#etclife

[etccreativeinc]

Harold Julian’s Blood Equality Campaign Wins 2 Clios

FCB Health and Harold Julian’s collaboration for Blood Equality has been honored with 2 Clio awards, for print and poster advertising.

The FDA currently bans the donation of blood by gay men. Harold produced a poster series to promote political action to change US policy. If you’d like to join us in our mission to overturn unjust discrimination of gay men for blood donations, make your voice heard here. 

[etccreativeinc]

Brian Steege - The Making of An Award Winning Portrait Series

Brian Steege’s compelling portrait series of adolescent boxers is featured in the current issue of PDN Magazine’s Faces Portrait Competition.

Award winning work often has its origins in the humble beginnings of creating PR assets for non-profit organizations, as was the case in this series. What is interesting about this series of portraits is that it almost never was.

  It all started when Empower Media Communications contacted Brian about directing a video for Fighting Chance, a charity that pairs boxing training with academic mentoring for at-risk kids. The creative ask was for Brian to capture footage of kids training and studying while voice over of the founder Megan Schmittauer spoke to the difference her charity makes in the lives of so many young people. 

While shooting video footage Brian was struck with the thought that it would be a missed opportunity if he didn’t capture stills as an additional visual asset. He immediately shared his idea to add to the creative brief and extended the shoot day to allow time for some some impromptu portraits.  As he left the shoot that day, he knew he had captured imagery that inspired him. The following day he scheduled more time with the students and an award winning portrait series was born.

  The finished video piece has more on the story behind Fighting Chance. Get a box of tissues to watch.

[etccreativeinc]

Jordan Lutes - Portugal Promo Interview with A Photo Editor

@aphotoeditor and Heidi Volpe interviewed Jordan Lutes on his Portugal promo.  

Read more on the photoeditor blog continue to read below:

Heidi Volpe: Who printed it?

Jordan Lutes:I printed through Overnightprints

HV: Who designed it?

JL: I designed it with the help of a few graphic designer friends I’ve been working with since college- they know my work and ideas as well as I do.

HV: Who edited the images?

JL: The images were chosen by me, all from a recent road trip camping and surfing through Portugal. Once we figured out the layout, the images were whittled down with the help of my reps at ETC. The goal was to show my lifestyle work, but also focus on smaller quieter moments to help let the piece breathe a bit.

HV: How many did you make?

JL: I had 400 printed, with 50 of those going to my reps, and another 50 staying with me for meetings and new friends

HV: How many times a year do you send out promos?

JL: Normally one big promo a year, and some personalized smaller ones to targeted people when it seems right. But this year I’ll be sending 4 since this promo is the first part of a new series.

HV: How did this zine come about?

JL: The Portugal zine is the first of part of a four-part series that will be hitting desks over the course of about a year, all centered on recent travels. I just got back from Jordan in the Middle East, so that will be the focus of the next one to go out. There’s already been a much better response to this than any postcard or poster promo I’ve sent; I think the zine has been a nice way to show a fuller perspective of how I shoot. I’ve been capturing a lot of motion on these trips as well -probably more motion than images actually- and working with an editor to turn each trip into a short travel piece as well.

[etccreativeinc]

ETC Creative Welcomes Stephen DeVries

We are thrilled to announce that photographer and director Stephen DeVries has joined out roster.

When you meet Stephen, you will automatically feel his energy and his passion for what he does. Stephen’s character is spontaneous, energetic, and even contagious. He is also focused on the details that make for a dynamic still life portfolio. 

These dualities enable Stephen to take a road trip to a distant location to unearth the spontaneity of a beautiful travel story while he is also engaged in the extreme attention to detail that is the mainstay of exceptional food photography.

[etccreativeinc]

ART + FEAR - Insights On An Inevitable Coexistence

We discovered the book “ART and FEAR : Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking” many years ago. It was written by the insightful co-authors David Bayles and Ted Orland. It’s an intense and thought provoking on why we become artists, what gets in the way of making art (hint- it’s alway boils down to fear), and how we can get out of our way and keep creating. 

To entice you into reading it in it’s entirety, we highlighted 6 quotes that get us thinking.

“Making art means working in the face of uncertainty; it means living with doubt and contradiction, doing something no one much cares whether you do, and for which there may be neither audience nor reward. Making the work you want to make means setting aside these doubts so that you may see clearly what you have done, and thereby see where to go next.”

“....those who continue to make art are those who have learned how to continue- or more precisely, have learned how not to quit.”

“Making art can feel dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.”

“Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending. The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end of the sentence at all- or having gotten there, you may not have said anything.” 

“Simply put, making art is chancy- it doesn’t mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.”

“In the end it all comes down to this: you have a choice (or more accurately a rolling panel of choices) between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot - and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainty. And curiously, uncertainty is the comforting choice.”

photography by Raina+Wilson.

[etccreativeinc]

FCB’s Blood Equality Campaign: Science Over Stigma

Harold Julian has been working with FCB on a series of portraits for the Blood Equality, an organization thats mission is to change the FDA ban of gay men donating blood. We wanted to know why agencies work on pro bono work and how they choose their causes. 

ETC: Why do agencies do pro bono work?

FCB Health: Pro bono work is in our agency’s DNA, and there are essentially 3 reasons: 1: To attract and retain the best people. 2: It elevates our game and forces us to think smarter and more stealthily. 3: We are humans. And we are lucky. We should be doing pro bono. We need to do it.

How do ad agencies select pro bono accounts that they want to work on?

Great ideas come from all over. FCB Health also created a “WHAT IF” initiative to proactively seek these kinds of projects. Usually it’s a passion project from someone on the team. A client or category often sparks an idea. Something in our lives or in the news strikes a chord.

How did Blood Equality evolve, or how did the project come to be?

A passion project from a team (Cameron + Marissa) sparked the original “what if” idea. It’s blossomed since then.

Tell us what Blood Equality is all about.

All blood is not created equal. At least that’s the message that gay and bisexual men are getting. Believe it or not, today gay men are banned from donating blood… even to a mother, child, husband, brother, or friend one… and even in an emergency.

Each year we turn away more than 600,000 pints of blood. Recently, a lifetime ban gave way to a new policy: gay men must now remain celibate for 1 year before they’re allowed to donate. So much for progress.

Every pint of blood is carefully screened – and it's time to put an end to a policy based on stigma, not science. There is no such thing as “gay blood” and treating it as something inferior cannot be accepted.

Blood Equality was created to spark dialogue, encourage scientific discussion, and accelerate the process towards a more rational, less discriminatory policy.

What does your campaign want to accomplish?  

Broaden awareness that a ban still exists, and accelerate the process to change the policy to one based on science, not stigma.

Has anyone whose taken part, or involved with Blood Mirror been effected by this discrimination or the FDA policy directly?

We all breathe the same air. Red blood courses through all of our veins. This policy effects all of us.

How large is the team of people that are assigned on this account at the agency? How large is the team if you consider everyone you’re partnering with?

It began as a small team, but has grown into a passionate tribe – at least a dozen at FCB Health, and 20+ including partners, notably GMHC. Everyone who believes in the mission can play a role.

With FCB Health being an ad agency specific to Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, was there ever any fear that challenging the FDA mandate in this way would have repercussions to the ad agency at large?

It’s an interesting question, but we look at it this way: taking a respectful yet determined stance for a belief is something everyone should be entitled to.

The campaign partners with a few people and organizations, including Jordan Eagles and his fine art installation piece Blood Mirror. Can you tell us how the fine art piece and the ad campaign are linked? Can you tell us about the other partners you have for the campaign?

Our initial research turned up a range of people speaking out on the issue. Jordan’s work immediately caught our eye. It’s moving, human and powerful. We met him, and were instantly struck – and it was Jordan who suggested we partner and launch an FCB Health Artist-in-Residence program. We’re lucky to have his passion and his thinking to help guide the effort.

There is a questionnaire you must fill out before you donate blood.  That questionnaire assumes that people are going to be honest. Do you have any insight on if the FDA has thought about the possibility of people being dishonest about their sexuality?

We can’t read minds, but we’re sure the fact that the questionnaire is based on “the honor system” was considered. It’s faulty, of course, on many levels. But the good news: we have screening processes in place to balance self-reporting weaknesses. Our opinion is that the question “are you a man who has had sex with a man?” is a remnant of antiquated thinking, and does not reflect today’s understanding of blood safety.

What were the steps you took, or are taking, to build the campaign?

The structure is in 2 parts: build broad awareness, and spark meaningful debate and discussion. Everything is being considered: from Film, television PSAs, amazing photography (thanks to the genius Harold Julian), social media everywhere, a “Selfie” tool to allow broad engagement, scientific panels, you name it.

How did you find the photographer?

It was kind of old school: an FCB Health agency producer has a relationship with an incredible photography producer/rep, they talk, and we discover the campaign strikes the same chord. Then we all agree to try to create something magical.

You have a lot of mediums for the campaign, digital, print, photo, etc. How was this the initial creative (Look/Feel) for the campaign developed?

The look and feel is all about the issue: deep crimsons and dark shadows. It’s the aesthetic of the issue. Jordan’s Blood Mirror work greatly influenced the campaign style overall. We feel it’s still evolving.

The first set of ads were released early in 2016 and more ads that are coming out later this year. How has the visibility increased to the cause since the web site and the creative has been released?

It’s early still. We’re pushing it all out there – but the focus now is on amplification. The issue deserves more attention. And more eyeballs are the way to spark dialogue and promote the kind of discourse that can change policy. June 14 is World Blood Donor Day – we’re gearing up to make it a true springboard for bigger/broader/better.

What is next for Blood Equality?

More film. More photography. More amazing things. More partnerships. More people with followings joining us.  And, of course, more pressure to evolve the policy to something that treats every pint of donated blood with the respect it deserves.

What does the word “Fearless” mean to Blood Equality?

Being true. Being courageous. Being relentless.

Agency: FCB Health

Creative Director: Rich Levy, Mike Devlin

Copywriter: Marissa Kraft, Kit Tang, Ysabel Cacho, Emily Dias, Rebecca Miller, Casey Ross

Art Director: Cameron Pollard, Arnold Calderon, Olivia Acerra, Alex Lally, Thomas Kwak, Kari Bocassi

Production: Matt Hall, Ian Smith, Cassandra Bull, Grace Na

Art: Jordan Eagles (FCB Health Artist-in-Residence), Harold Julian (Photographer, ETC)

Art Production Partners: Joe Lombardo (Agent/Producer, ETC), Philip Pavliger (ETC), and Erica Chadwick (ETC)

Account & Strategy: Jill Rossi, Phoebe Restrepo, Joe Fisher, Connor Jones

Client: GMHC: Anthony Hayes, Kelsey Louie

[etccreativeinc]

#ETCFEARLESS

April is upon us and therefore we have a new core value to explore this month with visuals, interviews and stories. But first, our introduction to FEARLESS. 

CORE: noun

the central or most important part of something.

VALUE: noun

a person’s principals or standard of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life.

FEARLESS: adjective

      1.  not afraid. brave.

The definition is quite simple, but being fearless is anything but. We would go so far as to say that it is one of the hardest emotions to muster up. To be fearless is to be free from the fear that holds us back from taking risks and creating. 

To be fearless is to understand that fear exists in human nature and it wears many disguises. Sometimes it cloaks itself in the disguise of confusion, sadness, shame or anger. 

When we are fearless we note those feelings and check in with ourselves and make sure that fear isn’t determining our choices and our actions. 

We recognize that it is our ongoing lifes’ work to stomp fear out so we can create. Creativity and fear cannot coexist. This is a universal law that the truth can’t argue with.

We created a mood board of our artists work to illustrate what #ETCfearless is. Whether it is taking risks with a new lighting technique, photographing athletes who train fearlessly, or photographing a model who seeks to redefine society’s definition of beauty - these are image that inspire us. To see more, visit our Pinterest board.

As a collective, we know the following things are true:

1. There Are No Rewards Without Risk.

2. Creativity and Fear Cannot Coexist.

3. Being determined, gritty, unflinching, adventurous, encouraged,   reassured, undeterred, emboldened, confident, venturesome, hardy, fun,     daring, or gutsy are all in alignment with being fearless. The best part of     being fearless is that you get to choose which synonym to be, when.

4. Be Afraid and Act Anyway.

We feel that it is important to note that we find ourselves to be lucky to work in a creative industry where our peers are fearlessly creating every day. Against all odds and distractions, our artists, friends, peers and clients create work to push the conversation forward about what it is to be creative. Carry on!

[etccreativeinc]

A Life of an Art Producer : An Interview with Cali Capodici

We’re excited to release the second installment in our series of interviews about the life and times of creative professionals in our industry.

We reached out to Cali Capodici, Lead Art Producer at DH Philadelphia to see if she could give us some insights into what her role is as an Art Producer. We also had the opportunity to ask her about upcoming trends, how photographers can get her attention, the highlights the best treatments she’s seen and the details on a favorite promo she once received.

A big thank you to Cali for taking the time to give us deep insight into the state of the industry from an art producer perspective.

What is your job title and how does that translate into what a week in your professional life looks like?

I am the Lead Art Producer for DH Philadelphia, NY, San Fran and our sister agency, Evolvr. I help out on a few other sister agencies so my week is very busy.  I’m juggling multiple productions, reuse requests and also trying to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the industry.  It’s different everyday, which is one of the reasons why I love my job.

What are the challenges in your job?

I would say staying organized and also trying to keep everyone’s best interests in mind. It’s my job to protect the agency and my client, but I am always looking out for the photographer and the rep as well. I take my relationships very seriously and I always want to make sure our requests are fair to the artists. I firmly believe that if you take care of them, they will always take care of you.

Staying organized, because there is so much going on. I’m running from one meeting to another, trying to put out fires or just keep things moving. My desk can get a little cluttered.

Are you seeing any changes in the industry?

It seems that a lot more productions are for multiple platforms: video, digital and print. Gone are the days of just a plain old photo shoot for a one off insert in a magazine.

What is different about working on a shoot with multiple platforms as it compares to a print only shoot?

The obvious stuff: bigger team, more players, more opinions and decisions. But also it’s great to see everyone collaborate and bring to life a campaign with multiple pieces that still has consistency in the look and feel.

Do you see any new trends that are presenting themselves?

Clients are loving moving portraits, that seems to be a big hit right now. And anything that can set them apart from typical print production, new ways to utilize these assets.

What makes a photographer interesting to you? Do you like seeing personal projects, a social media presence and the genre of work they shoot, for example?

All of that! I really love when a photographer has a passion project, something that speaks to who they really are. My biggest thing I look for in a photographer is to just work hard and be nice to people. If I’m going to be on production with someone, and as we all know it can be stressful. I want someone who can pivot and keep their cool, someone who is flexible and wants to get the best possible creative. I also want to know that they are going to take care of my team and I. We put all our trust and money into that one artist. I want to know they are a solid person and will deliver.

When you are in concept phase for a campaign are you already thinking of the artist you would like to use?

Absolutely, I like to get an idea as early as possible but I’m always willing to adapt as the creative comes to life.

How do you typically find a photographer that would be a good fit for a campaign?

From doing this for a while, I have a good idea or meeting someone new at Fotoworks. I also go to Reps sites and scour their artists. Honestly, I go on the Art Producers forum a lot and ask my peers. I love getting personal recommendations.

How often do creatives know the talent they want to work with for a campaign before you show them your suggestions on artists?

That’s one of the great things about working at DH. My creatives really truly trust me. They may send someone my way as a type of work they like, but they want me to send them the artists who I think will be the best. Then we make the decision together, as a team.  It’s one of my favorite things about the amazing people I work with. They value my creative eye and opinion.

With respect to budgets, when you receive a set of layouts, do you generally have an idea of where the quote for that photography will come in?

Yes, but that’s because I am normally telling my team where I think the costs are going to come in. So I can get a sense from my team if this is something they can afford to do or not. I always share my budgets too unless I genuinely don’t have an idea.

How often are treatments required for a photographer to secure an assignment?

Almost always, and honestly sometimes it sways the creatives decision. I have watched first hand how a photographer who was really just thrown in the mix to fill out a triple bid come to take the lead because they were so charismatic on the call and really took the time to learn the brand or the idea behind the campaign. They asked all the right questions and then delivered a stellar treatment. Every photographer should be EXCITED about a creative call. We are looking at you and believe you are the one with the eye and the talent to bring this to life. Remember, this campaign is often something that my team has worked on and fought for months, so if you aren’t really jazzed about it then it can hurt their feelings or make them completely uninterested in you.

What do the best treatments have in them that is compelling?

Saying thank you, saying you’re excited, talking about your work and why you would be right for this campaign. If you have a personal experience that you feel really sets you apart from someone else. And pulling in the right kind of photos for reference, even if they aren’t your own!

Do you work with the same artists frequently?

Yes, because I know I can trust them and they will deliver. Also, because I have strong relationships with them or their agents. I have certain expectations when I work with someone, I know everyone needs to get paid, but at the end of the day it’s really about building relationships. I love having people I can count on and they know they can count on me to have their back. That being said, I also love finding new artists. I think it’s important to bring in fresh work for my teams to see.

What is your preferred method of receiving promos from artists?

Just give me something different, something that makes me stop and look or makes me want to hang it on my wall. I also love anything with a good sense of humor.

What is the most memorable promotion you’ve ever received?

A few years ago for Valentine’s Day I got a heart shaped box with a magnum condom in it, I thought that was hilarious, it had all the Art Producers at BBDO talking about it.

Is it easy for a photography agent to reach you by phone?

No, please don’t call me. Just email or if we are close shoot me a text. I hate phone calls.

How many agent or photographer meetings do you have in a typical month?

If I’m not traveling I try to do at least two. I think it’s important to meet new people or show fresh work. I also just love meeting people and chatting about the industry. I love this work, so I love hearing other people’s stories.

You have a lot of portfolio shows. Tell us what stand out about the best of them?

Good food, someone who is present but not too in your face. Someone who is just there to have a good time and genuinely talk about how talented their artists are. I think when you are genuine and truly excited about your artists it really comes through.

Please identify a few ways that photographers/directors can make your life easier.

Just know that we are on the same team. I’m fighting for you, but I’m also fighting for my agency. It’s like I tell the students I teach, just work hard and be nice to people.