031: Kathleen Candelaria, Supervising Art Producer and Senior Art Buyer, AbelsonTaylor, Chicago

[:31] Heather introduces Kathleen Candelaria and invites her to share the path that took her from studying accounting to realizing she needed an art outlet to where she is today.

[5:05] Kathleen talks about the key skills that some of her mentors taught her: keep a cool head, negotiate with your team, and people will ask for the impossible. When things get tense, Kathleen just puts all her chips in transparency

[7:20] Kathleen and Heather discuss how experience begets confidence and trust and how important these are in a changing industry.

[9:42] Social media was a huge game-changer for the industry and meant that everyone had to adjust quickly, Kathleen touches on how it has affected her teams and work and how she chose to work differently as she gained experience with new technologies.

[13:24] Getting Kathleen’s attention starts with the work itself, it has to speak to her, regardless of the medium you choose to communicate with her. Don’t gimmick it up, make it all about the work and if you can get a meeting with it, it’s a good bonus. She is also partial to handwritten and handmade things.

[17:02] Heather opens up the conversation on creative calls and treatments — since they are the perfect place for a photographer to showcase their brand — to get Kathleen’s perspective on these two very different but complementary steps in the selection process.

[21:54] Kathleen does use sourcebooks and saved emails but she’s not so much on social media.

[24:44] Kathleen explains what found footage is.

[26:42] Photographers that are repped have much more valuable resources at their fingertips. Reps provide a broader experience, more producers and in general — for difficult projects — a rep provides some peace of mind.

[27:37] Heather has photographer listeners that fall into two repping categories:

1. I am up-and-coming but not repped.
2. I am experienced and prefer bringing things in-house.

Kathleen shares important tips for photographers in these situations as well as her experience of both.

[33:17] Getting a job approved starts with getting the budget and checking if the client’s ask is reasonable within those parameters. If the budget is inadequate, Kathleen will share it with the photographers so that they can get creative with their bids.

[36:00] Kathleen picks up on another change she has seen in the industry and it’s about client education; she shares her experience in that respect.

[37:26] Heather asks Kathleen a few personal questions:

• What she finds the most challenging in her job
• What she loves about her job
• Her favorite thing to do on a Sunday
• What would she do if she wasn’t doing this!

[41:33] Heather thanks Kathleen 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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AbelsonTaylor

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Kathleen Candelaria on LinkedIn