The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast

This upcoming weekend is Halloween here in the United States, and while some of our listeners won’t celebrate by going door to door with their kids asking for candy, we thought we’d put together this special episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast that we call Studio Nightmares. While there aren’t too many spooky stories that take place in a photo studio, there are plenty of embarrassin...

Summary Doug Wallstrom of Vera Bradley joins Daniel in this episode to share some stories that highlight the unique ability of the in-house editorial team to overcome the unexpected and get the shots they need to move the business forward.  Key Takeaways Agency relationships are quite important to businesses big and small. Similarly, the in-house team  has it's own strengths that can help a busine...

Summary In this episode Daniel discusses some take-aways and ideas following the Henry Stewart Photo Studio Ops Forum event that took place on October 5, 2021. Key Takeaways  Put more focus on hiring the right team, then focus on retention. The idea that creative full time roles only stick around for 1-2 years doesn't HAVE to be reality, find ways to keep your team onboard.  Employee turnover is w...

Summary Danny Rickard of Cella pulls from his experience in video production to discuss video strategy with Chief Moneybags of Brand X.  In past episode of this podcast we've discussed standing up video, and the need to have a plan behind it. In this episode Danny helps us understand that strategy doesn't have to be scary, and can leave room for flexibility and experimentation.  Key Takeaways You...

Summary In this "Deep Cuts" episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, we're rounding up all of the past guests of this show who will be speaking a the upcoming Henry Stewart Events Photo Studio Ops Forum 2021, on October 5th. No less than 7 past guests of this podcast will be speakers at the event and you can hear from them in this episode where we compiled a selection of clips. Key Take...

Summary This week Daniel is joined by Todd Schweikert, VP of Studio Production for Rue Gilt Groupe to discuss metrics and how to use them to support your team in day-to-day operations. Granular category level data in production can help you plan more accurately, but give you the ability to load balance when bottlenecks arise.  Key Takeaways Understanding what comes through your studio and how long...

Summary David Iscove, Creative Technology Practice Lead at Cella, joins Daniel to take a high level look at how editorial content production fits into the marketing landscape. From our bird's-eye view of editorial content production and it's interface with marketing at large, we talk about the current state of marketing. We touch on how our creative production specific technology should interface...

Summary Return guest Clair Carter-Ginn joins Daniel to have an open ended conversation about content strategy in 2021 and beyond. In a post-pandemic world, after many organizations were pushed toward remote and hybrid work environments, a given business or C-level leadership group is primed to explore new ways of doing business.  Key Takeaways COVID has given businesses and leadership a new perspe...

Summary In this episode Daniel talks with Scott Willson of Patagonia about the unique difference of an e-comm studio when compared to an Editorial production. In an e-comm studio, it's all about building a process and allowing that to drive the product, images and videos produced at the end. In editorial, you make a plan, but ultimately the variables are too many, sometimes without a way to contro...

Summary I, Daniel Jester, in my position as Chief Moneybags of Brand X, have retained Shanna Ferris and Benjamin Grimes to consult with me and my company in order to build video capabilities to compliment our stills production studio. Benjamin Grimes brings his insight as General Manager of Samy's Camera CinemaWorks and Pro Sales, while Shanna Ferris shares her wealth of knowledge from her experie...

Summary In this episode of the show, Heather Johnson of Rent the Runway breaks down her approach to elevating the creative for Rent the Runway. They wanted to help their customers understand what Rent the Runway can help them achieve, and slowly started to change the creative direction a little at a time, to help the companies assets become more agile, while resonating more with their customers. ...

Summary Adam Parkers returns to talk about reporting for your production studio. Adam is the author of KPIs, Reporting, and Dashboards for E-commerce Photo Studios found at CreativeForce.io/kpi-guide, and we talk about how to provide robust reports, relevant context, and key insights to all stakeholders inside of the studio and out.  Key Takeaways When it comes to senior leadership, serve your dat...

Summary In part two of Daniel's conversation with Lindsey, we shift topics to sustainability in the studio. What is Trove doing day to day in the studio to support the overall company mission of sustainability and what can we look forward to in the future as new technologies allow us to make better decisions.  Key Takeaways Lindsey and the studio team at Trove takes sustainability into account whe...

Summary For part one of this conversation with Lindsey di Ruscio of Trove, we talk about Trove's mission of keeping goods out of landfills and how that impacts creative production in for re-commerce. Stay tuned for part two, where we touch on what the studio does day to day to support the mission of sustainability.  Key Takeaways Trove views re-commerce as another sales channel that brands can own...

Summary In this bonus episode, we have part two of Daniel's conversation with Thomas Kragelund and Tejs Rasmussen. In part two we get deeper into Creative Force, and what Thomas and Tejs are most excited about for the future of the company.  Key Takeaways In order to tackle simplifying the complexity of creative production, you have to root cause many of the problems. Its no use to build a better...

Summary In this episode Daniel is joined by Thomas Kragelund and Tejs Rasmussen to talk about the background and history of Creative Force. Before founding Creative Force, Thomas and Tejs founded Pixelz along with Janus Matthesen. While providing retouching services to e-commerce studios, they learned that each studio had different methods for tackling the complexity of creative production, and of...

Summary Joining Daniel for this episode is Tracie Smith of Zumiez to discuss ways to build cross-functional relationships between the studio and other departments. As content creation shifts from being a service that is performed on a transactional basis, to a more strategic part of a businesses plan to capture market share, we need to build better relationships between the studio and external sta...

Summary Rob DiCaterino joins Daniel to discuss post-production at scale and how to demystify the process for key stakeholders in your organization.  Key Takeaways Post production is an often misunderstood element in an already complex process.  Post Production encompasses everything that happens to an asset after the production (photo/video shoot) has occurred. Post Production does include retouch...

Summary Curren Calhoun joins Daniel for this episode of The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast and we discuss his approach to identifying, implementing and supporting new and existing technology in your photo studio.  Key Takeaways Technology in your studio should be an enhancer. It should enhance your production process and allow creatives on your team to create.  Anything that can be automated,...

Summary Joining Daniel for this episode is Shanna Ferris, video production specialist and new member of the Creative Force team. We touch on some best practices for developing video content, engaging your teams across workflows, and how to create a unified presentation between stills and video.  Key Takeaways If you're trying to introduce video, take the time to strategize. Define your goals and e...

Summary Ali McLeod of Saks Fifth Avenue joins Daniel to talk about trust, transparency, and professional fluency and their roles in your relationship with your creative teams.  We discuss earning the trust of your team, building a culture of trusting each other, and how curiosity can help earn trust and drive professional growth.  Key Takeaways A key part of earning trust is to understand your tea...

Summary Colleen Devanie of REI joins Daniel to talk about agility and adaptability when complex processes are made even more difficult by business interruptions. We learn how to essential data is to make sure your process is agile and adaptable. As Colleen put it, you cannot be agile with guesses.  Key Takeaways "If you're doing it right, your content supports the business in more than one channel...

Summary Lindsay More Nisbett of The Line Studios joins Daniel on this week's episode to discuss how to plan for and successfully deliver versatile content that can serve many needs across many channels and the impact this agile imagery can have to improve customer experience. Key Takeaways Customers come to your site to understand your product. You can learn from your customer how they WANT to und...

Summary Carrie Crow of Hello Fresh joins Daniel to talk about some things she learned when Hello Fresh was acquiring brands and rapidly expanding, along with their content needs. We discuss how it's ok to get it wrong at first, and learning your lessons quickly. Carrie quickly realized that her team and space needed to be modular and nimble, constantly growing their skillset and capability while a...

Summary Joining Daniel on the show this week is Terence Mahone of Farfetch. When Terence took on his role at Farfetch, the directive was simple: Go out and create a culture of continuous improvement. We talk about the need for senior leaders to be willing to build the structures that can allow ground up engagement and idea generation. We also talk about the importance of fluency around a directive...