This workshop explores the many new and exciting careers in the photo industry. Our industry isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are so many different ways to take your career in a new direction. We explore the role of photo producers, agents, and photo editors and how they got to where they are today.
Leveling Up is a web series to create pathways for freelancing visual storytellers to become successful in the photography industry. With workshops that talk about the art of the side hustle, creating collectives, and understanding contracts, these discussions and presentations from all-star and up-and-coming photographers are designed to guide members of our photographic community toward growth and success in their careers.
The workshops are especially geared towards BIPOC photographers and are open to photographers anywhere in the world. We are here to support BIPOC and non-Western photographers to have successful careers.
SPEAKERS
MAREN LEVINSON
Maren Levinson is the founder of REDEYE, an artist’s agency, based in Los Angeles, representing a diverse pool of artists all over the United States. REDEYE leans toward voice driven artists, who are kind and fierce and have a great sense of humor. Clients include Nike, Apple, Amazon, Target, Vans, Instacart, Square, HBO, Netflix, Puma, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Affirm, and more.
Before starting Redeye, Maren was a photo editor at Mother Jones Magazine, and the founding photo editor at Dwell Magazine. Maren has always fostered the work of emerging artists and has thoroughly enjoyed being a reviewer at the Houston Fotofest, Review Santa Fe, PhotoLucida, and The Palm Springs Photo Fest, among many others. She has sat on panels for ASMP and PDN, was on the organizing committee for SPD’s “Unsung Heroes of the American West” series, and has also been a judge of the PDN Photo Annual.
In the summer of 2020, REDEYE partnered with Diversify Photo to offer their repping services to the Diversify membership, so that these talented artists could confidently submit strong, competitive bids to large ad agencies and clients who were seeking a more diverse pool of creative partners. That same year, REDEYE also started offering free reviews to members of the BIPOC community and continues to do so to this day.
TRACEY WOODS
Tracey Woods is the Director of Photography at The Luupe and a freelance creative consultant and producer. Prior to this, she was the photo director at Essence Communications. Tracey has produced editorial and commercial content for a variety of well-known brands, participated in panels, and sat on juries for some of the top photography organizations around the globe. As an artist and photographer, Tracey’s signature artwork adorned the windows of Macy’s flagship stores in New York, San Francisco and Chicago during summer 2020. Woods holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from Pratt Institute and earned her Bachelor of Arts in graphic design from Rhode Island College.
WENDY CORREA
Wendy Corrrea is a Queens Native newly residing in Yonkers, Wendy Correa has been an analog photographer since high school. She moved up the ladder in the media industry as an intern and assistant and finally to photo director, working with amazing production teams at King, Vibe, Essence + Ebony, and many more. After many years as a teaching artist at a number of nonprofits, she took all of her knowledge and experience to the Josephine Herrick project, whereas program director she helps schools and community-based organizations use an inclusive approach to photography education, teaching students to practice art-making, entrepreneurship, and self-expression through photography.
MODERATOR
ANDREA WISE
Andrea Wise is an interdisciplinary photo editor, art director, and entrepreneur leveraging photography, illustration, animation, collage, audio, and video to build a more equitable and empathetic world by empowering visual journalists and artists who connect us all through storytelling. She does that as a visuals editor at ProPublica, a nonprofit digital-first investigative newsroom, and as co-founder of Diversify Photo, a community-based organization advocating for underrepresented visual creators worldwide. As a photo editor, she has also worked for National Geographic, Newsweek, The Intercept, among others.