We recently connected with Anthony Romano and have shared our conversation below.

Anthony, appreciate you joining us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

For me, I think the most innovative thing I had done in my career is picked up a camera. When I was growing up, and especially in high school, I always wanted to be a graphic designer. I love design! Legit geek out on typefaces, layouts, color schemes, you name it. And I always wanted to design album art! So when picking a major in college, Graphic Design was the obvious choice. I took a couple of photo classes in college, and almost had a duel major, but decided to graduate in four years instead haha. So I focused more on design, and learning how to be profitable if I wasn’t going to be working at a large ad agency. That brought be in to marketing. Trust me, this all adds up haha. So I have been in Marketing for over 15 years. At my last job, before starting my own company and taking it full time, I was the marketing manager for a photography lighting company. Was it my dream job, nope BUT what it did was surround me with amazingly talented and supportive people that encouraged me to pick up a camera again. I learned a lot from a few key people (and continue learning, growing, and evolving to this day), and they got me thinking about combining me skill set of design, marketing, and photography, and turn it into a business. I recently celebrated one year as a full-time freelancer and without getting that last job and meeting some very kind, patient, and thoughtful people, I wouldn’t have picked up a camera as a source of income. High school me would be proud … not only am I designing album art, I’m also photographing the image used as well!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Working as a full time freelance graphic designer and photographer allows me the opportunity to work with clients across many different industries. From models and musicians to big brands and small companies, I love being able to use my skills to help bring their visions to life.

My photography career started mainly photographing models for comp cards and creative portraits. I was a bit backwards from a traditional photographer in that I was more comfortable using off-camera flash than natural light. I think that helped set me apart from a lot of my peers and I’m super thankful to the people who taught me the importance of lighting and how to be creative with it.

I think I’m most proud of the reaction people have seeing their photos. I may have made a couple people cry, in a good way!! I tell everyone on set that it’s meant to be fun! We aren’t saving lives, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Sure there are time constraints and what not, but that’s where planning makes a huge difference. I always go into a shoot nervous (but the good kind of excited nervous) and with a plan that plans change. Thinking on your feet and being able to adapt are two huge assets to being a creative. At the end of the day, having my client not only feel comfortable on set, but excited for the final images is what makes what I do so awesome!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think non-creatives struggle to understand the cost associated with what artists and creatives charge. Everyone has a budget, and that’s totally understandable. In fact, I work with a lot of budget conscious clients. But those clients also understand that they are investing in themselves. Creatives still have bills to pay. Like anything, communication is key. Explaining what the client gets for the money they are going to spend helps alleviate any potential sticker shock. And if budget is still an issue and you can’t come to an agreement, that’s okay … for everyone involved! It most cases it doesn’t mean your potential client doesn’t value your work, it’s just they have other commitments and priorities that may be taking precedence over their funds.

I say this a lot to people, but creatives tend to get the short end of the stick sometimes when it comes to pay. People don’t go to their dentist and say “I need my teeth cleaned but only have enough money to cover the cost of one tooth, so can you give me a deal? I’ll tell everyone about what a great job you did. It’ll be great exposure.” Riiiight, ’cause I can pay my mortgage and utilities with exposure. Don’t get me wrong, discounted shoots and even free shoots can be worth it, but for me it either needs to be a cause I care about or a particular project that has the ability to lead to something greater in the future.

No one likes talking money, but be respectful! My camera doesn’t take great pictures … I do. A lot of time, energy, money, and passion, goes in to what creatives do, so the stigma of thinking it’s the fancy camera that makes the image needs to go away.

::gets off soap box:: I promise I’m not bitter haha I just want creatives to get what they are worth and for their clients to be happy with the final outcome.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth and results have been instrumental in growing my clientele. Providing an experience that is unique to each client is not only part of my mission, but it sets me apart from others who aren’t investing time into their clients. Do your homework! Have consultation calls, learn their goals and what they want to achieve with their investment. Creating a welcoming, fun, and creative atmosphere on set makes clients feel comfortable and involved in the process. Of course you need to have stellar work (in my case photos) to add validity and trust in what you do, but if that can be combined with an amazing on set experience, you are golden! In a world where people are so quick to jump to the negative, positive experiences don’t get as glorified. If your client has an amazing experience working with you, not only will it show in the work, they are also more likely to share that experience with friends, family, and coworkers.

Spending money on advertising is great, but spending time with client often provides a greater ROI.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anthonyromanocreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyromanocreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthonyromanocreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aromano412/