Lisa Matthews, Team One

So, to start, I wanted to know a little bit about Team One as an agency. If you could tell me a little bit about the culture of the agency. Is it an independent agency? Is it part of a larger group?

Well, it's part of the Publicis Groupe and Team One came from… many years ago broke off of what was Saatchi, having the Toyota account, and then when Lexus came into the U.S., then Team One was formed for that purpose. But we are sister agencies with Saatchi and we are parented by Publicis Groupe, which is a worldwide thing.

And how many art buyers are at Team One?

There are two other art buyers besides myself and one digital asset manager/junior art buyer.

And do you all work on the same projects, or do you work on different projects?

We all work on Lexus, Ritz-Carlton, Belkin, Reuters, a little bit of American Express.

And does everybody work with all the art directors at any given time?

Yes

So, they would know what projects were coming up, what was happening in that regard.

Yes.

And do you work with other agencies that you're affiliated with or do you just handle the work for Team One?

Just Team One.

Is there any particular type of client that you see this agency specializing in? Is it a Lexus, and a car, and then a hotel thing? Is that the specialty, or does that just happen to be your largest clients?

I've only been here a little over a year, so I don't know why they ended up having the clients they do. I know why Lexus, Ritz-Carlton. People probably would say, "Oh, Team One is a little bit higher-end because of the clients that they look for," but I think that we're trying to get away from that and be just more of a traditional, functional agency regardless of who the client is.

Where were you before?

Saatchi. Saatchi & Saatchi.

In Los Angeles?

Yes

And how long have you been art buying?

Like 20 years.

Wow! So, have you seen a big shift in your role and the job the way it is?

Yes.

And what kind of changes have you seen?

Changes going from decent budgets and photo shoots, limited usage, working with the same vendors over and over and over, having a very good relationship with them. Working in film, then working from film into digital–and no one seems to work in film anymore–so then going to digital, and then going into making sure that the photographer that you work with not only does the digital, but they do their retouching. So, when we fly people in, whether it's from Europe, or New York, or whoever to do the shoot, we don't fly in just the producer and the photographer, now we're flying in the retoucher.

Usage has expanded. Everything we buy basically is unlimited use, unlimited time worldwide, so that has changed. Budgets have become a lot more limited. At times, we're using stock more than when we would rather be shooting. So, there's been a large degree. Oh, and CG, CGI. That's become a huge epidemic over here as well.

And when you're using the retoucher, do you choose the retoucher or do you have the photographer choose the retoucher?

We have the photographer choose the retoucher. We just make sure that we're happy with who they choose, but we let them choose them because it sort of goes hand-in-hand.

How do you typically search for a photographer?

We'll go online. There's word of mouth. We work a lot with Saatchi, so since I came from there, we're close-knit with them. We might say, "Oh hey, who have you used lately," or vice versa. We tend to use a lot of German photographers here on Lexus, so we tend to go…

What is it that they bring that's different?

I think sometimes just the mentality and just the way that they approach the job is different. And I think it's just to shake it up a little bit.

Are there any current trends that you see in what you're asking for from a photographer in style?

In style?

Yeah.

No, not necessarily. I think it's just something that used to be sort of a moody kind of a look that we had here for Lexus, and now we're sort of trying to get away from that a little bit. Just making sure that they carry it through to the very end. Making sure that a lot of these photographers can handle CG as well. Expensive having prototype cars, so a lot of times we'll do CG cars and then have the photographer either create the background in CG, or in photography, and then be able to retouch the items together.

So, that might be one thing that you need to know about a photographer. Are there other things that you typically need to know about a photographer before you hire them that's important to you?

No. I think it's just what they're going to bring to the party, you know. Their excitement to able to work with us and do the job, and what great ideas they have to make the job even better than when we approached them.

Does the client list of the photographer make a difference to you? Like who they've worked with before, or just that the work that you're seeing that they do is right for you?

Maybe a little bit about the first one, but it's mostly just what they do and their style.

Do you hire illustration?

Yes.

I saw Flexjet was a client that you have that you've used illustration for.

Had.

Had. And then do you know how that went about finding that type of illustration?

No, that happened before me.

Does the fact that an artist has a rep, give you more confidence about working with them, or does that have any bearing?

Yes. And it also has a big bearing on who that rep is.

As far as like the process of negotiating and…

Yeah that, and just when problems arise. I mean if there's a lot of people that we've worked with, a couple of reps that we've loved dearly, and we'll always go to them to search for their photographers first.

Because you know the experience is going to be good and they're going to stand by their photographer.

Right.

Is there anything in the way that an artist promotes themselves to you that you find particularly helpful in getting to know more about them when you're looking at promotional pieces? Is there anything about the pieces that you think, "This tells me what I need to know to look further?"

I think if someone does their research and finds out what our clients are instead of just doing a random email or promo piece, I think it's helpful.

Do you look for CGI and retouchers?

Yes.

So, sometimes do you need to hire those separately, or because you want to get to know them in case the photographer's using them, or…

Sometimes it's just separate jobs that don't require photography, just CG jobs themselves.

So, you've been working with the car type of accounts… for how long have you specifically been doing cars?

The whole time.

So, that's an area that's changed a lot, the whole car photography industry, right?

Right.

What are some of the things that you've particularly noticed about it?

Well, again, where you used to have the car to be able to shoot, now because the prototypes are so expensive, you don't have the cars as much.

Tricky!

Very tricky. So, you are creating them in CG, so that's been a real big change.

And so is that done and then you bring that to a photographer to do people standing around it, or how do you combine those elements?

If the car is CG, we'll just create the backgrounds, and usually it's done by photography. Lexus doesn't generally have people in their ads, so we haven't had talent. Toyota, we had a lot of talent, but they really haven't done the CG cars yet, so…

When looking at a photographer's website to decide if you want to even consider them, what are some of the important elements that need to be on the site to help you know if you want to consider this photographer?

Probably just that he has really great work. The standards are pretty high here and people that I, in my past, thought were good photographers don't really hold a candle here. And it gets a little frustrating because I know they have the capability of doing it, but it's a high standard. So, you need to be able to take a look at someone's website and make sure that what they're providing to you is very inviting and makes you want to come in and see what kind of work they have. So, they need to make sure that their website is really, really entertaining that way.

And the production value that they bring that they need to show on the site is going to be important to you because of the high-end clientele that you're dealing with. Are you able to tell a lot from looking at the site before you even speak to the artist or the rep? Can you tell a lot about the photographer?

Well, you see a picture. You don't know how it was created. You don't know what part of that–maybe the photographer only did a portion of it. You don't know if it was CG or it was traditional. Again, a lot of times we need to make sure the photographers that we've been using this past year and in the future have both capabilities, that work with a retoucher, and also with a CGI artist if needed.

Do you call in the portfolios once you've chosen a photographer and you're considering them? Do you need to see their physical portfolio?

Not as much. We just usually… in the past we would take a portfolio to the client to try and sell that photographer and now we just generally direct them to the website.

So, you would send your client to the website of a photographer?

Yes.

Do you ask the photographer to also create a unique section for that client, or is that not necessary?

We haven't so much. I mean it's a good idea, and the capabilities of being able to do that, yes. When we have taken the portfolios down there we try to keep the client looking at only a few pages. We don't really want them seeing the entire book. We want them to focus on what it is we like about that photographer. It doesn't always happen. So, if they can narrow it down, yeah, that'd be helpful.

Are you getting photographers showing their work on iPads now?

Yes.

What would you think if a photographer sent you an iPad to look at their work, that they sent it by messenger or something, instead of a portfolio?

Nooooo. I think I'd rather the portfolio.

Okay. Is it that you don't want the responsibility of having the iPad?

Yes.

Because that's a question that seems to be coming up lately.

That's an interesting idea. Now as soon as the iPad came out, I would say within the next week, we saw one or two photographers and/or reps bring it in. And then now, probably three out of four are all iPads.

Wow!

Yeah.

How many direct-mail pieces do you typically get in any given week?

Probably about 10.

So, that's less than what you were getting before.

That's a lot less.

And then the pieces that you get, do you keep them?

Not many.

And does it matter to you what the piece is itself? Like the quality of the printed piece, if it's a postcard or if it's a really nice elaborate piece? Would that influence you about that photographer in any way?

No, not so much. I think that if people spend a lot of time on their promotional piece, you can go both ways. You can look at it and go, "Oh, they spent a lot of time. You know, really good for them." On the flip side you can say, "That was a waste of paper and a waste of time." You know, I'm going to look at it and then I'm going to recycle it.

And then you feel bad.

And then you kinda feel bad. There was one, one of the best promo pieces, was a gentleman that sent his name on a postcard and he sent a dollar bill and that's it. And he said, "This would have cost me at least a dollar to send this to you, so here's the dollar. Take a look at my website." And everybody went, "Oh my gosh, what a great idea." Everybody went to the website, checked him out. It wasn't somebody that we would use, but it was such a great idea to be able to do that. It was a dollar. It's not a big deal, but it was a dollar. It's like, "Wow! Let's go see who this guy is."

What about other unique kind of pieces? Has that ever been effective for you to notice the artist and say, "Wow! That's a really unusual promo"… that's not a printed piece but that's something else that they send out? Does that ever interest you?

No. There was a guy that sent us all… I don't know, about six months ago, a lunchbox. I don't know if you've heard about this one. And in the lunchbox there was multiple items in it. It was like $14-$15 dollars for him just to send this promo, and it was quite expensive, and everybody got one. And everybody went to his website. Again, somebody we wouldn't use, but that was a big chunk of change for him to provide that to get your attention.

And maybe it worked on a couple of people, so maybe he thought it was beneficial to him. For us here, at our agency, it was not, but it was fun to get the promo. But to his end result, he's not getting a job, and that's the idea.

What about email pieces that are sent to you? Do you ever go look at their websites when you’re sent email promos?

Yes.

And how many email promos do you get in a day?

30 to 40.

And do you ever keep those? Do you organize those anywhere?

Yes. I have folders on my desktop that I will have them in portraits, I have them in landscapes, car, people shooters, lifestyle, tabletop, and I just put them in the folders.

So, does it help you if the subject line says what it is?

The subject line never says what it is. The subject line will have something catchy so that you'll go to that email to take a look at it. So, you never know what you're going to get until you go into that email.

Would it be helpful to you if they stated that they're…

Yeah, I think so. Because there's so many that I don't get to, that I toss away because we have so many coming in and clogging up our email system that I just go through and start deleting them. So, I think if they got my attention by saying, "So-and-so car shooter, or so-and-so, you know, hotel," or whatever, I think it would be beneficial for us anyway.

It would be more relevant. When you click through and you go to the site, what in particular is going to make you want to bookmark that site?

If it is some really good work that pertains to the clients that we have, or just in general really good interesting different work, then I might share with… A lot of people in the interactive world use different types of vendors than we use in the traditional print world. So, if it's something really new and different and upcoming, I try to think of those people and will save those as well.

Is there a certain time of year that you're looking more for photographers than others for car accounts?

It used to be spring and summer, and now, because launches are different throughout the entire year, it could be all year.

Do you have more or less projects than you used to have for cars?

Here at Team One, less. When I was at Saatchi, there was 18, 19 cars, so it was a constant. Here though there are less cars, but some of the other clients keep you busy doing other stuff when the car season is on the lower end.

Right. So, you always have something going on.

Yes.

Do you tend to work with a lot of the same photographers…

Yes.

…or do you change them up? You have a lot of your regular base of photographers?

Yeah. Everybody is hard to please, and you know, you want to make sure that the rep is working with you and is helping with the negotiation, because the clients are all mandating this unlimited use/unlimited time, which you know a couple years ago you'd pay extra for. And now I think people realize that everybody's asking for it and it's just part of the deal. So, I think the rep is extremely helpful and the producers are very, very helpful.

Has that been challenging in trying to approach reps and photographers about this change of what's willing to be paid for usage?

Not in the last year. I think everybody was just really wanting to get the work, so they were just accepting a lot of the things that had changed, and some of it good, some of it not so good.

So, the mandate comes down and then you let them know and you say these are the parameters we can work with.

Right. And most everybody has done it. And it's been very beneficial to us because then our client's happy and they're happy with the work and we call them again.

How much influence does the agency have on picking the talent versus the client? Who usually has more say as to…

We do. The agency does.

How many different sites do you usually look at and give to an art director to choose from?

Well, we always have to triple-bid everything, so we always have to have at least three people. I would say probably 10 to 15 people.

And of those 10 to 15, do you find that you end up talking to a lot of them before you choose the three, or do you only ever talk to the last three that are actually being bid?

Usually about five of them. If we're striking out in terms of availability, then we'll start calling other people on the list as well. But the art directors generally have a pretty good idea of who they're really interested in. They'll be following their work throughout the year.

So, the art directors come to you and they have suggestions about people that they like?

We work together on that.

And where do the art directors find talent now? What are some of the places that they look at, that they find out about these photographers to even mention them to you?

All over the Web. Books, they'll get books. They'll hear from other art directors at other agencies. They'll visit sites that I know nothing about and come up with names that I know nothing about. So, it's constantly a learning tool because we're always learning about new people and new places.

What else can a photographer do to get attention from the agencies, have you noticed? What are some of the things that you think are important that they do or don't do, if they want to be considered in the future?

For us, we generally try to see most photographers unless it's really not relevant. If they are in town shooting and they're from you know, somewhere else and they call, we'd love to have them come in. I think it's very, very helpful to meet a photographer. Even if they're not from out of town, I think it's always nice to put a name with a face and just to sort of see what their personality is like and you know, have them talk to us about their portfolio and walk us through it. So, I like the one-on-one meeting.

You do. And what about the reps who come in and have breakfast meetings? Does your agency do that?

We do.

And do you find that that's been effective for finding talent?

Probably 30% of the time. It just depends on what creatives you can get there.

Right. But it does help to build a relationship with either the rep or the photographer?

Yes.

So, are there promos that you get that you don't find are relevant to the agency?

Yes.

What kind of promotional pieces would those be?

What type of photography?

Yeah, what type of photography?

Like food…

Would you keep those in a file so that you could access them later?

No. Food, hair and makeup, fashion–a lot of fashion–and that does not pertain to us at all.

So, you don't keep it even thinking that you might get that kind of account later?

No. I'll look at it. Unless it's something totally unusual, I might put it aside, but generally not. There's just not room it. There's just not room.

Do the different buyers keep their own material that everybody has or is there one central place that everything is kept as far as promotional material?

We have both. They keep their favorites and then there are bookshelves that we all… like the bigger books that we don't need multiples of, we'll just keep.

Do you follow photographer's blogs?

No.

Do you use Facebook to find talent at all, or LinkedIn, or anything? Do you use any social media to find talent?

No. They find me.

So, do you use any of that to ask other buyers about talent, or ask reps about talent, or do you do that on a one-to-one basis?

On a one-to-one basis. There is one job that I'm working on right now actually that we did find through a blog. He's a photographer out of New York, and so that's sort of my first introduction of working with someone like that.

But the art directors sometimes find people that way and then tell you about them, so there's a value to the artist to do that in a different way.

Right.

So, just one more thing. On the printed pieces, is it helpful to have a number of different images on the piece to tell you more about the artist, or would you rather one piece on a regular basis to remind you that that photographer exists?

Well, again, we mostly look at car people, and then if a car shooter sends me just a person and a landscape, that doesn't tell me who he is. So, I'm more than likely to recycle that rather than if he has a little bit of an idea that shows me that he can do multiple things, I wouldn't probably go to his website if I just got a promo that didn't pertain to me. But if there's something on there that did pertain to me, then I would go to his website. And phone calls are fine too. I mean I'm open to that. I know everybody works differently, but I'm open to if somebody calls me.

Right. And do the different buyers, do you all compare notes about things that you've seen out there?

Yes.

Have you ever found a photographer through a portfolio review? Like one of the public ones that you go to that the associations put on?

No. There's some that I've already worked with that I know. We're always being asked to find the up-and-coming, but again, I think that most of the reviews that I have done are photographers that don't pertain to me.

So, it sounds like you rely a lot on the reps as well to tell you about talent, and there's a trust factor there with the reps.

Yes.

All right, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.

Sure.