Neri

Creating Statements in Artist’s Careers

In this lecture, Neri will break down his approach to four topics: financial literacy, staffing an operation, positioning yourself in the marketplace, and communicating effectively. Students will walk away knowing the difference between freelance photographers who have consistent work and ones that have to labor to find new gigs. You’ll also find out how to approach negotiations and when it’s appropriate to work for free.

Students will learn why having a team will yield more opportunities, despite having more people to pay. We’ll cover how to best position yourself and your services in the marketplace, answering questions like should your branding be based around your talent alone or should it be based on other services you can bring outside of photography? Then, we’ll wrap up with some tips on how to best network in a room where everyone is “someone.”

Creating Statements in Artist’s Careers (Course Trailer)

Introduction: Meet Your Substitute Teacher, Neri

Neri, the 20-year-old Atlanta-based photographer, has quickly become a go-to shooter in music and fashion. He’s snapped photos of established artists like The Weeknd and buzzworthy talents like SoFaygo, and a slew of major brands. It’s no accident that Neri has become a creative who can sustain himself off of his talent, but he’s the first to admit that he had to learn many skills along the way to end up in the position he’s in.

Module 1 – Make Connections the Right Way

In this module, Neri uncovers his approach to one of the most crucial aspects of doing business: communication. He talks through the mistakes he’s made when reaching out via DM and suggests the proper etiquette you should have when networking in a room full of big names – when is it OK to self-promote? How should I break the ice in conversation? Neri uses his experiences to answer these questions and more.

Module 2 – Find Your Niche, then Build Your Value

In this module, you’ll find gems on how to market yourself and your services. Whether it’s digitally or in-person, Neri shares his thoughts on how to talk about your services in a way to get people excited about working with you. He also covers what to think about when you’re building your aesthetic for your online presence, and lists off a handful of services photographers can provide that will bring in some extra revenue between bookings

Module 3 – Teams Get More Gigs

In this module, Neri shares his approach to staffing. Not every photographer has the budget to bring on extra help but there are workarounds. Neri breaks down how to incentivize a prospective team member if you’re not able to compensate monetarily, and shares why he believes teams are paid a lot more (and a lot more often) over individual contractors. In addition to these tips, Neri uncovers the immediate qualities to look for in your candidates so that you can have a better time delegating tasks and managing your team in the long run.

Module 4 – Never Shy Away from Talking Money

In this module, you’ll be exposed to Neri’s philosophies on money. Negotiating budgets and establishing rates can feel like the last thing you want to talk about when you’re on the edge of closing a deal. Fortunately, Neri explains how to have non-awkward money conversations with artists and labels. He also opens up about his approach to compensation, when it’s permissible to work for free, and how to allocate your expenses and still bring home a profit.