Emily Shur

Who printed it?
I printed it with Anthony Wright who is sort of a print broker, for lack of a better term. You send him the specs of the project. He will source the printing and quote based on your needs – printing only, printing + mailing services, etc. He oversees the job and was actually the one who was on press for this project as I was out of town.

Who designed it?
The fabulous George McCalman designed it.

Tell me about the images?
Well, this is really a big ol’ mixed bag. There’s some editorial work, some advertising work, and some personal work. I knew I wanted to do a promo piece that showed different facets of my work. I love doing celebrity portraiture, but I also love doing other things so I’ve been trying to integrate the “other things” in with the work that clients may already associate with me or my style. It’s a little risky because I don’t want to confuse people, but I do want to make sure I’m showing work that I’m proud of, excited about, and would be excited to shoot. The thought process behind grouping these images together specifically was to show images that (hopefully) all feel rooted in a consistent point of view even though the subject matter and style might be varied.

How many did you make?
I made 1500 total and mailed out about 1400.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
I try to do one printed promo a year on my own, and my reps do an agency promo once a year as well.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
It’s hard to say definitively, but I think I’ve had the best luck with quality printed pieces over quantity. The promos that seem to help the most are the more thoughtful and ambitious ones – the ones that take longer to put together and are more expensive, which some years just aren’t doable – but if you book some good jobs because of it then it will pay for itself. I don’t see the point in spending money or energy on a forgettable piece. However, you never really know what people will respond to, so sometimes you have to trust your judgment and just go for it.

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