5 MINUTES WITH...AN ART BUYER
As part of our '5 MINUTES WITH...' series, we spent 5 minutes with Sarah Thomson, Art Buyer at DDB UK.
© Kerry Harrison
Tell us a bit about what you do.
I am an Art Buyer at DDB UK. I commission photography, illustration and cgi for print and digital advertising.
How did you get into art buying?
My first job was with Photographer’s Agent, Catherine Collins, then I worked for Nadav Kander, Zelda Cheatle Gallery, AMV BBDO and now DDB.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love photography and I always have. I love having the opportunity to work with some of most talented photographers everyday of my working life.
What's been the most exciting or interesting shoot you've worked on?
Loads, Volkswagens in Namibia, Wallace and Gromit in Bristol, giant speechbubbles in Barcelona, cartwheels in Hungary, fairies in London, marauding hordes in Bannockburn, dinosaurs in Watford Way….
You must get approached by so many photographers, what can a photographer do to get your attention and possibly a commission from somewhere like DDB?
First and foremost, have great work, present it well, and dedicate yourself to your photographic work.
Which photographers work do you really like (doesn’t have to be advertising)?
Robert Frank, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Andre Kertesz, Mari Mahr, Jacques Henri-Lartigue, Tina Modotti, Wolfgang Tillmans, Hioshi Sugimoto, Wolf Suschitzky, Clifford Coffin, Mark Power, Boris Mikhailov, Broomberg and Chanarin, there are so many….
Thanks again for being a judge on our LPA Futures 2011 competition, how did you find the experience?
Fun, illuminating, beautifully organised.
What one item do you always carry with you?
Lipstick.
What's your favourite blog or website?