Week #5 – Promotion, Marketing & Selling an Idea

Assignment #4

Preparing to Make the Pitch

Prepare your pitch for your potential commercial/non-profit client by being prepared to present and discuss your idea for your projects. For next week course you will need:

• A prepared 3-minute presentation on the idea and job that you desire to do.
• Include illustrations, photographs which can help illustrate your intentions for the project.
• Bring a detailed estimate for the entire production, including estimate costs for pre-production, production and post-production. Submit the estimate as you would for a professional client.
• By week 7, you should try to have called to arrange for a meeting with your potential client to discuss the project.

Resources:

The guest instructor for next week’s class will be Tony Di Zinno. You can find out more about him and his work by visiting his website.

Week #4 – Time Management and Self Promotion

Assignment #4

Part 1. Time Management

Document your activities and tasks from Thursday, June 10 thru Tuesday, June 15. Make a detailed listing of all your activities including class time, research, shooting, writing, reading, meals, internet browsing, socializing, etc. Pay particular attention to those times when you feel you are spending time doing non-productive activities. Keeping a small notebook with you will help you keep an accurate record of what you are doing, though you can use software like iCal to help keep track. For class, bring a printed breakdown of your schedules for those days. Tally and note how much time you determine was spent on work that is helping your photographic career as well as what time is “wasted” on non-productive activities.

Part 2. Project Proposal

I want you to pick one of the 5 clients that you listed this week to whom you want to pitch a job proposal. Make sure to pick a client from whom you have a sincere belief that you can product a job for before the end of this term. For this written assignment please addresss the following points.

• The idea of the project and how it will serve the client and provide you to apply your unique approach to photography.
• A detailed estimate of the cost of of this project including pre-production, production and post production.
• An assessment of the total amount of time that will be required to complete the project for the client.

Resources:

The Myth of Multitasking – NY Times Article worth reading.

Interview with Nadine Brown – The Candid Frame

Blog Posting about Self Promotion – Nadine Brown

Brand Envy –  Nadine Brown company website.

What happens with promo cards – A Photo Editor

Week #3 – Fear and the Artist

Assignment#3

Part 1. Potential Client List

Put together a list of 5 potential clients that you want to pursue this term. These can be paid jobs or work that you will do pro bono. These five have to be work that you can actually pursue and complete this term and not something you might pursue after you graduate. Along with identifying the business or organization provide a brief synopsis of the photographic service you would like to provide. Try to create a project that builds on your strengths and provides you something you would really be excited to photograph and produce.

Part 2. Promo Card

Design and produce a promo card, which showcases 1-3 images and contains your contact information  (website, phone, e-mail). The card should be considered as a “leave behind”, a card that you would leave with a client after meeting with them for the first time or a card that you would give someone who was interested in finding out more about your photography. The picture, font, color scheme, etc should reflect some, but not all aspects of the mini portfolio you produced in class. The card can contain images that exist in the book other something new, but which reflects the style, content and feel of what you put together this week.  Print it on as good quality of paper as you can. Again, remember that presentation is as important as content. If you want to consider a sleeve or envelope for the card, I heartily encourage you to take it to that next level.

Resources:

Fear and the Artist – PDF notes of today’s lecture.

Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking – David Bayles & Ted Orland.