The question keeps coming up “so what are you up to?” so I decided to put together this very casual visual response. This is not intended to be a “Hellerstein promo” but more of a professional blog of sorts. Chances are that I personally directed you here, hence would like to dispense with formality and share what I’ve been working on. I'm also taking the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and observations about the business of Advertising and Commercial Photography.
Welcome
Do you gotta like it, to shoot it?
A true professional should be able to separate their personal bias from the need of his or her client and deliver the same quality product, right? A Lawyer for example may hate the person he represents and may even think they are guilty however, they have a duty to defend them to the best of their ability. A doctor must do the same. As a creative we
must tap into something on a deeper level. It is not quite as procedural. Sure we can record a decent image of that which our client wants us to but I’m talking about a much higher level of communication. Creating a visual that evokes a feeling or desire for said object. For the sake of discussion I’ll use food as the example. Many people don’t know that I shoot food. I love food so why not shoot it?
From a cookbook I did for the famous Rao's restaurant.
Formerly ZoneChefs home delivery, now ChefsDiet:
This brings up another interesting point - taste is very subjective. My ideal may not be yours or theirs. That’s where the professionalism comes in. I have a keen sense of what would appeal across the board (within reason). Am I going to get a vegetarian to eat meat? Of course not. Am I going to get the person who never much cared for oatmeal to maybe try it? …heck yes!
Of more importance than the relationship with the object is the relationship with the person for whom the work is being done. The commercial creative process is a partnership of sorts - people coming together with the goal of communicating something to someone for somebody. The best visual communication is derived from a place of purity. If the process is muddled with hidden agendas and power struggles, the final product will reflect that. Conversely, if you share a common goal, respect and support each other, and are open to exploration, chances are you will have a winner.
Do I love brake drums, processors or dental instruments?
Not really, but you wouldn’t know that from the final product. The people behind these projects were great to work with and it shows. Sometimes it’s not about what the object is but rather the object as a form, the surface texture or the contrast you can create through juxtaposition.
Smirnoff for JWT:
For Phillips razors:
It may be a visual pun, a hidden reference or just fun.
For Salem:
Reebok:
Wall Street Journal:
It would be impossible to be enamored with everything. As a professional creative communicator, it is my responsibility to find that which I can connect with on any given project.
Code Blue Jeans:
Then again, sometimes you just get lucky.
I have a friend in India
About 15 years ago, out of the blue I received an email from a guy in India who was considering becoming a photographer. I have no idea how he found me. He was very polite and the correspondence was well written considering that English was not his first language. I responded briefly, offering encouragement. Over the next couple of years, I received several notes often with a few images attached. Again, I would respond with encouragement.
I can remember telling others in the studio about it. They teased me for responding. I can remember so clearly; Greg my rep at the time said “What are you wasting time on this for, keep it up and he’ll be on your doorstep one day.”
May of 1997 was the last time I heard from Manik Roy, until today.
I received the following email:
To
Stephen Hellerstein,
New York
USA
Dear Sir,
As a Kolkata-based photographer, you are very much known to me whom I respect you very much. May be you remember that you have sent me a letter dated on 1 May,1997. I know that you are very much busy in your profession but I request you if you have time, please visit my website at www.manikroy.com and please send me your views about it !
Thank you,
Have a nice day !
Yours,
Manik Roy
Wow, is that cool.
It’s been 11 years! Clearly, Manik was ahead of his time. Today, a gesture such as this doesn’t seem near as bizarre as it did when he first contacted me. I know this sounds so cliché, but amidst all our techno advancement is a nice little story about two people who have influenced each other yet will probably never meet. I have to wonder if there was no internet or email, would he have reached out or even seen my work. Maybe. As I have in the past, I looked at his work and responded briefly and honestly. Although, this time I signed the note: with regards my friend.
Wouldn’t it be delightful if he did show up someday?
Heineken
I’ve been fortunate to work on some projects that have transpired in a less “traditional” manner. Truly, “creative collaborations” for lack of a better term.
Back in December of 2006 I got a call from a friend of many years, Jason Peterson. Jason and I have shot together for close to 2 decades. He is currently the CD at Berlin Cameron United. They were in the process of pitching the Heineken business. They already had Heineken light and wanted the bigger piece of business valued at $80m. It was down to them and Wieden + Kennedy (herein referred to as Wieden).
The pitch process had been gong on and on. Wieden had previous beer experience on Miller and well, Wieden is Wieden. Berlin had an existing relationship as they were already responsible for the very successful Heineken light launch. Realizing a considerable part of the media would be outdoor and print, Jason wanted to tip the scales and wow them with some real “eye candy”. He called me. We met. He explained that he felt Heineken had lost the cache they previously held. Their visuals got lost in the clutter of the beer category. Nothing differentiated them. My mission was to shoot the bottle in a way that we had not previously seen, to elevate the brand using a simple, elegant, classy representations of the bottle. Everyone knew what the bottle looked like…so have some fun with it. He went on to show me a picture of some snakes in a black box. “Something kinda like this…”
Ok…?
We looked at other reference and talked briefly before he had to run off. (This took place on a Tuesday). In parting he mumbled something about this being a little tight, they were presenting to the client on the following Tuesday… but needed some time to work with the visuals. He knew he could do this to me. He knew that I would not disappoint. I left that meeting thinking “WTF am I going to do?” First things first, I crossed the street and headed directly for Lupe’s (goodish Mexican food) for a combo plate. No sense getting all nervous on an empty stomach when you can be all nervous on a full one. Just as I was starting to formulate a plan, two other CDs from Berlin approached me from another table to say how much they were looking forward to seeing what I was going to come up with and how much they appreciated my help. Great. Just great. Not only was my reputation with Jason on the line, now it included a good portion of the agency. I wish I could say after all these years that I don’t get anxious, but I do, because I care. The day I don’t is the day to hang it up.
This story is starting to get a little long winded…
Basically the reference evoked a “ feeling.” The strategy for something different made sense and the time frame was what it was. I kicked into gear and started pulling resources and ideas together. I had one day before they would be coming to the studio. We shot for two days, with several ADs and emailing images back and forth for feedback. I’ll never forget one of Jason’s main comments, “Steve, cool it with the condensation on the bottle, it makes the thing look like a big dill pickle.”
Jason called me from the car on his way home from the presentation to the client. It went well.
Several weeks later, the entire business was awarded to Berlin. They threw a party… kegs as goody bags? You bet.
... and despite industry gossip, they do have women that work there....
Almost immediately we went to work on shooting the actual campaign. I had the pleasure of working with a terrific AD, Jon Bunning.
This is how the final visuals looked:
Surprisingly, one of the hardest things is to get the label on the bottle. Straight.
I always love the visual "chaos" on a set that surrounds one perfect place...(this was the setup for the upright bottle shot)
We went on to shoot for several other parts of the business and even did an exploratory for Heineken light. Everyone really liked the work...
Sadly, in late December, Heineken internally restructured, fired their CMO and well… we know what usually come next. Berlin was out... Heineken was moved to Wieden + Kennedy.
I was told it was purely political and nothing to do with the work. One would like to think if the work is strong, they wouldn’t have done that. Who knows? What I do know is that it is hard to watch people work so hard and genuinely care so much lose something that big. Of course, being the professionals that they are at Berlin, they moved on not skipping a beat. In the past year I’ve also had the good fortune of shooting ad's for NY life, Silk Soymilk and working on a pitch for Moet with them. Tara Santangelo is the Art buyer at Berlin. She is one of the best in the business and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Fred
… and then there are my boyz at Fred.
They invented water. Well, not really water but rather Fred, he’s water.
Rarely does a creative opportunity such as this come along- nice people, fresh thinking and a good product. I have been a part of the brand from its inception. The brainchild of Adam Gayner, brought to life by creative director Ariel Broggi and designer Kurt Huggins. Fred has been a true creative collaboration.
The story behind the story… I had placed an ad on Craigslist to rent some office/studio space (our place is huge- just don’t need it all). The first response was from some guys with a small ad agency wanting to relocate. Much to my surprise, I had worked with one of the principals when he was at Nail Communications. We had done a nice campaign for Berkshire blankets.
It turned out the space was not appropriate for their needs however we stayed in touch and they became neighbors. Over the next few months I shot some small projects for them and eventually became good friends. In addition to their ad work, they were conceiving a product that they wanted to bring to the marketplace. I was excited by their entrepreneurial spirit and loved their ideas. I was invited to be a part of the branding. Basically you had four smart guys (a CD /copywriter, designer, marketing genius/brand strategist and me) with varied experience coming together with the goal of making this product a success. Fred was born.
We set out to create a compelling personality with universal appeal [Fred is your friend], offer unique function [Fred slips in your pocket or carry bag, a friendly design] and employ an unexpected, playful and fresh communications strategy. With these three aspects of Fred in place, we were able to deliver a product of interest and excitement, creating an entirely new relationship within the bottled water category. What I refer to as “animating the inanimate”
Due to the small and tight nature of the group we could easily execute ideas and basically had only ourselves to answer to. During shoots we fed off each other. The energy was great and we all genuinely had fun.
“When input includes all points of view from the beginning, not only is the work better, but it’s more efficient. Back and forth tends to ruin ideas or water them down, making them less effective in market.”
- Adam Gayner. CEO of Fred Brands Inc.
“The quality and amount of work produced with such a small group of contributors is spectacular. Having everyone focused and on the same page from the beginning allowed us to move quickly and effectively toward our strategic and creative goals”
–Ariel Broggi, Creative Director of Fred Brands Inc.
It worked. With next to no money for media, utilizing clever placement ( industry pubs) , merchandising and the internet. I’m proud to say that Fred is going like gang busters. AC Nielsen reported Fred as #1 in NYC water sales, in grocery single serve size under 24 oz.
Pretty cool.
So unique and effective was this collaborative approach that not only is Fred getting attention… so are we!
Communication Arts http://www.commarts.com/exhibit/fred-natural-spring-water.html
Good Design http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2007/03_mar/news/#
PDN
For more info on Fred go to http:www.fredspot.com
Words of Wisdom
"Never wrestle with a pig. The pig likes it, and you get dirty."
Anon. - comment on dealing with difficult people.
The Studio
After years of working in and around the NYC photo district I made the move. Manhattan had lost its convenience and luster. The exorbitant rents, sleazy landlords, traffic and impossible parking made doing good creative secondary to the tactical nightmare of the day to day.
We are now located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
The setting is spectacular. Minutes from downtown Manhattan, our studio is located on the water in one of the last remaining pier warehouses. Built in 1869, this spectacular stone structure is home to Hellerstein Studio and Red Productions Inc., as well as a host of creative services that include set designers, prop makers, wood workers and other industry support services. We totally built out a 7500 sq. ft empty loft space to comprise a state of the art facility made up of two 2000-square-foot shooting stages, a full production department, set building/wood shop and digital post facilities.
In addition to still photography, we’ve also gotten into video production. (I’ll be posting samples and talking more about this in other posts) We have outfitted the studio with full DV camera and sound equipment as well as two tricked out Final Cut edit stations.
We can get stuff done quickly and efficiently. We are surrounded by nice, like-minded people who genuinely help and support each other.
Red hook has had a colorful history dating back to when a young Al Capone was working the docks. From the mid 1800's thru the mid 1900's Red Hook was one of the country’s busiest shipping ports. When containerization shipping replaced traditional bulk shipping in the 1960's, the neighborhood’s economy underwent a rapid decline. By the 1970s and 80s, it became known as being a crime-ridden, desolate neighborhood used by the mob to discard stuff. It’s been cool watching it go through a metamorphosis of sorts. First it was “up and coming” …the next Dumbo. Then it was the “ hot” place to be, “the new Williamsburg,” and now it’s settled down, attracting mostly arty types. It will be interesting to see what the future holds. The ups and downs of Red Hook have actually coined a new term - Degentrification. If you want to know more: http://nymag.com/news/features/40648/
I’ve found Red Hook to be a diverse waterfront community filled with a lot of creative people who are either done with or can’t afford Manhattan. Walking into our local diner, it feels like the east village used to feel, ( minus the junkies ) when I originally moved to NY in the 80's.
Only in Brooklyn, kids… There is a store not too far away that has a t-shirt that reads:
Layouts come in many forms...
People often wonder what we get from the agency prior to estimating a project. Well, it varies. I thought it would be fun to take a look at how different layouts translate into the final visual. Here are a few. As time permits I’ll keep adding visuals. (Some of these are very old but it's cool to see the evolution.)
This was a very tight illustration done by J Walter Thompson:
This is the final photo. I'm sometimes amazed at how close we are able to get it:
Sauza- This won a Bronze Lion at Cannes:
Everlast- This won several One Show Pencils:
For Hershey Resorts:
(we were given one layout knowing that there would be several different bowls)
Different executions for the campaign:
Ellen Tracy- Billboard for Times Square:
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