An image shot in China from my personal series entitled Bodies of Land
As a commercial photographer, I have
had the opportunity to work with a tremendous amount of talented
creatives. I would have to say that most of them have had an impact on my
thinking and approach. There have been a few, however that I had the
opportunity to work with early on and still collaborate with to this day in one
way or the other, that I feel I need to call out as true thought provokers for
me.
Jim Carlton
I first worked with Jim when he was ECD on the McDonald’s
account at Frankel, a retail
design and promotions agency in Chicago, that later became Arc World Wide. His
group approached me about starting a relationship shooting for McDonald’s after
they had seen a promo piece I had sent them. Since that first shoot, I
have had the benefit of Jim’s trust and endorsement. His encouragement
and enthusiasm for me and my team’s work was uplifting to us and pushed us to
go beyond the expected. I have watched how Jim infects people with his
enthusiasm for ideas and get them to do their best work. He brings a
liveliness and friendliness to business interactions which result in more
creative thinking.
At this time Jim is transitioning
from being the EVP,
Managing Creative Director at Arc, Leo Burnett’s Activation agency in Chicago,
to CCO of Geometry NA, the world’s largest activation agency.
I had some questions for Jim:
1.What is your passion? Creativity. What excites
you about what you do?
People.
In marketing, many people
touch the creative and ultimately influence the outcome: clients, account,
production, planners, copywriters, art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers,
printers and programmers. Getting people to collaborate and align on an idea
and then protect and grow that idea thru final execution – pulling off what you
set out to achieve as a group - is what excites me.
Leigh and Jim in Hong Kong in for Simple Bold
2. How do you define Branding and how
does that fit into how your team/ agency brands itself. As photographers,
hell even as individuals we are kind of branding ourselves in social media. Is this what you in the agency world too?
Totally.
As individuals, we all want to be perceived a certain way – our best, way. First impressions are everything. But
sometimes circumstances or things we say or do can contradict that desired
perception. Nothing is more frustrating than being misunderstood. Branding is
that conscious effort of controlling how we (individuals, companies and brands)
want to be perceived – who we are and what we stand for. I’d say Donald Trump
is as aware of this as is Apple or Starbucks.
Jim on set in Hong Kong for Simple Bold Campaign
3. How is that changing as technology
is changing? I don’t mean specific technologies- I know everyone was all
about video and now they are all about virtual reality, but how does that
change your approach to what yu and your team do? You probably could
write a book about this, but is there a short answer?
Yeah.
Technology is making everything faster, more interactive and more accessible. As
a result, people are becoming more informed, savvy, and selective. Thanks to
technology, marketing isn’t so one sided anymore. But brands have to be much
more thoughtful with their message and how they interact in people’s lives or
be shut out with the click of a button.
Jim and Leigh with Creative Director at the time Matt Denten and Happy McDonald's client
4. To me, you are the ultimate team
leader. The one who inspires everyone to kick ass at his or her
job. Do you like that role? If so, what do you think makes you so
good at it? Do you think your great sense of humor helps with that? I have always loved working with your team because they know how to laugh
and laugh and have fun with a project. They know how to get through the
difficult times and keep rolling and being creative. That is an
atmosphere I try to maintain at the studio and you guys helped me realize how
important that is.
Wow,
thanks for that Leigh. Leaving Arc for Geometry has given people the
opportunity to tell me what they appreciated most about my run as Creative lead
for Arc. Overwhelmingly, the word protector
would come up - protector of the work, but mostly of the people. I love hearing
that because as a manager of creatives, I felt the best way I could add value was
to create an atmosphere of freedom and of respect that enabled people to create
the way they were most comfortable.
5. You seem really good at
selling off ideas and getting everyone on board with something- that is
something I respect a lot. Does that come easy to you?
My
dad use to tell me in high school what a great salesman I would be and it would
really irritate me. Over my career though, I’ve realized just how important
salesmanship can be and how far it’s gotten me. But that doesn’t mean it comes
easy to me. I can’t sell anything unless I believe in it. I learned
that the hard way.
Jim and his Creative Director Seth Guge hanging out with our digital tech in Hong Kong
6. What is the best project you
have worked on? What made it the best?
The
most rewarding project I’ve been a part of would be McDonald’s Retail Identity
– Simple Bold. We came to you 15 years ago because of your unique approach to
food and how it is photographed and your grasp on digital, which at the time
was a hotly debated topic – film v digital. What makes SB a standout is it’s
longevity, It has evolved over the years but the same principles we set out to
achieve then: authenticity, harmony and clarity, are still in place today. What made
it best was being able to launch the work in the US with you and then twice
bring SB to other markets like Asia, where you and your team set up a studio
and workshops for global agencies to observe how to shoot and execute for SB.
7. How do you come up with
creative ideas- how do you get your inspiration?
Creatives
need to be inspired. Inspiration comes from anywhere, music, art, literature, YouTube
or each other. One sure way I get inspired to do something cool is when I’m
presented with a good insight. Unearthing a human truth that makes you feel
something is like striking gold in our industry - it’s a gift on a silver
platter – and ours to fuck up.
8. Do you have a specific strategy to
pitching your clients with a new concept that you know might be a stretch for
them?
The
only strategy that works is don’t present something you don’t want the client
to buy.
9. What do you value in your “team
members?”
Talent
isn’t the only requirement when I bring someone onto the team.
I
look for people who are passionate about their craft, accountable to the
business and each other and most of all I value decent human beings.
10. What do you think the role
of photography is in the branding world?
People want things
faster than ever before. Content is exploding and technology gives us unlimited
access – we are a scrolling, swiping culture.
A photograph has
the opportunity to stop me in my tracks, take notice and feel something amongst
all the clutter.
2008 Simple Bold that I shot that was used for in store and national advertising for their new Asian Chicken Salad.
It was great to be able to use these kind of "story telling" props that showcased the premium quality of the food that McDonald's wanted to convey.
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