Dear Art Producer

Karen Lipker is Director of Creative Services at Davis Elen Advertising. She spent almost 10 years working in Photography and then branched out into creative services and production. Karen currently works on McDonald's, Toyota, Smart and Final and the Purity Coffee accounts.  Heather and Karen talk about the role of director of creative services, hybrid creative solutions using remote and in-perso...

Sari Rowe is Executive Content Producer at Snyder Studio and is based in Chicago. She's got 20 years of integrated production experience and has worked at several different agencies across the U.S. like Ogilvy NY, TBWA\Chiat\Day, RPA. Sari ran the production department of VSA Chicago before transitioning to executive producer developing and running the animation arm of Snyder.  Heather and Sari ta...

Chrissy Borgatta Liuzzi is Sr. Art Producer at Innocean Worldwide. She's responsible for print, digital and social media. She's worked on staff at agencies as well as freelance, so she has a comprehensive knowledge of photography, illustration and multimedia trends and styles.  Heather and Chrissy talk about how some jobs can be as important as a college education, working on the very first iMac c...

Aragorn Fenton is Head of Production at Motive in Denver. He works across a wide range of formats, including video, stills and animation. His career began in Australia and moved to the U.S. 7 years ago. His clients include Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Ruffles, Activa, Horizon, Burger King and Ram.  Heather and Aragorn talk about his initial interest in documentary production and film making, how he's know...

Sabrina Oliva is an Exec. Art Producer at FCB Health and is based in NYC. Prior to that role, she freelanced for 15 years with numerous advertising agencies in the NY area, including Publicis, Grey and McCann. She worked on many major beauty and luxury brands such as Loreal, Cadillac and Lexus.   Heather and Sabrina talk about the new rules for attending in-person portfolio shows, her path to beco...

Nikki O'Toole is a Sr. Art Producer based in Los Angeles. She has been working in the art and photography industries for nearly 20 years as a photo director, art director, photo producer, studio manager, agent and art producer.  Heather and Nikki talk about the paths people take to become art producers and what's involved in that role and the rise in integrated (still and motion) projects. They al...

Kat Tushim is a Creative Director at the Chicago-based marketing agency Upshot as well as a board member for True Chicago, a non-profit organization focused on supporting equitable development of young creatives. At Upshot, she leads creative teams with a focus on design and brand building. She's worked across various industries for clients such as Chamberlain Group, Starbucks, Bibigo, Corona and...

Carrie Nygren is VP / Head of Production at Laughlin Constable and is based in Milwaukee. She has been there for 27 years with previous roles including Art Director, Creative Director and Producer. Heather and Carrie talk about the value of working in a variety of departments in any organization, thinking about what the camera does, needs and sees, the importance of being nimble right now and how...

Rachel Perez is a Creative Producer at Leo Burnett and is based in Chicago. She is working on an array of clients such as Marlboro, PediaSure, Bridgestone, Nintendo and Reddi-wip. Heather and Rachel talk about remote shooting and the level of focus required, COVID shoot terms and conditions and what clients are asking for right now. They also discuss estimating and treatments, firm bids, cost cons...

Alicia Potter is founder and creative director of Faven Creative and is based in Boulder, CO. Her company's name is a blend of "Favorite" and "Haven" because it combines her two passions of Food and Design. Heather and Alicia talk about finding creative inspiration that isn't tied to your computer, how the e-commerce shift has influenced branding strategies, and how a brand can resonate and connec...

Mattison Becker is an integrated content producer with Digitas Health and is based in Philadelphia.  Heather and Mattison talk about the transformation of art buyers to art producers to integrated content producers, remote production during COVID-19, communications best practices and remote streaming solutions. They also discuss creating meaningful content within the current protocols, estimating,...

Will Chau is the Director of Creative and Branding at Whole Foods Market, where he oversees all aspects of marketing communications and design. Previously, he was a Creative Director at GSD&M, and he has created award-winning work for clients such as BMW, Southwest Airlines, Kia Motors and Kohler. His work has been featured in Cannes, One Show, CA Advertising, Graphis, and The London International...

Heather Black is a Senior Integrated Freelance Producer based in NYC. She currently freelances at 21 Grams with previous experience at such creative agencies as 72andSunny, Droga 5, Deutsch and Preacher on accounts such as Adidas, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google, Harley Davidson and Under Armour. The Heathers talk about production for advertising, the importance of mentors, the state of the industry,...

Jason Lindsey is a Photographer and Director on the Heather Elder Represents roster. Jason was a creative director in a previous life, and he shares how those skills help him navigate our new normal. Heather and Jason talk about creating meaningful content under Covid restrictions, researching safety protocols, streaming technologies for on-set and on-location (cellular internet, wireless hotspots...

Mark Seliger is a New York-based photographer and director who created iconic images for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. He has famously photographed A-list actors, musicians and politicians. Heather and Mark talk about how he began his career, falling in love with photography through its process, creating images through ideas and concepts, the role of access in photography success, tapping into th...

Steve Ross is Head of Production at Allstate in Chicago. He worked with McGarryBowen for years but recognized that the industry was changing and moved to Allstate where he's helping to set up their in-house agency.  Heather and Steve talk about the perspective of being on the agency side and the brand side, setting up new internal processes and structures in the time of Covid-19 and the limitation...

Adina Hilton is a Producer at Dagger in Atlanta. Dagger is an independent agency that recently won Silver in AdAge's Southeast Small Agency of the Year. And despite the pandemic, it is still growing. Adina produces all of the video and photo shoots at the agency, and her busiest account is the social work they do for Aflac.    Heather and Adina talk about the important role of mentors, taking your...

Jonathan Hanusa is a Producer at Bader Rutter in Milwaukee. He's been working as a producer, director and musician for over 10 years. His background includes broadcast commercials, web videos, podcasts, indie films and music videos. Currently, he's in a hybrid role as a traditional agency producer and lead producer for Bader Rutter's in-house production resource.  Heather and Jonathan talk about h...

Ally Godfrey is a Senior Producer at Mary Kay and is based in Dallas, Texas. She's on the global design team of global brand strategy and design, and she coordinates all still and video content for all Mary Kay global countries. Ally was formerly at The Marketing Arm and was also a rep.  Heather and Ally talk about understanding the post-production process with motion projects, set efficiency, bro...

Brenda Whaley is an Executive Producer based in Chicago who has been producing for 15+ years. Heather and Brenda talk about the path to being an executive producer, the art of delegating and hiring go-to staff as well as what they're learning while shooting in the time of Covid-19. They also discuss educating clients on new production protocols, how to control viewing shoots remotely, social dista...

Doug Menuez is a professional photographer based in New York, and Lynda Goldstein is a freelance producer with Pix Producers. They collaborated on a project called "Sheltering" following strict Covid-19 CDC guidelines with PPE and social distancing. Heather talks with them about pre-production best practices, production safety support, choreography on set, compliance personnel, finding talent duri...

Tim Tadder is a professional photographer based near San Diego, and Dahlia Weidmann is Tim's executive producer. Heather talks with them about estimating jobs and creating content within the Covid-19 protocols as well as sourcing shoot protocol information (CDC, APA, OSHA, etc.). They also discuss how Tim rediscovered his pure creative style when shoot sizes were minimized, creative collaborations...

Alicia Hansen is a professional photographer and Founder of NYC SALT , a non-profit organization which creates opportunities in visual arts and pathways to college for underserved New York City youth, by engaging them in a rigorous blend of professional photography instruction, one-on-one mentoring, college-preparatory workshops, and career exposure. Heather and Alicia discuss how the SALT youth d...

Tess Rockers is a Producer at Evolution Bureau (EVB) and Jennifer Davick is a Food director, DP and still photographer on the Heather Elder Represents roster. They recently created four motion spots for a cookware client, and they talk about how they did the production under COVID-19 restrictions.  Heather, Tess and Jennifer discuss the Create in Place online directory of photographers and videogr...

Karin Onsager Birch is Chief Creative Officer at FCB West  in San Francisco. She is creatively responsible for the Levi's and Clarks brands worldwide. Karin is also known for frequent wins at Cannes, the One Show, and YouTube Top 10. Before joining FCB West, she was in London at Blue Hive running Ford's advertising across Europe, and before that at Goodby Silverstein & Partners.   Heather and Kari...