We were lucky to catch up with Carol Guenzi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carol, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I was a young college grad and a woman in Denver in the early 1980s, and I quickly realized that there was a glass ceiling for advancement in the workplace. Despite this, I entered my own advertising business by age 24, with minimal prior experience working for a company. After a failed first business partnership, I discovered that I had a talent for managing creatives and sales, and I started an agent/repping business with photographers, illustrators, and videographers. Although I grew my business successfully, the Denver market had a downturn in the late 1980s, and I decided to expand into the national market. After a few rough years of marketing and selling for cable companies, I could work independently and landed almost all of the Coors/Rockies business in the early 1990s. This became my thriving business model. However, some inexperienced talent decided to leave and start their own businesses, which was discouraging as I had always fought for the little people to break through. Then, in 2001, 9/11 happened, and the company changed again. I had to re-create what we were doing and add more technology. I experimented with developing additional revenue streams with others, but when you are the force and the bank, it can be challenging when things don’t succeed. It would have been nice to work for a larger company.

A little over a decade ago, the internet took over what I had provided for my talent, and I needed to find a new opportunity. I started doing Visual Asset Management, which involved audit, archival, and content generation, which was successful. However, due to health, Covid, and a soured relationship, I had to give the business to the partner. I wish I had partnered with a larger company to grow that business.

Today, I am looking at another opportunity to bring all my skill sets together for a new adventure.

While I enjoy the independence, the uncertainty can be daunting.

Carol, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have a BFA with an emphasis in Advertising and Illustration and a minor in marketing. At 21, I was hired as a Junior Art Director for Denver’s second-largest advertising agency. While in the agency, I learned that all the final creative work is outsourced, a big part of being a great creative partner with talent to execute your final vision for your client.

I am most proud of my ability to get creatives to produce work to their fullest potential, with the client’s direction recognized and expanded beyond their expectations. I am practical and diligent regarding deadlines and budgets, and I know how to work with multiple creatives on the client side and the final creative talent executing the work.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was contacted by Coors Creative Services to provide two illustrators for the launch of the Colorado Rockies Franchise. To ensure the work was aligned with the new Coors Field and current styles, I conducted thorough research. I collaborated with the two chosen illustrators to create one concept illustration each, and I was both the agent and creative director in guiding them to produce their best work. Both of the illustrations turned out great, and I presented them to the Coors creative group for review. Although I knew that four other groups were presenting, I was pleasantly surprised when we won the business. The project was hectic for a year due to the involvement of many stakeholders, including Creatives, Owners, and Coors.

At one point, we were so pressed for time that I even had to babysit the illustrator’s daughter while he worked on the illustration in the basement, and his wife was at her night job. It was a challenging time, and I remember leaving with a wet canvas at 4 am for an 8 am presentation, knowing that everything was on the line.

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?

Please do not try to understand the creative mind; the more talented, the harder it is to understand or control. I never felt I had that level of creativity, but I did have the ability to understand and translate concepts into actual executables, that is, production, schedule, and budget.

Never push them up against the wall and nudge them; otherwise, you will not get what you ask for or paid for!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artagent.com
• Other: 800-417-5120 I am building a new site for this business launch and my info is under construction for the time being.