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Meghan McNeer, the studio manager for Liz Von Hoene,
on making good playlists, drinking shocking
amounts of coffee, and having a “vocational mullet”
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How did you hear about this job?
I met one of Liz’s old camera assistants through a friend of a friend and was his assistant for two years, slowly working my way into the family by taking freelance jobs with one of her producers and prop stylists. I toyed with moving to New York (quite an original idea, I know). Then her studio manager was going freelance just managing her books and she needed someone new so I just slid right in – she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
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What are your primary responsibilities?
Running her studio – making sure everything is in order with the space and equipment. I also manage some fabulous interns, who help me keep everything organized. Ultimately, just making life easier for Liz. That involves all different types of things – booking flights, helping with treatments, responding to emails, creating pages for her portfolios, finding new music for her to listen so she doesn’t go insane from the same playlist over and over again. Recently, I have started traveling some with her, which I love, because then I can hands on guarantee she has everything she needs and working in unusual locations with wonderful people.
Strangely I’m doing all the things I loved doing from all my previous jobs and not really anything I don’t enjoy doing. I feel like I am in my element which is amazing – coming to a job every day that is my safe haven, where I can just do what I love and am surrounded by amazingly creative people that inspire me is so good it almost feels illegal. I think I took a bullet for someone in a former life and earned some really good karma.
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What’s the most unusual thing you’ve had to do as part of your job?
I had to get an autographed copy of Harry Potter for her daughter within a matter of hours…I jest.
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Rate how stressful your job is on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most agita-inducing.
I think that is somewhat subjective person by person and how much you put of yourself into the job – I get stressed out from time to time because I want everything to be just right for her. But nothing is in anyway agitating to me so I would rate that a 1, it can definitely be stressful at times because of how busy Liz is, but that’s just part of the job. I didn’t sign up for a cake walk and can honestly say I function best multitasking, so I try to take the stress in stride and remain calm. Liz and I always try to remind ourselves in times of high stress that no one’s life is on the line. The best thing for me during those stressful times is shocking amount of coffee and good music.
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What’s one thing that you’ve learned from doing this job that you didn’t expect to learn?
How much I could enjoy a job, doing things I love with people I love. I was talking to my dad about this just this morning in fact. Within the crews that Liz and other photographers that I have worked with, a little family forms. You become friends with your assistants, art directors, stylists, makeup artists, etc etc and are loyal to them. Which makes sense, if you are working long hours you want it to be with creative minds that you get along well with.
It’s business in the front, party in the back (a vocational mullet if you will) – you work all day and then go out to dinner with the same crew. I just love that. Liz would be one of my first confidants if something crazy happens in my personal life yet she is also the person who inspires me most professionally.
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Please take a photo inside the studio and send it to us.
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Inside Big Studio, Liz Von Hoene's studio in Atlanta.
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Do you have a photo blog, and if you do, what’s the address so we can bookmark it?
Big Studio’s blog: http://bigstudio.tumblr.com/
Mine: http://eggsandears.tumblr.com/
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If you are also a photographer, please send us one example of your work. (If you’re not a photographer but would like to share a photo or mp3 or some other form of media that you’ve created, please feel welcome to do so.)
I am, I am! I recently was lucky enough to have a piece (in a show with Liz) at Gallery 151 [in New York City].
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Photo by Meghan McNeer.
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