We were lucky to catch up with Eric Wallace recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I created a Photography and Video company specializing in the Fashion industry, Verrocchio Studio. When it came time to find a name for my company I knew I wanted to highlight a personal quality of mine that I’ve displayed for majority of my life, and that is my inherent polymathism. If you don’t know what a polymath is, it’s an individual who excels in many different areas of expertise. The most famous Polymath in our history being Leonardo DaVinci, inventor, city planner, musician and, of course, painter. I wanted to incorporate DaVinci into my company identity since it was my curiosity for different experiences and journey for knowledge which lead me to the camera. I stepped back and asked, who was DaVinci’s teacher, who did he learn from? Enter Andrea Del Verrocchio, an established successful painter and sculptor who allowed for DaVinci to study under him in his studio. When I learned of this I knew I had found my company name!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Eric Wallace, I am a 3-time former professional athlete, competing professionally in basketball, Australian Rules Football and American Football. I am currently a full-time Fashion Model and Photographer based in NYC. I found the fashion photography industry in 2012 when I was in Australia playing professional football and began modeling. A natural transition that occurs most often is subject in front of camera moves to behind the camera as well. this led me to move to New York, as I found my style of photography lended itself better to New York, not to mention the opportunities found in the Big City. I shoot a vintage style of photography with a number of fashion brands and fashion magazines. I’m. most proud of being able to find my style and my niche in an ever changing industrynad to create work that I like.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist of creative is the fact it is your job to think outside of the box and create things that others may view as odd, or in my vintage photography’s case, dated. The reward comes when you realize trends recycle, and even more profound, a style withstands time and in today’s internet age, it fosters a community!

Any advice for managing a team?

When managing a team most often leaders forget the keyword, team. As a professional athlete of over a decade and playing on multiple teams, it was my job to trust my teammates in doing their job and if we all carried our own weight, we’d give our best chance to be successful. Add in the fact that the job at hand is creating Fashion imagery and video, managing a creative team becomes an exercise managing incredible ideas from incredible creative. My advice is to cultivate an environment where ideas are encouraged and initiative is welcomed. When a creative has an idea, that may be the one piece from taking good, to great, to Iconic!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.verrocchiostudio.com
• Instagram: polymathicwallace
• Linkedin: wallaceericm
• Twitter: polymathic