The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Summary

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

Summary

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

Takeaways

• 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

Summary

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

Summary

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

Summary

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

Summary

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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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

Summary

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

Summary

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

Summary

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