From Surviving to Thriving

Staying Relevant in the Ever-Evolving Creative Landscape

As a creator you may be hitting your stride today, but staying relevant tomorrow involves staying informed about the latest market shifts and technological advancements, which will not only future proof your creativity but ensure you achieve a significant competitive edge.

The Rise of AI-Generated Imagery

Without a doubt, image generators such as Luma Dream Machine, and Midjourney are capable of producing high quality imagery at an unprecedented speed and scale, but you needn’t be concerned that you’ll be overshadowed by these programs as long as you maintain a certain authenticity in your work.

Embracing the human elements of creativity such as your personal experience can differentiate your images from AI-generated content and more importantly have a greater emotional impact on your audience.

Genuine Over Generated

User-generated content (UGC) represents the antithesis of AI generated images. Capturing scenes with real people is just as relevant for Brands today as it was when I produced a pharma campaign that I shot entirely on a smartphone and a cheap digital camera more than a decade ago.

I can recall the agency’s creative brief, which asked for a variety of not so simple lifestyle scenarios as well as their preference for finding a diverse group of real people through street casting.

It’s worth mentioning that I’m more than proficient at shooting lifestyle and that user- generated content covers essentially the same primary content subjects as traditional media. Therefore, I embraced the opportunity to expand my production experience and collect a hefty fee.

At the time, I couldn’t fathom why the agency producer opted out of a sleek 4K production but now, twelve years later, the reason is crystal clear. Unknown to me at the time, my client wanted to connect with their audience with a more raw and unpolished touch, which image generators are still incapable of replicating today.

Back then, capturing authentic content was still considered a novel marketing strategy but time has proven that casting real people in commercials wasn’t just a fad.

Protect and Prosper

Although I was paid better than a filmmaker packing a smartphone should have been paid at the time, I gave the agency a discount with the agreement that I owned the copyright on all of the footage for future licensing opportunities.

I can't stress enough that if you’re going to shoot a themed based project for a client make it as authentic as possible but also make the effort to keep the copyright if you can. My pharma footage still looks as contemporary as ever and continues to have a healthy shelf life in the marketplace.

Niche Down

There was a time when I questioned whether I could survive solely on the content I was producing as a filmmaker while living in New York City. It was especially difficult and frustrating when I discovered that I was competing with filmmakers that were offering huge discounts for their services or even worse, producing content for free.

That all changed one afternoon when I was invited to join a creative roundtable with a dozen or more producers, editors and art directors at a prominent midtown ad agency. As the session was ending, a producer said that the most important thing that she needed were video interviews.

Until that day I had never thought of shooting an interview, but following up on that simple request not only gave me a niche to focus my talents, but changed the trajectory of my career to heights that I hadn’t experienced before.

Try to align your interests with subjects that you’re passionate about. Becoming a specialist for a specific subject or genre whether it be food photography or as a run and gun sports videographer, chances are you will attract a better class of clients that are willing to pay you substantially more for an expert rather than an all-purpose content creator.

Understanding Your Audience

I still spend quite a bit of time planting myself in magazine shops and flipping through an eclectic mix of glossies in order to keep a pulse on popular culture, current societal issues and visual trends. In addition, I probably focus more attention on commercials than the average viewer, for the reason that I consider watching ads as part of my job.

Understanding these dynamics has helped me to develop content that’s relevant to Brands, create content that continues to sell and keep my vision deeply connected to the public on an emotional and intellectual level. In essence, staying informed is not just about survival, but about thriving in an ever-evolving creative landscape.