We had the good fortune of connecting with Bill Robbins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bill, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I had just graduated from the photo program at Art Center College of Design and while in school had done some assisting for various advertising and editorial photographers in LA. From those experiences, I could see there was a possibility to create my own career as an advertising photographer. One of my instructors at Art Center, Errol Gerson, who taught business, encouraged me to take the risk of leasing a small studio on Beverly Blvd. Being fairly young and also thinking if it did not work out I could find a job with a company, I took his advice and went for it. I was also mentored and encouraged by some of my former instructors who helped in shaping my first portfolio to present to LA design firms and ad agencies, and within two months of showing my book to the first art director, I started to get some small jobs that the more established photographers passed on. At the same time, I had been given advice on how important it was to have a marketing strategy, my short term goal was to get local business from client direct, design firms, and ad agencies through direct contact and showings of my work. For the long term, it was to develop connections in NYC with art directors and agencies who came to the west coast for shoots. Both of these efforts took up much of my time and breaking into the advertising agency business as a young and new photographer is not an easy path. This tested my mental stamina many times, had I made a mistake and underestimated the amount of time and money it would take to get to a break-even point? I went to my former teacher and business mentor Errol Gerson to get his advice on my situation, he said to me “get a catalog client that can give you a somewhat monthly guarantee of shoot days”. I made a lucky contact at the local Sotheby’s and wound up shooting their jewelry catalogs for the next few years. Although eventually, my marketing strategy paid off with both local assignments and assignments from NYC, without the steady month to month catalog work things would have been very iffy. looking back at the thought process of starting my own business, I knew that the quality of my work was capable of getting work, however, the most important thing I did was to have teachers and mentors to bounce ideas off of and be willing to take their advice. Over the years I gained a lot of insight to the business of photography and have been able to pass that knowledge on by also teaching (Mount Saint Mary’s University, Hollywood Campus) and helping young photographers as a way of thanking those that helped me along the way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business as a photographer has been divided into two main categories, advertising, and editorial. The advertising clients that I have worked with range from small boutique agencies to large global agencies. On the editorial side, I have done assignments for Sports Illustrated, American Way, Los Angeles Magazine, and others. There have been many exciting and challenging assignments from both the ad agency side and the editorial side. Many of my assignments whether for ads or editorial spreads involved known personalities or celebrities. On the editorial side of assignments, shooting a portrait with the artist Françoise Gilot was an amazing experience. Francoise welcomed us into her home in LaJolla where we did our shoot, such a beautiful subject to photograph. Afterward, she invited us to stay and have tea, for the next few hours we talked about her days living with Picasso along with her life as an artist. The photographs came out wonderful. On a global advertising campaign, I did for Hitachi the challenge was to assembly over three hundred fifty high school students to form the word, Hitachi. Sounds simple but the make-up of the students had to represent schools from all over LA and be shot a location with a beautiful green grass background from overhead. We shot at Pepperdine in Malibu on the large grassy area from 180′ off the ground in a construction crane. The students were bussed in from all over LA, and somehow the whole production came together with an exciting finish as the sun went down. What I have learned through the years with no matter how much stress or pressure is to stay calm and even when things seeming are falling apart (the sun goes away, rain starts etc) just set the tone by being calm.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the best places to see a great vista view of LA is at the Griffith Park Observatory, then comes the Humighton Libary in Pasadena. Also for those into classic LA architecture, The Wiltern Theather and the Bradbury Building. Having grown up in the Crenshaw district, Leimert Park is a must-visit, along with the Watts Towers in South Central. On the list of galleries to visit, at the top would be Fahey Klien on La Brea which is a premier photo gallery showing contemporary and master works. A drive up to the Pt. Magu Rock with stops in Topanga Cyn and Malibu shows a variety of our coast and the beach culture. Restaurants/cafe’s not to be missed in Hollywood would be the Formosa Cafe, the Gardenia Supper Club. Others include El Coyote on Beverly Blvd and The Bottle Inn in Hermosa Beach. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Besides the people that I previously mentioned, the photo organization, American Photographic Artist here in LA , (APA-LA) which is part of the national organization of APA National. As a young photographer, I joined APA LA to meet the advertising photographers who were on top of the game at the time. APA was just forming here in LA at the time and I was able to be on the founding board and eventually served as the chapter president for two years. APA was a big part of my success as an advertising photographer, I learned from the older shooters that shared their business stories and insights in how they ran their studio’s. One of the biggest accomplishments of APA during that time was helping to get the “work for hire” clause out of contracts and purchase orders that photographers were presented with, many times at the last minute before the commencement of production. Over the years, APA has presented to the LA photo community many opportunities to hear guest speakers on both the creative and business aspects of the business. Great organization with dedicated people that continue its legacy in educating photographers for better business practices.

In addition to APA, a Shoutout to the Film, Media and Communications program at  Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, who came to the rescue of over 40 students that were left without a school when Brooks Institute in Ventura  closed suddenly some five years ago. MSMU stepped in to offer the students a path to complete their BFA and MFA  degrees in Photography and Film, while also taking in many of the faculty who were also left effected with the closing. MSMU then went on to develop a BFA in Professional Photography and also added Photography to their MFA Film and Television program.

Website: www.billrobbinsstudio.com

Instagram: @bilrob

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billrobbins2/

Youtube: https://studio.youtube.com/video/1cMejCImdcg/edit

Image Credits
all images ©Bill Robbins

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.