Stockland Martel

Some time ago, Meghan McNeer, the studio manager for Liz Von Hoene, gamely submitted to our Studio Manager Questionnaire. Today, it’s Rachel Goldman’s turn. Here, Rachel—the studio manager for Art Streiber—talks about good timing, the virtues of left-brain thinking, and why editing her personal photo albums will never again be a casual process.

 

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How did you hear about this job?
It’s hard to believe, but I actually found the job listing on Craigslist!

I had been toying with the idea of graduate school but decided that I ultimately wanted real-world, in-the-thick-of-it experience. Working for an editorial photographer and immersing myself in the LA network really appealed to me. So I began checking all of my job resources and calling any and all contacts on a loop. I was very lucky to come across Art’s posting right at the perfect time. I responded to the post not knowing that it was Art and was pleasantly surprised at my interview.

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What are your primary responsibilities?
Organization! I handle post-production, marketing, syndication, and a medley of management tasks. On the surface, we have a small operation, but there is a lot of traffic and much to juggle. Being the point person for post-production means I am the liaison between the client and Art’s amazing retoucher. We always want to make sure that we plan ahead, know our image deadlines, expedite orders, and try to stay on budget.

We strive to keep the website up to date and interesting. I have developed my eye when it comes to helping choose and sequence portfolio and Web imagery. Everything is selected and paced for a reason. The only downside is now I probably spend way too much time assembling my own photo albums.

There is also a little bit of everything, from overseeing interns, fielding fine-art requests, submitting images for syndication, and maintaining the film and digital archives down to be being the point of contact at the office.

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What’s the most unusual thing you’ve had to do as part of your job?
As busy as we are here, I luckily don’t get thrown the “Order 200 cupcakes for the subject, have them here now, and by the way, the bakery is already closed” type of requests.

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Being aware of your budgets, having the ability to articulate your ideas to clients, keeping your office organized, and having a business sense really helps yield success as an artist.

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Rate how stressful your job is on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most agita-inducing.
For the most part, it doesn’t get too stressful. I’ve worked with Art for a while, so we have many systems in place to help keep everything organized and streamlined… We rarely have panic moments of not being able to find something or cross-reference information. Quick deadlines, low budgets, or back-to-back shoots can create heavy workloads. Having patience and being able to prioritize helps during those times. It also goes through waves, depending on Art’s shooting schedule but always winds up working out.

Art’s yellow Labrador, Jones, is a good buddy/distraction to have around when things get a little hectic.

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What’s one thing that you’ve learned from doing this job that you didn’t expect to learn.

That FileMaker Pro is a lifesaver.

I set out to learn more about this field and have really received a comprehensive education over the past five years. Sometimes it takes many cooks in the kitchen… We work with an incredible team of producers, reps, assistants, set designers, stylists, retouchers, digital techs, etc., whom all come together to make everything run smoothly and professionally.

Working with Art has also hit home that tapping into the left side of your brain is important. Being aware of your budgets, having the ability to articulate your ideas to clients, keeping your office organized, and having a business sense really helps yield success as an artist.

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Please take a photo inside the studio and send it to us.

 

 

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Do you have a photo blog, and if you do, what’s the address so we can bookmark it?
No, but I should do that.

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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.)
Finding time to paint and to take my own photographs can be challenging for me.
I’ve been on a mission to paint more and am currently working with mixing different mediums. India ink is my new favorite tool.

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I’ve also been taking my Stereo Holga on every vacation—the 3D slides are magical.

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Thanks, Rachel!

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