Peter Townsend

Background

About Peter Townsend

I have spent most of the last 4 decades working with photographers images and clients at the very highest International level. In Paris during the eighties, I worked in international brand marketing and development for the global cosmetic giant; L’Oreal. During which time I had the privilege of working on international campaign advertising, alongside multiple award-winning ad agencies on the ‘client-side’ with some of the world’s greatest photographers… Richard Avedon, Arthur Elgort, Irving Penn, David Bailey, Patrick Demarchelier, Terence Donovan, Peter Lindbergh, Walter Chin, Guy Bourdin, Pamela Hanson, Paolo Roversi, Helmut Newton & Albert Watson to ‘name-drop’ just a few. For the past 3 decades I have been applying and honing my marketing skills and experience exclusively to commercial imagery, launching my own photographic agencies in both Paris and London, where I was fortunate enough to represent some of the world’s leading photographic talents and shooting for some of the world’s most well known and prestigious brands. During that time, I worked with creative departments, art directors, art buyers, picture editors at major advertising agencies, design firms, clients and editorial publishers worldwide. I won, sourced and produced world class assignments, advertising campaigns and editorials for my photographers. Delivered high quality, on-budget shoot production. Negotiated day rate fees in excess of p/day and well over $30 million dollars worth of complex copyright, usage and buy-out agreements. I’ve nurtured fledgling careers, mentored others, conceived and implemented career changing marketing plans, whilst always maintaining and developing strong ongoing relations with clients globally. I have literally seen thousands of creative artist’s portfolios, and met with hundreds of photographers. Some more exciting or naturally talented than others, and so many different personalities, some definitely more suited to commercial success than others. I have a huge respect for anyone who chooses to make photography or illustration their profession and turn their passion into a dependable revenue stream. In doing so, it must be the hardest thing for a creative artist to step outside his/her personal creative perspective and be objectively critical of their own work and successfully market themselves. I honestly don’t know many who totally succeed alone.