Comments on: Proof Photographer Agency Gives Up The Ghost

By: Andrea Stern

Andrea Stern — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:09:41 +0000

@Greg Ceo, I am good proof that a small repping agency with a personable style dedicated to each photographer’s process to continue expanding and growing to their best ability works wonders. If I repped a large group there would be no way for me to do what I do the way I do it. This way my photographers get my full attention as a team player or business partner. I really don’t know how the larger companies do what I do because if I had 10 photographers (or more) that were not working I would be the stressed one. The way it works for me is to stay happy so I have more to give. Success has a few ways of being achieved and mine is to stay small and personally dedicated.

By: danno watts

danno watts — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:48:29 +0000

i’m gonna take a stab at it and say the real reason they closed up shop was because of el niño .

rocksteady,
danno~

By: Ed Hamlin

Ed Hamlin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:14:01 +0000

@Greg Ceo,
You are so right my friend, I have turned to clients I wouldn’t have considered when I began. So Photographers band together and strengthen our profession!

By the way, great work!

By: Andre Friedmann

Andre Friedmann — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:20:42 +0000

@danno~, It’s very bad for business to let the InterTubes know a photographer’s not as busy as she used to be. Think of Hester Prynee’s shaming, and how it’s not in the photographer’s financial interest to talk about such a thing.

By: Greg Ceo

Greg Ceo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:18:57 +0000

@Ed Hamlin, Ed and Suzanne, Bravo! Overall I would say that I am having one of my best years ever. But yes, I have had to diversify. There is a lot to shoot and a lot of images, whether moving or still to make for clients that need image makers.

By: Greg Ceo

Greg Ceo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:10:21 +0000

@m2, If I had a blog in 2006, I would say, “Wow, I just made $13,000 in stock sales this month! “

By: Ed Hamlin

Ed Hamlin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:43:24 +0000

I’m kickin in a couple more bits on this one. I think I have even said this before; To me information is knowledge and knowledge is power ( a bit cliche but true).

This is not doomsday press, it is information that a company has decided to close its doors for whatever reason. If it is economic, which is the case for a lot of businesses in the world these days, then people should be looking at what is going on and why.

To me the news says, a photogrpaher needs to be prepared, on top of his game, not sitting on his laurels, maybe diversifying, definitely marketing himself. I would like to know why Proof closed up shop but I haven’t seen anything new.

I think that if someone wants to stay happy and comfortable in a box thats ok, but there are a lot boxes out there that have had the sides torn off, and not just in media and photography.

Me I am looking outside the box, I am looking for opportunities.

By: jim wright

jim wright — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:47:20 +0000

@m2, Wake up!!!!!! It’s important to know the information. Good or bad. If you care about this industry at all you’d think differently.

By: Suzanne Sease

Suzanne Sease — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:50:26 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with Proof – hiring one of their photographers. I think it may be more a matter of retiring from the business as they have been in business for years or maybe even a separation of partners like Virtu. Just like Cletus wrote, don’t always look at things as negative until you know the whole story.

Be positive!! There is work out there. I have seen some photographers who are marketing themselves having their best year ever!

By: m2

m2 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:48:34 +0000

to Cletus

You are exactly right!! Why is it that he always thinks that it is another signal of the end of the photo industry.

By: Cletus

Cletus — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:25:31 +0000

Wow, lots of speculation here, scare-mongering about the economy etc.

It had more to do with just deciding to close up shop after a long run – the owner just wanted to do other things.

Why is this bad news? It could in fact be great news. The photographers who are good will go on to another agency, it is a blessing for them. New agency, new promotion, it helps to keep things fresh.

Agencies are not really entities per se, Warren Buffet would never invest in them because they have no hard assets. It is about relationships, and the relationships will carry over even if the name on the door changes.

By: BG

BG — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Probably too much overhead is the issue on top of declining market. Providing accounting, marketing, messenger, and a nice office service, plus paying payroll to a few agents does not work if you cut is 25% of an editorial shoot.

By: m2

m2 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:23:39 +0000

I understand what you are saying but i bet 100-1 that this agency shut down due to shitty management, not due to photographers bringing in a lack of work.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:11:49 +0000

@john mcd., Hear, hear.
When an agency goes under (in London we’ve had a few big ones close their doors in the past year), it’s rarely the Photographers that caused it to fail. It’s the loss of big clients, and the general pruning going on within the Advertising world – for example, Publicis in London making their entire Art-Buying team redundant and absorbing the role into existing ‘creative’ staff totally unqualified to undertake it.
Hopefully Proof’s photogs & producers can bounce back from this, but they’re bouncing back into an overcrowded marketplace with fewer clients by the day.
m2, if you think I’m being negative then I honestly don’t know what to tell you, apart from perhaps ‘get real’.
Greg CEO, big overcrowded agencies are a turn-off for the talent. We don’t want to compete with 4 or 5 other shooters in our own agency before our book even gets out of the door.
Small, boutique agencies (usually set up by the cream of recently-defunct agencies Production teams) are hitting it all over town right now here.

By: Brooks

Brooks — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:21:07 +0000

@m2,
There’s a lot of negative news to report these days.. Should they ignore it, or do you suggest they just ad some fluff pieces every day?

By: john mcd.

john mcd. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:07:50 +0000

These are talented people. That their agency can’t make it is bad news for everybody. Good luck to them.

By: A Photo Editor

A Photo Editor — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:11:36 +0000

100-1 you are not a professional photographer since you don’t realize my post helps the photographers who just lost their agent.

By: m2

m2 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:11:27 +0000

Im tired of people like you and greg ceo always seeking out negative information about the photography field, seems like you two are just two bitter old men.

By: Ed Hamlin

Ed Hamlin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:47:08 +0000

It’s a bummer the agency like many other business finally succumbed to the reaches of the downturn. It makes me wonder how far will the reach go, who else it will affect before the rebuilding can begin. I am sure the guys like Jason, Kareem and Ben will land on their feet. Then again will PROOF come back after the time of healing.
Best wishes to them all!

By: danno~

danno~ — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:39:25 +0000

@Greg Ceo,
it would be interesting to hear from the ‘no longer hot’ photographers that have been rotated out, to see what they’re doing to keep busy if their agency dropped them

rocksteady,
danno~

By: An Art Director

An Art Director — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:32:16 +0000

I heard the same thing, it’s gone.

By: Greg Ceo

Greg Ceo — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:42:40 +0000

It will be interesting to see what happens with many agencies in the next 2 or 3 years. It seems the only way to survive is to have a large roster of rotating photographers: keep the hot photographers until they grow cold and then churn the roster. Rinse and repeat.

By: Marc Pritchard

Marc Pritchard — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:54:50 +0000

Seems fine and loading ok. Has it definitely gone under?

By: danno~

danno~ — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

heard any reason as to why?

rocksteady,
danno~

By: Tim Linden

Tim Linden — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:22:34 +0000

I get a virus warning when going to the site. Hoax?

By: Simon Biswas

Simon Biswas — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:01:41 +0000

That is craZy. Another entity down.