CREATE SPOTLIGHT
Interview by Holly Stuart Hughes
PhotograPher as
art Buyer
Chris Peters
has overseen
the art
buying and
production at
Minneapolis
ad agency
© lisa lucas
Colle+McVoy
for more than 12 years. he
started as an assistant art
buyer and has also worked as a
staff photographer. as part of
the creative department, he’s
helped evolve Colle+McVoy
into a nationally recognized
agency. Peters sources talent for
the wide range of Colle+McVoy
clients including Nestlé Purina,
Caribou Coffee Company, Indian
Motorcycle and schwinn bikes.
Prior to joining Colle+McVoy,
Peters studied photography
at Minneapolis College of art
and Design, and worked as
a production manager for a
photography studio as well as
a freelance photojournalist.
his photography has won
numerous awards and been
featured in Communication Arts
advertising annual.
Peters talked to PDN about
what he looks for in the
photographers he hires and the
images he needs for a variety of
advertising uses.
© new holland/photos by joe nishizawa (tunnel) and chris sheehan (tractor)
PDN: How would you define what sets Colle+McVoy
apart?
CHris Peters: Colle+McVoy doesn’t a have particular
style or shtick. We help brands find their style and help
them expand their audiences. We also try to bring a
fresh perspective to iconic brands like Indian Motorcycle
and Schwinn and open them up to people who haven’t
thought about the brand in that way.
Another thing we do well is create experiences or
campaigns that people can participate in, that hope-
fully make you laugh or think or be inspired. I think that
sets us apart. For example for Caribou Coffee, you can
go to their Web site and design your own cups. You can
also contribute a quote about how Caribou inspires you
during the day. Your quote may be chosen to be put on
a cup, which is fun. For Atmosphere, the rap group, we
designed a Web site where you could be a graffiti artist
and tag any Web page you want and create your own
art work, upload that to a gallery and have people vote
on it. The best known thing we’ve done in the interac-
tive field is Yearbook Yourself where you could upload
your photo, take a template of yearbook photos span-
ning 50 years, drop your face into it and send it to your
friends or [post it on] Facebook. We try to build experi-
ences people can play with and share that are fun in-
stead of just trying to beat you over the head with “buy
our product.”
PDN: What role do you think photography can play
in branding or advertising?
CP: It’s extremely important. Being the visual society that
we are, the image is always going to be the first thing
that hooks people. I try to find photography that’s going
to instantly engage you or grab your attention. Whether
that’s an image that’s beautiful or clever or sexy, hopefully it’ll hold your attention and make you want to dig
deeper or motivate you to interact with the brand.
PDN: Do you rely primarily on a stable of regular
photographers, or are you looking for new talent?
CP: Obviously if you shoot for us and do a great job and
develop a relationship with me and the art directors, your
