DeBoer Representation Overview

Business Philosophy

Add value any way you can. Have fun; accept projects with good people with whom you enjoy working. Don’t take projects that won’t advance your career or contribute to relationships you value. Surround yourself with smart people who raise the results to a higher level. Listen to all ideas but be a strong gracious leader. Wisdom and experience carry a lot of weight on the set.

Representation - Why Now?

I’ve reached a wall. The business has been operating by word of mouth since 2006 but lately all of my work has come from inside North Carolina. While I win my share of local (usually under $15K) jobs, I haven’t won a national bid in a couple years. Additionally, requests for proposals are slowing. *Since Covid, of course, it has stopped - but the pandemic isn’t my impetus for seeking representation other than I now have the time to entertain it.

I need to shake things up and I’m looking forward to being part of a team. My business will benefit from a different viewpoint, a broader reach, collective experiences, better negotiating, and shared goals. I work best in collaboration and I have recently lost 2 of my most valued creative team members to career changes.

Expectations

I want to find a team that has a depth of experience and a “can do” attitude. Having a group of talented photographers, film makers and support with a sense of camaraderie is a big plus. I have no short term business expectations; I have too much experience for that kind of thinking.

Going Forward

I believe that photographers need filmmaking solutions that compliment our still work. I started OryxCreatives.com a few years ago with that in mind. Oryx is where my video resides. It’s organized so that my “first calls” - preferred crew and support - have a home. Oryx has also served as my consulting base; I’ve worked as a creative director for companies that need help managing a creative team or forming a creative plan from scratch through post production. I look forward to continuing video story telling in addition to still photography.

I also believe I have yet to take my best photograph. I’ve said more times than I can count that no matter how long I do this thing, I feel like a beginner; probably why I’m still a photographer after almost 40 years. I’m forever starting over even though I carry a lifetime of experience. The bottom line: I’m looking for good opportunities to perform and learn. I simply love that photography often serves as a backstage pass to the world.

Marketing

As mentioned above, I’ve relied mostly on word of mouth and keeping my name on awards. However, I have been a regular advertiser in Luerzer’s Archive, used some targeted email blasts and participate in some web portals. Once I have a marketing partner I will increase advertising efforts.

Brief History

I’ve been a working professional photographer since 1982. I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1980 and assisted as a freelancer in Boston for 2 years before launching my own business - DeBoer, Inc. I accepted a position with Hallmark Cards in Kansas City in 1988 as a manager of their 2.5 million dollar (yr. budget) photography studio. In 1992 I moved to Raleigh, NC to work with my RIT College roommate, Jim Erickson, as a studio photographer while he covered people on location. The relationship peaked as a split team on the 1996 Harley Davidson Catalog and ended shortly after when Erickson moved to San Fransisco. My photography from the Harley shoot was featured in Graphis vol. 312.

As a result of Jim’s move, I opened Stone Soup Productions with his staff that remained in Raleigh, selling it in 1999 to my partners when I accepted a job with a small advertising agency in Chicago as a Sr. Account Executive. In 2001,

I moved back to Raleigh to work with a design firm, Synthesis Creative, as their Director of Marketing. I returned to photography as DeBoer Works LLC in 2006. In addition to local and regional shoots, I rejoined Jim Erickson leading the second team on large productions including advertising photography in the Eastern United States, and large productions in Europe, China, Hawaii and for Norwegian Cruise lines.

Awards/Publications

I’ve never had a hard time winning awards. There is a long list on my website starting after I left Hallmark Cards in 1992 here: brucedeboer.com

Referrals and Testimonials

Once we get to that point, I can introduce numerous creatives who will back me up.