026: Liz Miller Gershfeld, Vice-President Executive Art Producer, Energy BBDO, Chicago

Liz Miller Gershfeld brings 20 years of experience to the conversation; she started in journalism and caught the production bug. Today, she shares a treasure trove of tips and best practices.

Key Takeaways

[:31] Heather introduces Liz and asks her guest to talk about who she is, where she is from, how she found her way into art production, and what important skills are required for this line of work.

[7:36] Art production includes so much more production than it did at the time it was called art buying, Liz touches on the paramount importance of flexibility in an industry where change is the norm.

[9:25] There used to be a quantity minded media model that had a digital cadence — daily, weekly, or monthly social media updates for which content is required — but this is changing and some studies suggest that consumer attention is more focused on quality assets rather than quantity: we may see a return to the hero image! But all of this requires a lot of buyer education.

[13:12] Some clients think in terms of cost per asset or that the media use is a good valuation of the work being produced — if it lives in a social environment it should be less expensive. But ultimately, everyone is looking for ways to get more for less and “nimble” and “efficiency” are buzz words that have become almost weaponized, a good producer must find ways to be both.

[15:20] Because of client expectations and needs, the conversations that happen before and during bidding days are critical to the project running to everyone’s satisfaction: everyone needs to be detailed and specific and transparent.

[16:58] Liz will triple artist on the basis of the look and feel of their body of work as it relates to the project but her budgets are tight enough that she usually provides the ideal — though often unattainable — number they should all aim towards. She also looks for photographers that will offer solutions.

[20:20] Liz mentions that for her, knowing what is the client’s approach to the project can inform the whole process, is it budget, quality, or quantity?

[23:50] Treatments are necessary for jobs that have any measure of creative interpretation — product usage, e-commerce usually don’t. She does see treatments as both an opportunity and a protective measure in the sense that they serve as an additional explanation of how that production will go, reducing potential surprises.

[28:10] Heather asks what stands out in a treatment for Liz, and aside from articulating how the shoot will unfold, and who the critical resources are and why; she likes to see that there has been some kind of mental modeling around the project. She explains what accountability she expects from the treatments she receives.

[30:03] Heather brings up the importance of a photographer having a reflexion on the brand they are bidding and looking for some kind of alignment in their treatment, but also looking at themselves and how they are unique in the landscape in order to avoid sounding formatted — “insert photographer name here.”

[34:24] Grabbing Liz’s attention goes through meetings, and she’ll rarely say no to one — but follow up with reminders of who you are on a regular basis, continue building that relationship!

Pro tip — There are a lot of decisional people: don’t leave a meeting without getting another name and follow up on that person also.

[41:11] Heather thanks Liz for coming on the podcast, and invites listeners to tune in for the next episode.

Thanks for listening.

In an industry where the rules are always changing, it’s helpful to hear from those on the front line. Heather Elder is the visionary behind NotesFromARep’sJournal.com; visit her website for industry updates, stunning photography and video, and the artists behind the work.

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