“In the same way ad folks “get” things, Bruce “sees” things. Generally, they’re of the little green Martian variety, but still.”
– Alex Bogusky, former Executive Creative Director, Crispin Porter Bogusky
A 12 year old boy discovers the family Kodak and starts pointing it at everything or anything, hard to tell which, but after a quick twelve exposure cassette, he runs to the corner drug store for processing. Every photographer knows the pleasure of frequent shutter clicks; age 12 or 50 – it doesn’t matter – I needed to do this.
This was the beginning.
Twenty seven advertising photographer years later – surprisingly similar to dog years – I hit a burnout wall. Too many clicks I guess. On the wall’s backside was a job at an ad agency as Account Exec., followed by Director of Marketing at a design shop.
That’s the middle.
So why in ’06 would a guy, who can’t tell a joke without getting the punchline wrong, decide to restart a career telling stories? I guess because I was already doing it; picture stories, brand stories, and – ultimately – my best personal stories that happen outside of an office creating stuff.
It’s going to be a great finish.
.
Bruce’s name has appeared on many national and regional Addy Awards, One Show Awards, a NY Festivals Gold, B&W Spider Awards, and as a National Kelly Award Finalist. He’s been published 4 times in Communication Arts Photo Annual, Numerous Graphis Design and Photo Annuals, Print Regional Design Annuals, AIGA Design Annuals. Ads he’s contributed his photography to have been written up in Creativity, Ad Age, Ad week and a portfolio featured in Graphis Magazine issue 312. He’s also one of Luerzer’s Archive 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide for the last 4 years.
Visual story tellers and peripheral visionaries Michelle Petrie and Bruce DeBoer are out to prove craftsmanship is not dead.
They pulled me back in – Jim Erickson to my wife, “he’s not a marketing director, he’s a photographer”. Since my wife and I met in 2004, that was news to her. Luckily, she liked the idea. Find the work HERE.
Three more years experience with Marketing Strategy and some copywriting added in – I’m starting to “get it”.
A small agency with huge talent. Great designers and at least one great Account Director. Two years in, it got even smaller.
Hey Bruce, Jim called, he want’s to shoot people on location. Would you want to shoot your still life in his 14,000 sq/ft studio in Raleigh, NC?
Me: “Yes please.”
Managing a massive 2.5 million dollar photography budget and 23 photographers. Four years on the corporate side but managed to escape before the golden handcuffs clamped shut.
Opened a studio in Boston, MA – shooting still life. What a great town. Remember Michael Dukakis? The Massachusetts miracle ended leaving me without 5 of my 8 clients.
A long, long time ago but the RIT still stands, and still teaches photography, filmmaking, and graphic design.
