My first job out of college was at the Martin Agency as an assistant media buyer. At the time I didn’t own a TV, but I learned so much about how ratings and advertising work, the importance of “sweeps week”. Each spring, the television and advertising industries gather in New York to debut the new Fall TV lineup. They call it the Upfronts, and it’s a big event. Our whole team didn’t get to travel for the event, but the sales reps at local stations would send us DVDs of the pilots. We’d watch one or two at a time with popcorn during lunch and try to predict which shows would last and which would be canceled.
A consultant I work with for my clients sent out a list of the new shows for Fall 2018 and I thought you might like to check them out:
Our friends at Richmond SPCA needed some fresh photos of their newest baby cats for their social media, so we stopped by last week for a Kitten Photo Shoot. Ayasha Sledge, a PR professional with a photography side-business, joined us for the shoot. She’s finishing up her master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from VCU and getting in some internship credit hours with TFB. Here’s some of the behind-the-scenes action:
I bought this Geode art from Target ($64.99) after seeing it at my friend Judi’s house. It looks especially pretty when sunlight hits.
I just discovered that Elemis mini/travel-size versions of a lot of their products, so I ordered a few things I’d been wanting to try. My favorites so far are the Rehydrating Rose Cleanser, the Skin Nourishing Shower Cream, and the Herbal Lavender Repair Mask. The cleanser is similar to the one I use from Eminence, so this one will be perfect to sub-in when I visit Vegas next month.
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Earlier this summer, Gracie, a rising senior at a local high school, joined us for a week as part of her school’s internship program.
Monday:
Christina: We were so excited for Gracie to start today. When a client shoot was canceled at the last minute, Gracie jumped right in to help with a brainstorming session.
Gracie: Today was my first day and I was so impressed with everything Christina does. She was able to make so many connections for Tom Farrell’s salmon event at the Jefferson and also was very fast to come up with ideas to help Emilie Kiristis. I learned a lot about views and followers on Instagram and Facebook like what impressions are, engagements, etc. I thought today was so much fun because in the morning Christina was meeting with a fitness client and then a couple hours later she was planning an event at the Jefferson for Scottish salmon. I was able to learn different tools and marketing techniques and also learn more about salmon, working out, and nutrition. A few questions I have is if you do a great amount of research before you meet with a new client, and if so; how do you find it? I am very interested in learning how Christina has made all of these connections with her clients and what all she has to do in the planning of help marketing for them or event planning (like reaching out to the food bloggers or restaurant people for the Jefferson event).
Tuesday:
Gracie: Today we went to a human trafficking meeting that women from Bon Secours put on. I found it very interesting because I have done a lot of volunteer work with human trafficking and the women seemed to care so much about it. They raise a lot of money to put on an event called Wine, Women, and Shoes, and all the proceeds go to human trafficking victims or those who have been sexually assaulted. I was able to talk with one of the women and at St. Catherine’s I will talk to our lead teacher for community service and make bags (inside will include: clothes, $10 gift card, a drink, toothbrush/toothpaste) for the victims which I think will be great. We also went to two of the ECPI locations to take pictures and they provided a raffle for a chance for the students to win google home items and more. After that, we went to my Uncle’s distillery and met with Mr. Farrell who is CEO of Scottish Salmon and they both were very interested in partnering up with each other.
I thought it was really fascinating to see the two brought together that would have otherwise been strangers, and bond well together and create a partnership. I would like to see what happens with the two of them and how the Jefferson event turns out. We have been working for a dermatology company, and I have been looking through other dermatology accounts and saving the pictures that look put together or get the most responses to help the dermatology company with their Instagram. I want to know where that will go and how Christina will help create a look for them.
Christina: Community involvement is something that’s always been important to me. For the past three years, I’ve served on a committee that raises money to benefit Bon Secours Forensic Nursing Unit. We have an annual fundraiser in October (Wine, Women & Shoes) that we plan in monthly committee meetings. It was important for me to bring Emily and Gracie to see how giving back is part of being in business. Later in the day, we stopped by our McDonald’s client’s event at ECPI and met with Reservoir Distillery to talk about being a part of our Scottish Salmon launch event.
Wednesday:
Gracie: Today I went to the office and worked with Emily on the Dermatology presentation and lookbook. We went to get our nails done in Greengate, Short Pump with Christina, they used a special dip for them, and they look great. Once we were finished we headed back to the office and worked more on the Dermatology presentation.
I learned more today about how Christina and Emily create presentations for the clients and what applications they use for them, along with research on the company. I am curious on how the meeting will go tomorrow.
Christina: I’d read about a special at a new, woman-owned nail place, Buffed and Polished, in the Boss Babes RVA Facebook group. So, I decided to treat the girls to manicures. Back at the office, Gracie was a HUGE help with the social audit we were working on for Richmond Dermatology. 
The first step in our client process includes a complete audit of our client’s communications and an analysis of their industry and competitors. Gracie searched Instagram for other dermatologists, skincare brands and plastic surgeons for inspiration and ideas to share with our clients. She worked with Emily to incorporate them into the presentation.
Thursday:
Gracie: We started today at a meeting in Carytown for Clementine’s pop-up shop. It was very interesting. After the meeting, we went to the Daily and ate lunch and worked more on the Dermatology account.
We went to the meeting for them at 1 and they were very pleased with everything! I would really like to see by using all the advice and tips if their social accounts will get more action and draw in more clients.
Christina: Gracie sat in on her third client meeting Thursday afternoon and got to see her research presented to the client.
Friday:
Gracie: Today we had a meeting at the Jefferson with Mr. Farrell from the Scottish Salmon Company. The event seems like its going to be and I hope the outcome is great. After the meeting, I went back to Christina’s office and she and Emily wrote me really sweet notes and gave me a drawing of her office, and this is because I was talking about how stunning it was before.
Christina: We loved having Gracie this week!
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Local restaurateurs, chefs, and foodies helped us welcome our newest client, The Scottish Salmon Company.
Thank you to Candy Valley Cake Co. for coming through on these themed cake pops. (and thank you to eBay for coming through on this Tartan dress.)
launched instagram – Lochlander Virginia.
Here’s Jacqui, the company’s local account manager.
Nels welcomed guests into the party with traditional Scottish music. (He’s hanging out with Jeff Wilson, our friend from PRSA.)
In late May, I went to the 2018 Photoshop World Conference in Orlando Florida. This conference is hosted by KelbyOne and is all about photography and design. I attended the conference with my dad since I want to learn more about design, and because he has always loved photography. He has his own photography business and takes courses online at KelbyOne.com, which is where he heard about this in-person conference.
The conference was mainly for photographers, but there were a lot of designers there as well. At the conference, we learned all about different programs that revolve around photography and design, as well as many tips and tricks from some of the best photographers and designers from all over the world.
The theme of this year’s Photoshop World Conference was The Beatles, and this picture is from the opening ceremony that was held on the first day of the conference.
I went to the design classes and learned about techniques that you can use with InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Lightroom. My dad went to the photography classes that focused on retouching and lighting, and he also went to classes that taught you how to capture the best headshot and landscape photos.
Some of my favorite classes at the conference were “Selections and Masks Demystified,” “How to Make the Most Out of Your Camera,” “Intro to Illustrator,” “Intro to InDesign” and “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018.” During these classes, I learned how to select objects in Photoshop, how to set up and create a brochure in InDesign, how to use typography in Photoshop, how to fully take advantage of my Canon camera, and how to do really cool design techniques that are popular this year. The “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018” was probably my favorite class, since we learned how to integrate text with images, make vintage looking posters, and how to create a “glitch” effect. This class was also taught by Scott Kelby, so I learned a lot.
At the end of the conference, I was awarded the 2018 Photoshop Guru Award for the “Student Work” category. Before attending Photoshop World, every attendee had the option to submit work in categories such as photography, illustration, design, student work, etc. I submitted two pieces from two of the advertising classes that I have taken in school, and one of my print pieces for a campaign that I did for Birkenstock won for the category. The campaign actually has my brother’s feet in it, and the concept behind the piece was that “everyone who wears Birkenstocks has a story to tell.” My brother is in the Marine Corps, and I thought that an image of him with his military gear, boots and Birkenstocks could emphasize that concept. I wanted each campaign to have a three-word story attached to it as well, so I thought that “Hell and Back” fit this image pretty well. Winning the student Guru award was such an awesome experience, and it topped off our time at the conference pretty well. My dad was very proud of me and was so happy that we got to experience something like this together.
The price of the conference varies, but right now there is an Early Bird discount for $699.00 (includes the entire 3-day pass). Students can attend the conference at a discounted price, and the earlier that you sign up the better the pricing is! My 3-day pass for this past Photoshop World was $250 and was definitely worth it in my opinion. I think that any creative student (especially if you’re studying Advertising, Photography or Graphic Design) would benefit from this, just because it teaches you really beneficial techniques that you can actually use in everyday life and school. I learned a lot of things that I haven’t yet learned in school and was able to have more of the basic design skills explained to me. I got familiar with design programs that I always find myself too scared to open, just because I never felt like I knew what I was doing. I think that Photoshop World gave me the confidence that I need to learn more about design and photography.
Since it’s been about a month since Photoshop World ended, I have made it my goal to practice all of the design and photography skills that I learned. I am still playing around with the techniques that I learned in the “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018” class, and am aiming to put these newly learned skills into practice in my school work and portfolio. I have really enjoyed practicing the “glitch” technique, as well as playing around with integrating text and images. I am hoping to get better as I practice more, and obviously, these are just rough starting points. Here are some examples of my attempts:
Thank you Photoshop World and KelbyOne for the experience of a lifetime! My dad and I are already looking into going to the 2019 Photoshop World Conference (this time it will be held in Orlando AND Las Vegas), and we think that it is something that any designer, photographer or creative should look into. My biggest takeaway from this conference is that you should always practice being creative and that there is always learning to do. I took away so many new skills and information just from this three-day conference, and I am so happy that I was able to experience something like this.
The online KelbyOne classes are extremely helpful and are a more extensive way to receive the information that we got at Photoshop World. Since the conference is only three days, a lot of the information and techniques taught on KelbyOne.com will go more in-depth about each technique that is taught at the conference. The same instructors that come to the in-person conference are also instructors for the online courses, so you can really get the full Photoshop World-feel online too. Online, you can get a membership at KelbyOne.com for $149 a year. This will give you access to all of the online courses, tutorials, webcasts and it will even get you access to the Photoshop User magazine that comes out every month. My dad really enjoys using the site to learn more about photography and thinks that it is worth it for anyone who prefers listening and learning online in a faster and less expensive way. My dad recommends taking any class taught by Scott Kelby – he is a hilarious guy with a lot of knowledge about photography and design.
Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or if you’re planning to go to the conference or take a course online!
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