Dave Lewis, Fallon

I was hoping you could start by telling us a little bit about the history of Fallon, one of the founding agencies of Minneapolis that put it on the map, right?

Yeah, exactly. Twenty-eight years ago it started as a very small shop downtown and had a really small client base. The goal from the beginning was to out-smart, not out-spend.

What do you mean by that?

Client's money. Basically, it's about being as creative as possible and using as few resources as possible … but using the necessary ones to get there. To get the best advertising for their brand.

And that's been the style of the work of the agency over the years?

Yes. That's basically the founding principle of Fallon.

I notice when I'm looking at the website for Fallon, there's a lot of soul to the work. There's a lot of personality to the work, and I was wondering if that was a current trend in the industry or is that a style that Fallon is known for?

I see that as a style of Fallon. Obviously, there is a lot of creative work in advertising right now. But Fallon, from the get-go, wanted to be the best creative, smartest branding, advertising shop possible.

And based on that type of work, what are the typical kinds of artists you find yourself looking for, or are attracted to?

The artists we use are very diverse. Simply put, we just try to get the highest quality work we can get, and we really pinpoint and choose people for their work based on a project and also, after a creative call or two, to see what they can bring to the work. Not just to execute what we've shown them.

Are there any styles that you have trouble finding, that you think, “Oh, I'd like to find this.” But actually there aren't that many people who do that.

We have an instance... Yes, okay there was one job where we were looking for an aerial photographer of which there are plenty and of good quality. But for some reason, it took us a while to find the exact, right person with the work along with understanding their thinking for the specific project. And then we ended up not even shooting from a helicopter but chose someone who did. It was interesting. And then to flip that, sometimes it's not about how hard it is to find the right artist, but it's discovering someone who's done something new or that is new to us, where we're kind of blown away. And it's hard to find a second or third artist if we need a triple bid.

And do you find that the clients have a lot of input into the type of artists you find, or does that process usually happen here before it even gets presented to the client?

It happens here before it gets presented to the client.

Do you find right now that the agency is buying more stock than it used to, or is it still much less?

Actually, less.

Less? That’s a good sign.

There was one client that we had where we never had the time to produce photo shoots. Just the timing of their media buys was really quick so we almost always had to buy stock. And since they're not with Fallon anymore, and as our client base has grown, more of them are doing original photography than buying stock.

And then you can control the image as well, right?

Yeah.

And has the budget changed the way that you search for talent?

The market in general has dropped a lot. Our clients just don't have the money that they used to and we have to be very, very resourceful, and partner with artists and with rep agencies.

Does it change the way you might look at a layout to make it so that the shoot itself is more affordable?

Yes, it does sometimes. And then sometimes we'll put it out there and see if we can get this particular idea for the money that we know we have.

Are local photographers at an advantage or disadvantage at working with an agency in town?

It's our take that we work with the right artists. So, honestly, it doesn't matter where they're from. We have a great talent pool here.

And on any given month, how many different artists would you find yourself working with? How many different photographers?

Probably in the past year, I would say we've worked with 15 to 20 different artists.

Is there a preference to work with somebody you have a relationship with or to discover new people that you haven't worked with?

I like both. I mean, it's always great when you can work with new people that do a little bit different work. But a lot of times with clients, if we're doing repeat business we tend to use the same photographer just to keep things consistent.

And the way the market is, do you find your clients want to go with re-usage and stay with what their message is, or are they doing new messaging, which allows for new photography to be done?

Right now, we're at about 50 percent of that. There are some clients that have gone quiet for the year, and others that have purchased re-use, and then others that are still doing new work.

And at what point do you call in portfolios?

We call in portfolios when the concepts are pretty tight and probably a couple of weeks before we meet with the client.

And the portfolios that you call in, they’re the really serious players for the final presentation?

Yes.

Before you get to that point, when you are looking at a number of different artists, do those artists usually know they're even being considered? Or did they only find out if you're at the point of actually calling in a portfolio?

At our initial Web search, we start on the Internet and send the art directors and creative directors a bunch of links – 10 to 20 links. And unless they know who they want to shoot with, they kind of cull it down from there. At that point, we haven't contacted artists unless there's one or two in particular that they're interested in and we have approximate shoot dates. Then I'll contact them and give them a heads-up that they're being considered and check their availability.

So, it's serious at that point. A lot of people who might be possibly considered won't even know that because you're looking at their website, they don't get a call, they think nobody cares but actually…

…but actually we're looking.

Okay. And when you receive promos, which are the kind of promotions that resonate for you?

Mostly, I still am a fan of a single image or a small stack of cards or a little book. I like the visual ones, the ones that I get in the mail.

What don't you like?

Right now, email promo has gotten to a point… at first I loved it, and even six months ago I loved especially the HTML embedded ones because I could just look at an image, or five, right away, and throw it in a promo folder if I liked it. Or trash it if I didn't. But now, I’ve kind of reached the tipping point where it’s really hard. If I'm in the middle of a production week, I might get 150. Going back to look at those… it's really hard to find time to do that.

So, what happens typically?

Typically, they sit in my inbox until I have some real dead time.

So, you actually try to at least open them?

Yes, I try but since last night–when I walked out the door–I’d gotten 21 email promos before I came to the office at 10 [today].

And when you open them, what would be one that you like, that you think, "Oh, this actually helps my job." What do you see?

A striking image. It can be anything. You know food, lifestyle, fine art.

And when you go to the website, what is it about a website that makes it easy for you to search or find talent.

I really like when images are displayed fairly large. I like an easy-to-navigate site where I can flip through single images quickly. I also find thumbnails very helpful, especially when I'm in a hurry because if I'm looking for a specific style or a specific shot, you can browse thumbnails really fast.

What about tear sheets? How important is it to you to see tear sheets from a photographer?

For me, I am curious about what campaigns they've done but it's not a deal breaker by any means.

And what about production value, knowing the experience of the photographer, having worked on other big advertising jobs. How important is that?

It's very important that I understand what their level of production is. Now, it doesn't necessarily need to be super experienced, you know, four decades. But I need to understand what the lay of their land is and know the producers that they work with.

And what are some of the key considerations that you look at in choosing talent?

First and foremost it's the work, second is production value, and lastly it's price.

And how many different people are weighing in on the decision of which photographer to use?

Wow. Sometimes as few as 3, and sometimes as many as 8 or 9.

Do you find that the art directors are coming to you and telling you who they want you to call in? Or do you find … they’re asking you to call in who you want, and then they'll look from there?

I would say 60 to 70 percent of the time they have an idea of who they prefer to work with. But on almost every project we do additional searching to see if there's someone else out there to be considered. Oh, another comment, back to websites. It's really great when you can download a PDF of an artist portfolio. I'm curious about what the photographer's thinking is behind having really small images that we can't drag and drop onto our desktop. It makes me wonder if people really are stealing images and using them. But as a professional in the industry, it's so helpful when we can get a big image.

Are you sending links to the art directors with specific images or are you sending a whole site?

Both. Yeah.

So, if you're passing it along, you don't want it in Flash, right? Because you need to be able to hone down a specific part of the site.

Yes. It also helps when they're categorized because a lot of times the link will go right to that category, as opposed to having to tell an art director to click here, click there, click here, click there. If I have to navigate that way, then usually what I will do is pull images.

Do people come to see you with their portfolios? Do you have meetings where all the art directors come in?

Yeah. Mostly that happens with reps, where they come with multiple portfolios.

And do you find that that's ever been effective? Where somebody came in with multiple portfolios and then they left with one of the art directors saying, "I saw something I like."

Yeah, actually it happened in March.

Oh, good.

And we're going to be shooting with that photographer in September.

So that personal contact can also makes a difference.

Yeah, absolutely.

Do you find that you have to talk to the artist, or the art director wants to talk to the artist before you decide that you're going to actually finalize the job with them?

Yes, every time. We at least have one creative call, if not two.

What would a photographer need to know about how they're presenting themselves? What are the important things that you're looking at?

I think what the creatives are looking for is, first of all, [is the photographer] excited about the campaign? Do they understand the idea and what can they bring to it? How can they make it even better? I know that's very general, but those 3 things really mean a lot.

Is most of the work on location?

Yes.

So, it doesn't matter if the photographer has a studio?

No. Not to us.

And it doesn't matter where they're located?

No.

And does it matter if they have a rep?

No.

And what about the bidding process, what's important to you in how the artist bids the project?

An estimate really tells a story of how they're going to produce it. And so, at that point, as buyers, we're really evaluating what their production value is and are they putting enough money in the right categories. And honestly, I've got to say, like 90, 95 percent of the time, the artists that we work with are amazing.

They get it.

Yes. They get it. It's rare when you get an estimate and you're like, "Oh my gosh. We can't do it this way."

We're not working with this person.

Exactly. Or sometimes, it's like we really want to work with this person so let's get either their rep or the artist on the phone and talk again and try to understand what their thinking is behind the numbers.

How many different art buyers are there here?

We have three.

And do they work specifically on certain accounts or does everybody pitch in depending on who needs help?

We pitch in depending on who needs help.

And how do you like to be approached? Like, if an artist wants to send you their work, what's your favorite way of seeing their work?

Mail is my favorite way and sometimes a brief phone call is great. And then letting me know they’re sending something in the mail. Or just checking in to see if you got it. Or a heads-up that they’re sending me an email.

And how often should somebody be trying to contact you with new work?

I think every couple months is fine unless they're just incredibly busy and doing really cool stuff that they can share. That's rare these days... when people can do like a monthly update.

Right. And does everybody here share the information? Do you have a file drawer or bookshelf that everybody goes to, to look at what you have? How is it organized? Do they just keep their own material?

It's two different ways. About a year ago, we revised how we keep track of our promos and all of us pooled our absolute favorite things and categorized everything in notebooks: photography and illustration, and the style of it. And that's really helpful. So, if an art director is looking for, let's say a car photographer, we've got a couple of three-ring binders with tons of great examples that we've edited and that we feel are the best.

And you can end up keeping this for a long time?

Yeah, absolutely. And rotating things out, occasionally. We also have an electronic version, an Excel spreadsheet with links to our favorite reps and photographers. And we have all of those bookmarked by category in our Internet browser.

And how much illustration do you use?

I'd say that 30 to 35 percent of our jobs this year have been illustration, which is…

Wow, that's good amount.

…which is a good amount.

And how do you search for illustrators? Are there certain keywords that you find yourself looking for? How would you find an illustrator?

We have source books around that we keep. There are reps, obviously, that are dedicated to illustrators. Basically [it’s] the same way we would with photographers. We go to rep sites, we keep email promos and we have links to, I'd say, probably 8,200 different sites for illustration.

And what about designers, do you ever hire freelance design?

Yes. Most of that goes through the creative department, not us.

Does Fallon associate with any other agencies in other places, in other countries that you share ideas with?

We have offices in London and in Tokyo.

If you're looking for talent, do you find – as a resource or feedback – do you find yourself calling buyers at other agencies that you've worked with before … or reps … What kind of resources might you call?

I would primarily call reps or specific photographers myself. Usually when I call an art buyer, it's… if we're working with someone that we never worked [with] before and I just want to check in and see if they worked with them and how the project went.

And going forward, what's your sense about the usage of artists? Do you see any style changing in the type of artist you're using or how you're working with them? Do you see anything changing?

Most of the changes now, honestly, are money driven. I feel like … a lot of things are the same. Just keeping a production value as high as you can and as smart as you can and … working with people where their level, their quality of work is high.

Do you usually have the photographer do the finishing work, the retouching or is that usually handled by the agency?

Most photographers do their own. Yup, very occasionally we’ll use a separate retoucher.

All right. Great. Well, thank you very much for your time.