “Shuffle the deck” based on what’s most important to you (prioritize)
  3. Break apart your goal into 6-10 bite-sized, achievable milestones
     • Recommend “non-traditional” milestones to promote emphasis on the journey and discourage fixation on the end result
       • Shy away from milestones based on promotions or salaries
       • This could look like “Gain my first direct report” as opposed to “Get promoted to manager”
  4. Build a plan that’s sustainable beyond the completion of your goal
     • Your goal most likely requires maintenance over time
     • To ensure you don’t become complacent or stale, develop a system for yourself that feels doable, repeatable, and can become part of your lifestyle
     • Highly recommend reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies to better understand your motivation style & what works for you (pulled the below from Gretchen’s website)

1. Give yourself the flexibility & grace to pivot as you work toward your goal

• What goal writing systems like STAR do you use? If you prefer a particular one, why?
  1. There are elements of SMART in the above explanation, however I recommend thinking about it this way:
     • BEFORE building a plan: Relevance (sweet spot between fat chance in hell & interesting, attainable diversification)
     • WHILE building a plan: Specific, Time-bound, Measurable
     • FINAL CHECK in building a plan: Achievable
  2. In my own life, I take a more organic approach to professional goal setting (as a recovering perfectionist overachiever… it’s what works for me)
• Is there a strategy for sharing your goals with a supervisor?
  1. Be open, honest & unapologetic about what you’re looking to achieve
     • Double-edged but important sword:
       • A good manager wants to see you grow & succeed, should help you understand whether your goal is achievable within your current team/company
       • The business may not need nor be ready for what you’re looking to achieve, so you must be committed to the goal as it could signal an end of your time with your current company/team
  2. Embed development into your annual objectives & goals (assuming your company has a formal process)
     • Your goals will naturally be a component of any mid-year & year-end review conversations
     • Should aim for a 3-6 month reassessment of your goals anyway
  3. If your company does not have formal goal-setting, take the initiative to create your own
     • ~3 business objectives
     • 1 personal objective for development
• How do you know when your goals need to change? 
  1. Your passion turns to obligation
  2. You lose the intent & purpose of your original goal
  3. A new goal means you deprioritize an existing goal
  4. Jeff Bezos’ Regret Minimization Framework
• How do you know when your approach needs to change?
  1. Assumes you still have a desire & drive to achieve the original goal you set for yourself
  2. If you’re not seeing consistent, measurable progress toward your goal you should reassess your approach
     • Understanding your motivational style is critical here
• How do you handle situations where your current role has goals that are at odds with your personal goals?
  1. The company you work for is a business – treat yourself like a business too
  2. Your role is a transaction between yourself & the company: you perform a service for them and they compensate you for that service
  3. Assess in what way your personal goal is at odds with your business goal
     • Can you blend the goals in a way that ultimately protects your personal goal?
     • Are you comfortable making changes to the plan (ie. extending the timeline of your personal goal) to accommodate your business goal?
     • What is required in order to allow for your personal goal?
  4. Decision point: Can you make it work or should you look for another role?

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

The Content Crisis. Danny Effron said it really well in this episode of our podcast. When a brand makes the decision to move into a new marketing space or channel, they quickly find out that requires its entire own set of assets designed to work within that space. This is why the content studio of the future needs to be able to adapt quickly, while still building a system that ensures accurate and timely work. Joining Daniel for this episode is Danny Effron and Polly Babcock of ShowLabs, a Denver based commercial studio that uses some of the most cutting edge technology available in our industry in order to meet the content crisis head on. 

Key Takeaways

• ShowLabs was founded by Danny Effron to help solve problems that retailers in the sports and outdoors space  were experience with content creation
• The Sports and Outdoors industry was a bit slower to come around on wholesale channels, focusing on D2C. They needed a way to leverage the new technology in the wholesale market.
• ShowLabs builds structure around the content creation process. They build a framework so that brands provide all the information needed to produce exactly the right content.
• "Content Crisis" Brands moving into new and different channels realize that they need to make content for each of these channels.
• ShowLabs was a test studio for the Creative Force integration with Orbitvu devices. ShowLabs has been able to streamline their workflow and ensure accurate file handling and naming with this integration.
• While the Beta had its issues, it's been quite successful.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Automated imaging devices have come a long way in a short period of time, both in terms of capability and the organizational understanding that these devices need to function as part of a system of tools and technology. Joining Daniel for this episode is Mark Duhaime of Orbitvu USA. Mark’s roots in our industry go back to the days of medium format film cameras, but his purpose now is working with studios to automate the parts of the process that can be automated, and help studio invest more time into the truly creative aspects of Creative Production. 

Key Takeaways

• Orbitvu was founded in Poland by the son of a camera shop owner who went to school for engineering. Combining those two parts of his life led to the automated imaging device that became Orbitvu. 
• Background removable was a critical element to this process, making the post production process easier. 
• Orbitvu wholly controls the systems, both hardware and software, which allows for incredible inputs into the algorithms that can dramatically speed up your imaging process. 
• Equipped with a turntable, Orbitvu in some cases can shoot all variants of your images automatically. 
• Orbitvu USA is a consultative company. They want to help your studio succeed first and foremost. 
• Templated workflows allow studios to really speed up work on set, while allowing the photographers to focus on the creative problems they need to solve. 
• Orbitvu wants to automate what we can, recognizing that studios have many needs and not all aspects can or should be automated. 
• Outside of Atlanta, Orbitvu just moved to a 5k sf showroom where you can see the entire device lineup in action. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Joining Daniel for this episode of the show is Rob Cohen of Vizio Imaging. Rob comes from a background in consumer products, where he experienced first hand the challenges of inconsistent or low quality product photography and the impact it could have on marketing and sales. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, in response to his customers needs and his own business seeing the impacts of the pandemic, he started Vizio imaging with an Orbitvu automated imaging device that he had brought to Israel a few years earlier. 

Key Takeaways

• Rob Cohen founded Vizio Imaging, based in Israel, at the beginning of 2020 after realizing he was going to need react to his business slowing down due to COVID.
• Rob had a client who needed product photos, and he decided to dig up an Orbitvu machine he had purchased years earlier to make product images for other projects. 
• Rob found that it took off. He found a niche within mid-level brands, straight product photos with varying angles, and staying away from the more subjective, higher touch work. 
• Focus and client selection are critical to success for new commercial studios.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We live in a golden age of LED technology. It's been said before on this podcast. Think back to the early years of LED lights for almost any application and you might recall that those products fell pretty flat. Whether it was LED christmas lights, LED consumer light bulbs, or light fixtures for the studio. Since that time, LED has come a long way, and for many applications is now the leading option in both quality and price. Joining Daniel to discuss this golden age of LED technology is Robert Magness, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aputure, one of the leading brands in LED fixtures for film and still production. 

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Henry Stewart Photo Studio Operations Forum - Virtual Event

Key Takeaways

• LED lighting has come a long way since the late 2000s, clear evidence of this is the history of LED Christmas lights. 
• Aputure was founded and is run by filmakers, who deeply care about its customers and what their needs are. 
• The future of lighting for video will be integrations and eco-systems. Expect lights to become the next thing that are enhanced by connectivity and the ability to integrate.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Kim Dirmaier of Burton Snowboards joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast and we discuss the role that location shoots with athletes plays into PDP imagery at burton and the complications that can arise and the organization required to manage so many inputs coming from all over the world. 

Key Takeaways

• Burton has started using more imagery from the field on PDP pages to help support sales and product photography.
• This presents some challenges to traditional studio and post production teams. 
• Images now come in from all over the world  as athletes are in the field training, competing and performing. 
• Art direction is impacted by this and has made concessions to make it easier to make selects for use on the site. 
• Post production teams getting involved in conversations early can help ease pains later on that may not have been 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Daniel is joined by Tim Dalal of Lifetime Brands. Tim is a longtime commercial photographer based in New York City. After an entire career running his own commercial studio, he took on a position as Adjunct Photography Instructor with LaGuardia Community College, along with a role as managing senior photographer with Lifetime Brands. Tim’s experience and observations on the industry make him uniquely suited to discuss with me what the future of the commercial photography labor force might look like. 

Key Takeaways

• With the current iteration of e-commerce creative production becoming a more mature industry, the need exists for some standards in terms of training, terminology, and compensation for experience. 
• This might look similar to cousin industries like film production, where there are distinct requirements to earn the title of the role you inhabit. 
• Imagine Senior Photographer is a standard role that means the person inhabiting that role has attained a certain level of experience as an e-commerce photographer. 
• Something like a governing body of e-commerce creative talent can pay dividend to both employers and employees for a variety of reasons. 
• Continued education for creative talent can also be a mission of this type of arrangement. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Key Takeaways

• Last time we talked, I had opened up the possibility of talking mentorship with you and we didn’t get a chance to touch on it. In your experience, how important is it to find a mentor?
  • The importance of a mentor is directly proportional to the importance you’ve set on your goals and your development
  • If you’re one of those “i’m just happy to be here” kind of people, a mentor will probably feel unnecessary to you
  • If you’re someone who has a target in mind (ie. I’m a manager and I want to be CMO someday, or I started a side hustle and I want to turn it into a full-time gig), it’s a critical component on your journey to your goal to find a mentor (or a few!)
• What should a person look for in a mentor?
  • Someone who has already achieved the goal you’ve set for yourself (NOT someone whose overall achievements are inspirational to you)
    • Meaning – if you have a goal to be a CMO, find someone who currently is or has been a CMO
    • This is NOT – I want to pursue X as a mentor because I think they live a really cool life and I want to be them
      • “Never meet your heroes”
      • Someone’s life & success often is not as it seems
      • It is incredibly difficult & unlikely to mirror your entire life after someone else’s
      • You’ll fall flat in conversations if you’re not clear on what you’re looking to learn
  • Someone who is/was in your industry or one that’s adjacent to yours
    • This leads to a natural progression of networking opportunities
    • Also cuts through the “language barrier” of having to over-explain your role/industry to glean meaningful recommendations toward your goal
  • Someone who is fairly accessible and open to continued communication
    • Goes without saying, but cold-calling a CEO of a Fortune 500 company probably won’t get you anywhere
    • Someone with limited time can be great for a one-time conversation (you can learn a hell of a lot in one phone call), but would not work as a long-term mentor
  • Someone with a communication style that matches your own
    • By this I mean – you both prefer meeting in person, scheduling phone calls, sending emails, etc.
    • If you don’t like talking on the phone and your prospective mentor keeps scheduling calls, it’s probably not going to work over time
• Have you been a part of any orgs that formalize the process of finding and having a mentor?
  • Once, professionally, and it was the worst thing in the world!
    • In one of my previous roles, it was a requirement for new hires as part of the onboarding process to attend quarterly “coffee chats” with a randomly-assigned mentor who may or may not be in your department
  • Mentorship has to be something both parties want to do & are ready for
  • And some of the best mentors operate outside the confines of a defined mentorship relationship
• Does/should you mentor change over the course of your career?
  • They can, but they don’t have to
  • Instances where they do change:
    • Your goal changes
    • Your mentor falls out of sync with your goals
    • Your mentor can no longer dedicate the time to you
  • Recommend having more than one mentor at all times:
    • Ensures you’re hearing a diverse perspective of experiences & insights
    • Ensures you’re not leaning too heavily on one particular person
      • Mentorship burnout can be real
• What are your best tips for early career professionals in this biz on being a good mentee?
  • Be thoughtful in your approach to learning from your mentor
    • Ask detailed questions, not a general “how did you do X”
    • Don’t ask something you can readily find on Google, but do use information you find as a launchpad to ask something else; ie. “I saw on LinkedIn you were at X company as CMO, what about that company made you want to accept that position there?”
  • Be respectful of your mentor’s time
    • Show the hell up if you schedule something
  • Remember it’s a two-way street
    • A good mentor is invested in your success
    • If they don’t show up to something you’ve agreed on & scheduled, consider walking away
  • You can walk away from a mentor if it’s not working out for you
    • We often have such high expectations walking into conversations with strangers, and occasionally it can turn out nothing like what you expected
• Do you want to shout out to any of your mentors?
  • My current manager, Pamela!
  • I legitimately think she would shy away from officially being called a “mentor,” but has been my guiding light in my career
  • She helped shape my approach to mentorship, personal development & how I operate in my role:
    • “Your value is not in what you know, but how you think.”

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

If you’re like many people, having grown up in commercial photo studios, you may not have spent a lot of time interrogating the history of your grip equipment. But for Martin Torner, who spent close to 20 years as a grip working on film and television productions before joining Matthews Studio Equip., it’s all about the history of innovation and serving a tight knit industry who values efficiency and safety. Martin joins me for this episode to talk about how it all started for Matthews, what it means to be a pioneer and innovator in your industry, and how social media and supporting smaller scale creators plays into it for this legendary equipment manufacturer. 

Key Takeaways

• Matthews has been in business for over 50 years, and was born from the extraordinarily talented key grips and electricians of the old days of film production.
• Matthews developed tools and systems for production that allowed for great advancements in how film productions were produced and much of that informs how we work in e-commerce photo studios.
• Safety is paramount at Matthews, and social media is key in getting that message out.
• Matthews has always been good at viral video, going back to the founder riding a dolly down his driveway to show what it was capable of.
• Matthews believes in servicing all creators, from the individual content creators to full scale bug budget film production.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

It’s not an uncommon idea that the tenure of a creative team member in an e-commerce studio tends to be short. 2-3 years typically. It’s easy to understand how this idea persists because creative production for e-commerce can be quite repetitive, and changing teams, studios, brands can help keep things interesting for a career product photographer or other creative role. What if we in the studio challenged this idea? What if we create policies and culture that encourages retention and rewards it? Easier said than done, but Josie Diamond and Daniel have a bit to say about it. 

Key Takeaways

• Often we think of the lifecycle of the creative in a studio as a full time employee to be only 2-3 years. We accept that and in some cases don’t really seem interested in changing it.
  • I believe we should be actively working with our teams to get them ready for their next career move, whether in-house or elsewhere
• What are some reasons that a studio SHOULD consider making an effort to retain employees beyond what is generally accepted?
  • High retention is desirable, especially when recruiting new employees. It’s an attractive pull, and even more so in such a competitive market.
  • Social media is also a strong tool these days, with a high likelihood of good and bad practices being shared - you won’t attract great talent unless you prioritize keeping the great talent you already have
  • Knowledge stays within the team/business, and true progress can be realized in longer term projects, process changes or business-wide strategy
  • Some studies have shown that it can take individuals up to 18 months to fully settle, build confidence and learn the ropes inside & out of a new business - if this is true, we’re losing all positive momentum just as it starts with every resignation
• Have you experienced any programs or policies that you felt helped retention for creatives?
  • Allowing use of equipment and space out of hours for testing & personal shoots
  • Including (& protecting) time for R&D in the job description - this applies to every role, whether its sample management, pre & all the way through to post production
  • COST days (Creative Off Set Time) - I’ve not experienced this myself, though have heard it mentioned enough times - it’s a great initiative, and relatively low cost if it’s planned in effectively
• What types of policies (official or unofficial) tend to hurt retention in the studio?
  • All starts and ends with budget - if there is no budget assigned to learning and development, you will risk your team departing
  • In today’s world - flexibility in terms of location, hours etc. Provide some flexibility for real life scenarios we all deal with.
  • Return to work plans for those on parental leave - I think this is a major area where development is required, especially for those roles that are based on site.
  • Removing any limiting policies in the employment contract that allow you to work elsewhere at the same time - cliché but the world today is a different place, and deterring anyone from benefiting outside of your organization isn’t fitting anymore - if it’s not a direct competitor and little risk to your operation, just remove it from the contract - your team will be happier
  • Image rights for personal work in employment contract - I once worked somewhere where the wording in the contract was so vague, that it stated any image created by the employee would be owned by the business - read your contracts! That business owns a lot of my pet portraits.
• For a studio that is serious about retaining talent, where should they start? (use this to talk about the interview and onboarding processes, in addition to everything else)
  • An honest interview process - don’t gear people up for a perfect workplace, you’ll risk losing your talent far sooner than the 2-3 years!
  • Proper onboarding - shadowing of all areas of the team and stakeholder teams in the wider business. Allow ample time for building relationships.  I think we’ve all been guilty of letting people come in and get on with it. It’s been a recent reminder for me to create an onboarding plan, not just for your full time team but also your freelancers! Super important, with the increase of hybrid teams.
  • Have no expectations of new hires for the first few weeks.
• How can you prioritize expanding the skill stack of your team
  • Do you have a sample support colleague who has a keen interest in production (for example), and can you make them some time to learn this from your existing team, and even support in future
  • If your workload peaks and troughs through the year, can colleagues flex in to different projects or areas to support in busy moments - providing alternative work experience for a future career?
  • In-house support, dedicated to coaching talent - recent job we saw (I think it was Farfetch?)
  • Actively discussing the issues of the world, and how you can implement change in the workplace to address them; whether that be DE&I, Sustainability or work life balance
  • Bring in revered external talent to run training sessions, or for teams to shadow whilst they work (agree this with them up front though!)
  • I can’t stress it enough to create flexibility wherever you can. If that means
• Can good retention help you attract talent?
  • ABSOLUTELY! We all know and have heard of great employers in the market, and I’ll bet they prioritise the development of their talent, so much so, that they want to stick with them longer term.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

If your studio has never managed a post production vendor before, the task can seem daunting. But with a little preparation and an understanding of your own studio KPIs, you can rely on the data to help build that relationship. That's one of the great things about data, it becomes that source of truth that, with some transparency and communication, clearly indicates whether the relationship is working or not. Adam Parker joins Daniel for this episode of the podcast to discuss how KPIs can support your vendor and your team in growth and process improvement. 

Key Takeaways

• Data and metrics can help ease the difficulty of managing a post production vendor, especially for the inexperienced studio. 
• It starts with understanding your studios specific needs. What is your expected SLA? What specific tasks need to be performed?
• Take a look at some of the industry leaders for Post Production and determine who fits your needs.
• Be open and transparent about your studio needs and how you expect the vendor to perform.
• Keep regular check-ins with your vendor and use that time to review performance, include the data points you've been tracking. 
• Use this opportunity to grow your own team professionally, involve them in the management process. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Patrik Bluhme of Profoto joins Daniel for episode 69. About a year ago, Profoto went public with an IPO and as part of that process, explained what their plan for future growth looked like. One area of opportunity that profoto identified was what they called “ecomm workflow solutions” That can mean a lot of things, but we now know that Profoto was interested in moving into the automation space in a big way. It was announced in early april that Profoto had acquired Styleshoots. We invited Patrik to come on the show and talk about not only that, but what else the future holds for brand. 

Key Takeaways

• Profoto has committed to making tools that support creating great light, including in the mobile space. 
• Profoto purchase StyleShoots in order to move more into automation, and bring the lessons they've learned as the industry leader in lighting, to other areas of the creative production workflow. 
• For Profoto, it's also about an automated solution that is consistent with other assets created. Profoto lights it all. 
• The day of this recording, Profoto had released the A2, a soda can sized flash you can throw in any camera bag. 
• Expect more interesting announcements from Profoto and Style Shoots. 

https://profoto.com/int/news-room/profoto-acquires-styleshoots

https://profoto.com/us/a2

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

There is an art form to asking your company for money or resources, and while business lingo changes and evolves all the time, right now that art form is called making a business case. It might not be a surprise to you that this skill generally doesn’t get taught in photography school nor is it wisdom passed among stylists while setting up the next look. It’s a skill that really gets developed on the job, and the opportunity to practice doesn’t always come up before  your thrust into the hot seat. Lauren Stefaniak joins Daniel on the podcast to help you learn how to make that compelling business case, and hopefully prepare you for a new phase of your career. 

Key Takeaways

• What does it mean to make a business case?
  • At its simplest: preparing, developing and presenting an informed point of view in an effort to persuade decision-making in your favor
  • They can seem daunting but on a micro level we do these every day 
    (“what do you want for dinner”)
  • Most people focus on the presentation, but that’s the smallest part of the whole
  • Iceberg metaphor
    • Preparing - 70%, 10 hours
      • Research the hell out of what you’re talking about
      • Look internal
        1. Who is your company today, tomorrow, yesterday
           1. Can you tie your request to the companies mission or values?
      • Look external (same & different industries
    • Developing - 20%, 3 hours
      • Distill it down into the most relevant & compelling info – 1-pager
        1. Format that works best for me:
           1. Current State
           2. Request or the Change
           3. Benefits
           4. Requirements/Key Enablers
           5. [Short-term Recommendation]
           6. [Long-term Recommendation]
           7. Known Open Questions
      • Use language that a friend or family member outside your industry would understand
      • Try to predict what questions you might be asked based on your information; assume someone will ask something you’re not prepared for
      • It can be hard to temper the desire to “show your work” but the details will drag you down & make your presentation less effective
      • Put the most relevant details into an appendix, 2 pages max
      • Make the document simple, use visuals as needed (must be pretty)
      • Present & gut-check your work with mid-level partners for their feedback & buy-in ahead of the formal presentation
      • SEND A PRE-READ 48-24 HOURS IN ADVANCE
        1. Remember: you’ve spent many hours in this detail & even more hours living this; for some of your key stakeholders, this will be entirely new info for them. Your presentation could fall apart if leaders are caught off guard when they’d prefer to be prepared
    • Presenting - 7%, 1 hour
      • Enter the room with this mindset:
        1. This is not life or death
        2. This is not personal
        3. These people are someone else’s family & friends
      • Ask to hold questions until the end – some questions will be answered in your presentation & Qs won’t derail the whole thing
      • Speak slowly & leave time for your audience to digest the info & what you’re saying (silence is okay)
      • Allow time for questions & be open, honest in your answers
        1. It’s ok to not know the answer – you can say “that’s a great question, i’ll find out that information and get back to you”
      • If you’re doing it right, the best metaphor to describe you is a duck gliding across a pond (graceful on the surface, paddling like hell under the water)
    • Commit to following through – this is when the real work begins
      • Send recap notes & next steps following the meeting

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

DEI has been a topic on this podcast before, we’ve recorded 3 episodes on the topic with Jessica Lopez in episode 52, with Karen Williams in Episode 47, and way back in episode 8 with Clair Carter-Ginn. While we were recording the live the episode at the Henry Stewart Photo Studio ops event in New York, we heard again during the Q&A session that this topic is still top of mind for many studio professionals. After our recording session in NY, Marc Katzin of Straub Collaborative and told Daniel about an effort that Straub was undertaking, a cultural style guide and defines DEI for Straub. Marc put Daniel in contact with Anna Schaum and they sat down to discuss this document, and what Straub is doing support DEI efforts across the organization, and how it impacts each employees day to day. 

Key Takeaways

• Straub Collaborative has been developing a "Culture Style Guide" since 2020 to help guide the cultural values of Straub and it's employees. 
• The process truly started in 2016 with the presidential election in the United States. The result of that election was a significant departure for contemporary American politics and created a lot of feelings in people across the political spectrum. 
• Straub noticed tensions in the workplace increasing, and experienced an uptick in negative interactions.
• Anna's background as a therapist helped her identify the need to give the team at Straub tools they could use to communicate and interact more effectively.
• As this was in progress, during the summer of 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis. This event precipitated a long, global conversation about race and racism, and we saw many brands and retailers expressing support for black Americans. 
• Following these events, Straub's customers were asking about DEI statements and to express their values. 
• The project really took off when Elizabeth Semple joined the Straub team as VP of Human Resources. 
• The culture team at Straub was developed out of interviews with employees around the mission and values of Straub. 
• The Cultural Style Guide is in 3 parts - Part 1 outlines how straub defines DEI. Part 2 covers inclusive language and part 3 covers diversity in model casting. 

Links

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Rhea Pappas joins Daniel to talk about the benefits and pitfalls of remote retouching. We learned some valuable lessons during COVID about how to operate remote production teams and there is a lot of benefit to widening your available labor pool and use remote retouchers. Really it all boils down to developing relationships based on communication and trust. 

Key Takeaways

• Trust and communication are critical for effective remote workflows. 
• Defining standards and then automating everything possible. This is an excellent basis for reducing waste in any process, but when dealing with remote teams it becomes and absolute necessity. 
• There are some challenges that need to be solved for: Color and Retouching Notes. Some notes and tasks can be standardized, but there are still one off requirements that need to be communicated IN CONTEXT.  Color requires a bit more finesse, hiring standards and training. 
• We've set it before, and we'll say it again: include post teams in all phases of the production process or input and improvements. 
• Daniel's Professional Tenet: Be aware of the work that you create for other people, and try to reduce it whenever possible. If you have to create extra work for someone you owe them an explanation. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We talk a lot on this podcast about the current state of e-commerce product photography. In particular, the studio process, where we control everything. All or most variables are accounted for and we have all the tools we may need to get the job done. Sometimes though, we have to take the show on the road. While most of us creative production professionals are no stranger to the location shoot, taking a dialed in studio process on the road is a bit different. Guest Don Reed of Saks 5th Avenue and Daniel each have stories of situations where they needed to take the show on the road in order to get the job done. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

This is episode 64 of the e-commerce content creation podcast and Daniel is unpacking his terrible fear of changing technology with Conrad Sanderson. If there’s anyone who understands the relationship between change and fear, it’s probably Conrad, while he’s not a licensed therapist or anything, his career has spanned many changes in the technology that drives our industry and his job has taken him halfway around the world, moving back and forth across the US, and now across the Atlantic to Germany. We unpack the fears that creep up when we start to talk about what the future holds for creative production teams, and how we can meet them rationally, and see them for what they are, an opportunity.

The instagram account Daniel reference's in the episode belongs to Peter Tarka, @petertarka

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode Daniel is joined by Larry Gerrard, studio leader at Gymshark. If you have a pulse and are active at all on Social Media, we're certain that you’ve heard of Gymshark. An absolute favorite brand amongst fitness influencers, Gymshark has experienced incredible growth over the last several years, and we connected with Larry to talk about his approach to building the right foundation to make sure his studio team is supported. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Joining Daniel for this episode is Ashley Snarski of Medline. At Medline, Ashley manages the post production teams but with a bit of a twist, as part of the e-comm content team, and not as part of the production process which is more typical in our industry. Ashley shares with us a bit about how this org structure came about, and what impact it has had on their workflow and speed to web. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

On May 4th 2022 The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast was recorded in front of a LIVE audience at Photo Studio Operations 2022 in New York City hosted by Henry Stewart Events. Recording an episode in front of a live audience is something we have wanted to do since virtually day one of this show, and this event in New York was the perfect opportunity. David Hice of Aritzia joins me for a second round as a guest and we dig a little deeper into some of the topics from his first episode as well as take audience questions

Key Takeaways

• This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Operations 2022.
• Daniel learned not to clip his lav mic to a name badge lanyard, sorry Calvin.
• Know you KPIs! A project managers mindset for the studio requires a deep understanding of the capabilities of your studio and how that capability impacts studio KPIs. 
• Granularity in your metrics can be difficult to achieve, but provide deep value to studio leadership in order to forecast production throughput. 
• This information can help inform the "Why." Why the studio can or can't do something, and help your cross functional partners understand the impact of the ask. 
• Insulating your creatives (to an extent) can help protect their ability to create without getting bogged down in non-value added processes. 
• We need to do a better job of learning what is creative and what is technical. Creatives sometimes get wrapped up in technical processes and mistaking it for a creative process. 
• Anything we can do to reduce certain touch points, and remove the possibility for parts of the process to fail, can help enhance the creative parts of the process. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Sean Arbabi joins Daniel on the podcast to talk about the relationships and disconnects that can happen between the studio and adjacent stakeholders. Sometimes you need a "zoomed out" that can help build fluency between departments and allow for more effective communication and facilitate problem solving. 

Key Takeaways

• Its all about inputs and outputs, and being aware of what impacts you have downstream, along with what upstream processes impact you. 
• Saying "I don't know" is powerful. You don't need to know and you're doing a disservice by trying to know
• The "Fake it til you make it" attitude can exacerbate this
• Real talk: The relationship between studio and merch team can sometimes be complicated. On this podcast we love our merch partners, but sometimes there is a lack of understanding of how a studio operates and that the approach to imaging requires the same type of project management as any other department. 
• When you aren't willing to say "I don't know" you risk oversimplifying someone else's role, and that can lead to friction and problems. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Project Management as a discipline isn’t exactly second nature to many studio teams around the world, but employing a bit of project management thinking can help inform studio stakeholder relationships, and set your studio up for success. David Hice of Aritzia joins Daniel for this episode to talk about exactly this. 

Reminder

You can save $100 off your registration fee for the Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Ops Forum 2022 in New York City on May 4 with discount code CONTENTPOD100. We will be recording a live episode of the show at the event. Hope to see you there!

Register Here

Key Takeaways

• Even in 2022, the idea of the studio as a magic box persists. Project management thinking and communication can help alleviate this. 
• A note on scaling - scaling can go both ways. Build process that can scale up AND down when the needs arise. 
• A clear understanding of KPIs and how to measure them is critical to the project management mindset. The studio needs to know what it can and cannot do and articulate that clearly. 
• Constructive feedback on the complexity of creative requests can be very helpful to stakeholders understanding what is or is not possible. 
• This mindset can also lead to allowing creatives to CREATE more than they manage. 
• The right tools can build fluency and unify the language in the studio. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

This episode features an event preview with Stacey Tyrell discussing her session at the Henry Stewart Photo Studio Operations 2022. Daniel runs down some select highlights in the agenda and then interviews Stacey about her session which will kick off the event. 

Reminder

You can save $100 off your registration fee for the Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Ops Forum 2022 in New York City on May 4 with discount code CONTENTPOD100. We will be recording a live episode of the show at the event. Hope to see you there!

Register Here

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Last week our episode featured some high level discussion about automation in the studio with Marc Berenson. This week Marc is back and he brought friends! In a first for this show we had 4 guests, the team at Stanley Black and Decker that Marc worked with to find ways to automate their repetitive tasks, and save time and effort. As Dan Berzak, head of this efficiency team,  tells us, it’s about leveling not only the playing field, but your own expectations on what you can do. 

Reminder

You can save $100 off your registration fee for the Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Ops Forum 2022 in New York City on May 4 with discount code CONTENTPOD100. We will be recording a live episode of the show at the event. Hope to see you there!

Register Here

Key Takeaways

• Building off of episode 56, we talk to the team that built a useful and accessible automation system.
• One of the keys to success this team learned is to make scripts and actions as modular as possible.
• Level the playing field, find the lowest common denominator. Don't get too specific.
• If you can get 100 assets 50% of the way to completion with automation, thats better than getting 1 asset 100% of the way.
• Leveraging tools the studio had already, the team was able to improve accessibility to images, speed up the review process, and provide updates in real time.
• The team learned not to overuse tools in each platform, so as not to bake in to many changes.
• Thinking of the entire process as additive is a great way to prevent overcooking your images.
• Marc theorizes that the future of Photoshop actions may be actions that are triggered by keywords or other metadata.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

We’ve talked a lot on this podcast about agility, scalability and automation. It can sometimes sound like a huge undertaking to pivot a large in-house studio towards automated processes. Automation doesn’t have to be a huge project. Automation can begin with the tools any studio is using today. Marc Berenson joins Daniel on the podcast for this episode to talk about some of his learnings during his time at Stanley Black and Decker, and what he’s been working on since. 

Reminder

You can save $100 off your registration fee for the Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Ops Forum 2022 in New York City on May 4 with discount code CONTENTPOD100. We will be recording a live episode of the show at the event. Hope to see you there!

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Key Takeaways

• Elevate the right people above the process, to assess the workflow, tools involved, and any existing scripts or automations being used ad hoc. 
• Build your automation like bricks in a wall. Make a good foundation and build from there. 
• It's possible to take automation too far, don't overdo it. If unexpected things are happening, you need a way out quickly. 
• Leverage the possibilities you have today. Then you standardize and now it's beginning to scale. 
• Stay tuned for part 2 with Marc where we meet the team involved in their scrappy automation efforts and talk about what they found. 

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Over the last year, we've learned a lot by doing this podcast. Discussing topics covering creation production, through all stages of the process and with key stakeholders, we've started to develop a better understanding of the evolution of creative production and that's helped us make some educated guesses about where the future might take the industry. Recently Daniel had the opportunity to discuss some of the history and future of e-commerce content creation with CBU Photography program's senior class, and in this solo episode of the show, he goes a little deeper on the industry of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Key Takeaways

• Creative Production for the modern e-commerce company is just starting to mature.
  • We are just now getting to the point where we have 10+ year veterans of these specific processes in the industry. 
  • Will we begin to see specific technical programs related to creative operations? Probably. 
• Brands and Retailers have realized the strategic advantage that their production processes represent. We are shifting from cost center to having strategic value, even in some cases to profit driver. 
• The future of e-commerce will be ushered in by the creative teams, the make up of the teams may look different, the titles may be different, but it will be todays photographers, stylists, digitechs, graphic designers and artists that usher in the next era.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

How much photoshop is too much? At one point does image retouching become dishonest or unethical? These questions in similar form have been around, since even well before digital took over photography. In todays world it can be hard to have a conversation on this topic that includes the kind of nuance required to really understand where the line is. Mercedes Castaneda joins Daniel for this episode and they do their best to deliver nuance and thoughtfulness in a roughly 30 minute episode. 

Key Takeaways

• There has been a persistent and passionate conversation about retouching in media and what it does to our senses. While it's hard to have a nuanced conversation about it sometimes, the answer isn't always the same, context is important. 
• Mercedes' rule of thumb is "Is this thing temporary?" A temporary skin blemish, and out of place hair, these are temporary and become distractions in a still image. 
• Consent plays a roll in how much change occurs in post, and what types of changes occur. When talking about celebrities, they may have a lot of control over the retouching and in some cases push for some extensive changes. 
• Even if you want to present a natural beauty in your photography, there are many reasons why an image still needs to be retouched. There are technical limitations to what a camera can see or what it shows us, that needs to be corrected in post because of how can impact perception. 
• Production constraints can also lead to an image requiring more post. A studio shooting a whole bunch of eye shadow colors, but only book 2 models and not every color may work. In this case you may want to adjust skin tones or eye colors to coordinate better with the product. 
• One good rule of thumb may be "can you explain why you changed this?" If you can answer it, you're probably in the clear. 
• Working with intention most likely means you will avoid being guilty of over-manipulation. 

Resources

Mercedes Castaneda on LinkedIn

Henry Stewart Photo Studio Ops New York

FLOW New York - Pixelz

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Christopher Kern is Program Lead and Assistant Professor of Photography at CBU in Riverside, CA. Chris joins Daniel to discuss the program, the students, the studio he's built out for teaching and chat about their shared backgrounds growing up in Riverside. 

Key Takeaways

• Chris' passion for photographic education stems from his own background, pursuing an MFA in commercial photography.
• CBU photography focuses not only on teaching students how to be photographers, but how to maintain and relevant and impactful portfolio in order to enter the job market as competitive as possible.
• "The magic is not in the medium [...] most of us are in love with photography because imagery that made us feel"
• Photography is a tool to investigate curiosities, build worlds, and  express ourselves
• CBU's footprint is about the same as USC in Los Angeles
• CBU Photography lives off site in an industrial complex familiar to many photo studio pros
• The program makes photography as accessible as possible to students from all over

Resources

Support the CBU Photography Program

Learn about the program

CBU Photography on Instagram

CBU Photography on Linkedin

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Art Director Jessica Lopez joins Daniel to go deep on inclusive casting for e-commerce. The discussion ranges from the current state of inclusiveness in e-commerce media, to the ground we have yet to cover, to what future technology might enable for shoppers of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and needs. 

Key Takeaways

• Inclusion has become a much bigger topic in recent years, but we can really expand and embrace a broader definition of inclusive.
• Some brands have been at the forefront of inclusion and going so far as to give the user a choice of what skin tone and body type they would like to see. 
• While there are some agencies that specialize in adaptive model talent, they are few and there is an opportunity for new agencies in the industry that can advance this effort. 
• Campaigns have often used non-traditional models, but sometimes it can be seen as tokenism, especially when the product offering is inaccessible to certain people or communities, or its used to generate buzz. 
• Ecomm is still often left out of the diversity initiatives, sticking with a certain type and size of model. 

Resources

Jessica Lopez on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

In this episode Daniel recaps the FLOW Event at Hudson Loft in Los Angeles. Creative Force sister company Pixelz hosted the event and organized an excellent slate of speakers. Daniel takes you through the day and includes brief interviews recorded onsite at the end of the event. 

Key Takeaways

• Are you using technology for technologies sake, or is it truly adding value?
• TROVE believes that people, products, and brands have stories, and stories are culture. Brands can capitalize on this idea as well as billions of dollars in resale revenue by controlling more of the resale of their products. 
• Sef Mccullough presented on the science of creativity and the effect that viewing imagery has on how our brains organize information. Daniel sat down with Sef for a few minutes after the event. 
• Benjamin Grimes, past guest of this podcast, presented on new and emerging technologies for the e-commerce studio. Fascinating to hear from Ben what some of the trends have been in equipment purchases over the last few years. 
• Ryan Roberts of Pixelz moderated an excellent round table discussion on planning from pre-pro to post.  Mercedes Castaneda, Erin Pederson, Jason Wheeler contributed. 

Resources

FLOW New York - May 5, 2022 - Save the date

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Mark Stock of The Very Group returns for a discussion on the future of relatable content in a post-covid world. Customers that were previously hesitant to shop online have become quite savvy over the last two years of almost exclusively shopping online, and our content has reflected the values that we all found solace in during a traumatic world event. Now that we seem to be moving past the COVID era, how do we as content creators respond?

Key Takeaways

• In direct response to COVID, many retailers and their studios did what they could to keep commerce moving, shooting at home, letting go of the perfection of the merchandised studio shot and embracing an aesthetic that was more real.
• Relatable and authenticity could be here to stay for a while, as the world slowly begins to open up again.
• Focusing on the customer journey, and being authentic could be a trend that we see a lot in e-commerce.
• If there's one thing we've learned, it's to be forward facing. Expect everything.  Be brave and try things.
• Video is going to be BIG for the future of relatable content.
• Data can help drive some relatable content efforts, but you have to be careful because data can lead to content that lacks emotion.
• Daniel made too many movie references.

Resources

Henry Stewart - Creative Operations London 2022

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

User generated content probably isn't going away, certainly not after it became a critical part of a content strategy for many retailers in the pandemic era. But the current state of gathering, processing, reviewing and approving UGC is manual, slow, and comes with risks sometimes. Vyrill aims to change that. Ajay Bam, CEO and co-founder of Vyrill joins the show today to talk about the platform they've developed that uses "in-video search" to tag user generated videos with the content thats in them, making the videos easily searchable for almost any enterprise or customer facing application. The implication of this technology are vast for the e-commerce world, so don't miss this episode. 

Key Takeaways

• Video isn't going anywhere. 700 million hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. More video content is being uploaded in 30 days than what major television networks in the US have created in the past 30 years.
• Vyrill solves the problem of how to catalog the actual content of a video, and then makes it all searchable. 
• Users can search from influencer or brand videos of a product they are thinking about buying, and search to find segments of the video that shows features they are interested it. 
• Vyrill has capability to crawl videos to find videos that feature a brand or product, and can gain key insights about the video that brands can use to leverage for marketing, product development and content needs. 
• Vyrill also has a platform that allows brands to license user generated videos for use on their website. 
• Vyrill also provides meaningful and deep insights into engagement into videos 
• For the record, we were not paid by Vyrill for this episode. This is genuinely a powerful tool with the possibility to dramatically improve your video marketing strategy and effectiveness. 
• Vyrill can also provide competitive intelligence, and find out what people like or dislike about your competitors. 

Resources

Vyrill on the web

Vyrill at Tech Crunch

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Positivity is a powerful tool. Keeping a positive attitude can make or break just about any situation we might find ourselves in. This is equally as true in a photo studio as anywhere else. Cathi Singh is one of the most positive people I know and as a result, is a beloved figure on every crew we've worked together (it also helps to be an extremely talented make up artist). Cathi and I discuss her approach to keeping a positive attitude on set, why its so important to protect our emotional state when creating content, and her go-to methods for keeping calm and carrying on. 

Key Takeaways

• Makeup artists have a special skill, to create a bubble of calm in an otherwise chaotic situation. In a photo studio, this is a valuable resource that should be protected. 
• Positivity isn't always being chipper and upbeat, a big part of developing this skill is to have incredible self-awareness and know how to read the room. 
• Even for the most positive person, a bad day can be really bad. Have tools to help get you through, such as removing yourself momentarily from the situation. 
• Expectation setting can go a long way toward protecting an attitude of positivity. Ask the right questions and feel confident that the answers are clear. 
• Ego is one of the biggest killers of positivity on set. The crew must all work together to achieve their goals, there is no room for ego. 

Resources

Cathi Singh on the Web

Cathi Singh on Instagram

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in e-commerce has been a topic that we’ve wanted to explore on this podcast since almost day one. During and following the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020, many brands and retailers acknowledged the events by posting imagery in support of our friends and neighbors who’d had enough of not being heard. 

When I met my guest for this episode, Photo Art Director Karen Williams, I thought the conversation would focus on that, how diverse and inclusive was the content itself. It quickly become apparent that we needed to talk about the diversity of the crews creating the content. From there, it’s really hard to have the conversation about team diversity if we aren’t talking about opportunity also. Specifically, how we can create more opportunities for a more diverse team that makes our content better. 

Key Takeaways

• DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) are important in all facets of work, but with content creation, its important not to simply consider the diversity or inclusiveness of your model casting, or what appears in the media itself, but the diverse perspectives of the crew as well. 
• This can be a challenge, because people tend to bond on shared experiences and common interests. People tend to want to be around others with those common connections. This can create a challenge when building a diverse team. 
• The crew imparts a lot of itself on the content, and that can in and of itself create perspective issues when creating content. 
• It's hard to talk about diversity without touching on opportunity. Do opportunities exist in your studio for a diverse set of people to excel and succeed? Or even get a shot at trying?
• Building a foundation that creates opportunity can be very difficult, especially at legacy retailers or brands that don't necessarily have DEI baked into their policies. 
• Equipping managers to be effective moderators of conversation can be one way to ensure that diverse perspectives aren't being overlooked. 

Resources

Karen Williams on LinkedIn

How to Become a Diverse and Inclusive E-commerce Brand

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

It might seem kind of unusual to have an episode about Customer Success for our podcast, after all this is a podcast about creative production, not sales or SaaS or some of the other things you might think of when you hear the term Customer Success. But think about it like this. At the end of the day, customer success is really about asking the right questions, expectation setting, and continuous improvement. Being the person or team that asks “Why?” in order to determine what is the root cause and what is a symptom. Our Guest for this episode is Ryan Roberts, Customer Success Director, North America for Pixelz. We talk about all of these ideas, and we discuss how Customer Success connects with and overlaps other customer touch points, and what their ongoing role is in ensuring customers keep coming back. 

Key Takeaways

• What is Customer Success? In the modern age of SaaS style companies, customer success is about retaining customers beyond the initial sale, and making sure that your service is adding value to your customers, and retaining them for the long term.
• Definitions of success can change from day to day. It's about priorities and expectations.
• In a service business, success is deeply personalized by the customer.
• The modern take on customer success was born out of the rise of Salesforce. Salesforce realized that without retention, continually adding customers would eventually reach a dead end.
• It's not exclusive to software or SaaS. Anyone contract based business should concern themselves with the success of their customers.
• You're always in a sales position with a company like this.
• Customer Success is also about remembering to remove the bandaids. Use root cause analysis to drill down and uncover the why, to understand the correct solution.
• The goal for a customer success manager at Pixelz is to figure out how things can be better for a customer.

Resources

Pixelz FLOW Event

Pixelz.com

Ryan Roberts on LinkedIn

Customer Success

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Imagine a world where a creative director walks over to a workstations and says “We need a family, two parents and two kids, sitting down playing a game together.” The person at the workstation punches a few keys, adjusts a few things, and boom, out comes a unique image that is exactly what the creative director asked for. Not a mock up, not a set of casting photos. The complete image, ready for use because you already own the license. You paid to license the technology, the algorithm that uses an ever growing library of hundreds of thousands of images (which also have been properly licensed) to generate this unique imagery. Our guest for this episode, Mark Milstein is Chief Operating Officer of a company called vAIsual and with the tech they’ve developed you may not have to imagine this world much longer. 

Key Takeaways

• vAIsual is a company that has created an algorithm and interface that creates entirely synthetic "models." These people do not exist in the real world, and are available for licensing without the legal considerations that come with hiring a real world model.
• This technology can and will manifest in a lot of ways - SaaS, PaaS, and white label services are all in the future of this technology.
• vAIsual shoots hundreds of thousands of images of real people every year. These individuals have signed model releases that release the rights of their biometrics to the company in order to be used as reference for the generations of synths.
• The e-commerce photographer of the future may become something more of a synthographer, able to leverage their skills to generate content exactly in line with the creative brief.
• This technology could allow for the extreme localization of content, allowing global brands to easily represent the various demographics they serve.

Resources

vAIsual on the web

Mark Milstein on LinkedIn

Koreas First Virtual Influencer

These are the first 100% AI generated stock photos of people

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Kevin Mason of studio workflow is back for another round to discuss Process Improvement. We start at the beginning, how do we get the perspective we need to evaluate the process, and the how do we drill down from there. Spoiler alert, many recurring themes that you’ve heard on this show play into success process review. Not the least of which is how we set and communicate business, studio, and individual goals.

Key Takeaways

• A studio is an ecosystem of sorts, with a lot of different types of people and talent, and sometimes priorities compete. That's why leadership needs to sometimes make decisions that may impact parts of the team. Clear communication is key to understand and smooth improvement process. 
• Individual goals that align with studio goals that align with business goals are vital to effective process improvement or change. Teams need to understand the "why."
• Get a birds eye view of the process. A process map is a great start, but be sure to also walk the floor, and compare what you see against the process map.
• If your studio doesn't have a process map, just start documenting what is currently happening. Follow the product. 
• Offer opportunities to your team to Job Shadow. Your process benefits from everyone in the studio understanding what happens upstream and downstream. 
• A powerful tool to determine how current processes are functioning is to ask each task what a successful day looks like for them individually. 

Resources

Studio Workflow on the Web

Kevin Mason on Linkedin

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Think back to 2015 and you may remember, The Dress. A viral phenomenon that taught us a lot about how we as humans perceive color. As a photographer during that time, it sort of felt like watching the world learn a lot about what we already knew. Color can be deceiving and you never know what someone else ACTUALLY sees. In e-commerce, color is a constant topic, partially for this exact reason. If we can’t control what devices people are using to shop, let alone how their eyes work, how much effort should we put into this? In this episode I’m joined by Jean Francois Ortiz and Jason Wheeler of Columbia Sportswear and we dig into color for e-commerce

Key Takeaways

• Color accuracy and fidelity has been a topic since the birth of e-commerce and digital photography
• Color is so difficult to manage because of the sheet number of variables that are involved, both in terms of technology and how digital systems interpret color
• Early on in the modern e-commerce age, the available technology made color accuracy very difficult. Cameras were lower resolution and monitors couldn't display the full spectrum of color for web.
• As technology progresses, color accuracy gets easier to achieve but also becomes more important to pay attention to.
• There are stills issues even as technology streamlines, such as display brightness or features like night mode or blue light mode.
• The human eye only sees 3 colors of the spectrum and has to depend on our brains to interpret the colors. Who can say if we all see it exactly the same.
• A key goal of the studio teams shooting product photography is to help the customer trust that what we are showing them is true and accurate.
• For the studio, this becomes about simply having a consistent process that handles color the same way every time.
• Color accurate swatching - A step with special tools and teams that can take the time to create an image that is as color accurate as possible.
• Color is a headache that will never go away, but we can find a process that works and is repeatable in order to build consistency.

Resources

Metamerism - Two objects whose colors appear the same under a light source

The Dress

X-Rite Color Test

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Rob Regovich of Malouf Companies joins Daniel to take on the topic of planning for your studio in the face of disruption. We touch on the core challenges of planning for any studio, how your team and studio size impact the planning process, on how data and analytics plays a role in this. 

Key Takeaways

• The single biggest planning problem for a studio is getting the sample in the studio. Before any other factors caused further delays, simply knowing when the sample would be received was already difficult. 
• Studio size also has an impact on planning. How much capacity does a studio have, how much can a studio produce. 
• Balancing full time team, with the ability to expand with freelance talent can have an impact on planning and timing. 
• Consider your samples teams the lynchpin of your studio. Effective sample or merchandise coordinators must be fluent in the languages of all stakeholders involved in getting samples to the studio. 
• Experienced sample teams can get way ahead of problems before the issue hits the creative teams. 
• Data collection and planning are critical to planning. And you need GOOD data, that spans long periods, because outliers in production are often and have outsized impact

Resources

Rob Regovich on Linkedin

Malouf Companies on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Tejs Rasmussen, Chief Product Officer of Creative Force sits down to talk about the growth of the platform in the last year, and what 2022 may hold for the product and for the Creative Force team. 

Key Takeaways

• Creative Force launched a brand new module for editorial production, built from the ground up and put the company right back in the chaos of learning what works and what doesn't
• There were many updates to Creative Force in 2021 that were intended to enhance the logic of the platform. 
• A big workflow update to Creative Force is color reference logic, which is now best in class in creative production. 
• Conditional Style Guides and Production Types was a big improvement over the previous iteration, that allows for much smarter construction of a studios production needs. 
• Aside from the tech, Creative Force as a team and a company has grown a lot in 2021. The company was bought out by the founders, COVID impacted our ability to recruit so we had to pivot to growth in other ways. 

Resources

Check out past release notes from Creative Force here

Tejs Rasmussen on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Feedback is a gift. It can be scary, it can be hard, but when given in good faith it helps us learn, grow, and can make us feel good about the work that we’ve done. For this Christmas week episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, Daniel is joined by Terence Mahone of Farfetch to discuss the gift of feedback. Even though it can be hard, if the goal of the team is growth, it is absolutely possible to have a culture where feedback is welcome and appreciated. 

Key Takeaways

• Feedback is often thought to be exclusively negative, when in reality feedback can be a gift.
• Feedback at its core is information, and asking for more information to better form your opinion is valuable when giving and/or receiving feedback.
• Feedback should always be specific. Generic feedback amounts to a personal opinion and isn't always the best tool for growth.
• SBI - Situation Behavior Impact - A feedback format that encourages more meaningful information to help with giving GOOD feedback.
• Creating a culture that thrives on feedback changes how people approach cross functional projects or relationships
• Timeliness of feedback is crucial, if only because the more time passes, the harder it is to remember.
• Feedback can become a barometer for culture and communication in a team or org. If feedback is difficult, maybe there are some communication gaps that need to be filled.
• Like all things, we get better at feedback if we practice it. If you only give feedback a little bit once a year, you can't really expect to be good at it.
• we LIKE to hear things that tell us our colleagues believe in us, and want to see us grow.
• Difficult feedback needs to go through a manager, but peer to peer feedback can be really valuable provided the studio culture allows for it.
• Keeping a record of feedback can be important for a manager, to help facilitate growth, but also to give their next manager an idea of the accomplishments and areas of an improvement for a direct report.
• Keeping good records and meeting notes with your employees also eases the performance review process each year.

Resources

SBI Feedback

STAR Feedback Model

Terence Mahone on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com