Read our Q&A below to get to know Jamie!
What video/television piece inspired you recently?
I have to say it’s The Living Planet. When I want to feel inspired, warm and cozy again I watch anything with Sir David Attenborough–he’s my hero and encourages me to believe there’s a better world out there. My favorite show in probably the last five years is The Queen’s Gambit. I binged it in two nights; it’s the best seven episodes written for television that I’ve ever been gripped by, and I don’t even like chess.
What is most exciting for you at the moment within your industry?
Creatives have had to push their creativity further. Brand storytelling is becoming more purposeful and driven by integrity. Brands are becoming a partner to the world and to communities; they want to be better citizens. Through storytelling, entertainment and media companies as well as agencies are looking to be more meaningful, and they’re listening and learning about the times we’re living in in order to not be mute. It excites me because not everyone is thinking about leasing a car, packing up and running away; it’s not physically possible. Airlines aren’t saying, “Come fly with us!,” they can’t be tone deaf. Everything from movies to TV shows are having to change the way they think, look, and approach from a diversity standpoint through to integrity and purpose standpoints. Today more than ever, you have to lean in to cultural insights.
What is one thing the telly awards community should know about you?
I’m an avid collector of modern architecture literature and books. One of my favorites is Julius Shulman who was a well known photographer capturing everything from Frank Lloyd Wright to Albert Frey right into the sixties. I’m so passionate about this topic that I took off to Palm Springs for Modernism Week to tour postmodern houses and post-WWII houses. Also, I’m a big Alan Partridge fan to this day and only listen to nineties indie music.
What is a piece of work you are most proud to have worked on?
An 8-part television weekend special on A&E Networks, History where I was fortunate enough to be the producer and tell the history of Ford Motor Company. It’s one of my biggest accomplishments. Also, being able to film––for the first time in 100 years––a car being manufactured in the Rouge Factory in Dearborn, MI. Never before had TV cameras been allowed inside the factory to film or shoot; it’s a first. Here’s where Henry Ford built the Model T over a century ago.
How has your work changed after the the unpredictable pandemic industry landscape?
My work has become highly creative, very global and rewarding. The circumstances allowed me to showcase and strengthen the value proposition of our business, ushering in a new era for Shutterstock where we serve as a creative partner to major Hollywood studios, brands and agencies around the world. As a result, we’ve become more ingrained in their production process whether it be serving as an index for locations open for production or leveraging our network of 1M contributors across photography, film and music to provide real-time, localized and relevant content for their creations.
