"The Photo Shoot Impasse"


In March, 2001, I had the idea of doing a photo shoot with Lisa, so I asked if she would be interested...

Yes, I would be interested in the photo shoot. But you would definitely have to speak to my manager first. Im just not permitted to do anything like that without her knowlege. :) Lisa

I asked about her agent and manager...
Kyle, I have an agency (the Savage Agency) and a manager. The manager deals with more personal things and things unrelated to audition appointments (such as this photo shoot idea). They are not the same entity. Her number is on my headshot. Bye, Lisa

Sent this letter to her manager:
Dear Ms. Rosson:
As a follow up to our telephone conversation on Monday regarding a photo shoot with your client, Lisa Gerber, please find enclosed a small composite sample of some of my photography, which I have had as a serious hobby.

I would like to have a casual outdoor shoot. Lisa would of course get a contact sheet and some prints at no charge, to use however she wants. I would like to use them on my Lisa Gerber page. If any pictures were published (by mutual consent), I would propose splitting any compensation. (Remainder "snipped".)

I then contacted Lisa:
Dear Lisa - I forget if I told you I talked to Natalie today. She was not too comfortable with the idea of a shoot, particularly if it showed up on a web page...She said she didn't want to "give it away for free", and kind of went off about how she had "a big business" and dealt with "big producers" and stuff :-) No offense, but you yourself said no one would probably be interested in pictures...(magazines maybe not. TWY fans, definitely yes.)

I sent her a regular snail mail letter today spelling out my idea, and included a 4-up sample of some of my past fashion photgraphy. Here is the body of the letter...(as above, "snipped" here.)

I hope I haven't gotten you in trouble with Natalie. I of course see her point, but I still am interested. I suppose I can put all my TWY budget for the next couple years into actually "paying" for a shoot...Let her know the letter is coming mid-week if she bothers to talk to you...Thanks. And I do appreciate the time you've given me. I just hope you have some good answers for the bulletin board. Kyle:-)

She replied that night:
Kyle, Yes you told me you spoke with natalie. Sorry, I have been at work and couldn't respond. You have a point. I realize that no one would right now be interested in my publicity except the Wonder Years community. So why not milk that for all its worth? Unfortunately, I see Natalies point. Though I like the attention the Wonder Years has brought me, it was a long time ago and I should be focusing on getting new jobs. Also, from her point of view, she wants to make money. And she wouldn't off of this shoot. And because she is my manager (and we are a team of sorts) I can't get around that. I think its her opinion (and also mine) that even though I am not in high demand, I should hold out for the "big business deals". I'm sorry, but I just can't go around my professional obligations to her. I would be happy to answer the bulletin board questions. In fact, I will do so right now. Lisa :)

I asked how much money we were talking about. She replied:
Kyle...I'm still very much "looking for work" and my manager still works for me. As for the money, that is certainly not my area. Thats my agents forte. We should go ahead and wait to see how she responds to the letter, but as of now, I'm gonna pass. No problem about the bulletin board answers. Lisa

Another exchange included this reply:
As for the photo shoot, it would depend on where the pictures would be going. If they were for the web, the answer would still be no. And since you don't work for a magazine, I would think it would be impossible to get them to publish your pictures. Also, I think we would be asking upward of four thousand dollars to get them taken.

Although I would have paid up to maybe $500, my final answer was...
Uh, no thanks :-)



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05/26/02 10:10