Creative OperationsManager.

The operating model

This was the exact shape of fractional work: embedded, ongoing financial operations across distinct creative businesses, each with its own records, workflows, and reporting needs.

The companies

Several creative businesses, each with separate books, workflows, and reporting needs.

The financial controls

Transaction categorization, account reconciliations, clean books, budget management, and QuickBooks reporting formed the core of the work.

Plan

I worked with the library’s Marketing Director on access, built the call sheet and shot list, and did the reading: Palmer’s career, the book, the angles worth pursuing. Hired one videographer to cover the talk. Treated the assignment with the same planning rigor, stakeholder signoff, and delivery discipline as paid work.

Deliver

Shot the talk, edited overnight, wrote the feature. Ran the Sunday-night review with the library’s team and held the Monday 10 a.m. publication window.

Result

The coverage supported the library’s book event; the team used the photos to bring preorder customers back in to collect their books. The photos did a second job after publication.

The operation

I built and ran the operating system end to end: set the monthly schedule, briefed each contractor, managed every handoff, and held the delivery cadence for 18 months. One contractor handled live performance video, two handled interviews, and one built the graphic layouts. On the first Wednesday of every month, I also photographed the Open Mic Jam Session at Wilmington Public Library.

The constraint

The operation had no cash budget. Volunteers and in-kind support made the monthly cycle possible, and every featured artist received professional images at no cost.

The reach

The campaign reached a substantial audience on the organization’s Instagram account during the 18-month run. The photographs moved through social posts, flyers, press kits, and artist materials that supported the organization’s fundraising.

The story

I turned the 18 months into an essay on artist development, local visibility, and the relationships that keep a music scene alive.

The operation

Each month, coverage starts with event photography. Edited galleries ship within 48 hours. The content calendar and campaign materials carry the work forward.

The sponsorship work

I designed and wrote the sponsorship deck, using my photographs throughout. It opened the conversation with CC’s Rooftop for a Miami Music Week activation. The label’s owner aligned the proposal with the venue’s needs and closed the booking in the weeks before the event. The press release supported ticket sales.

The engagement model

The work is recurring by design: one monthly operating rhythm that connects live production, post-production, content planning, and campaign delivery.

Plan

Phil Lee invited me to cover it for Glass & Gain. I researched the artists on my day, picked the sets to follow, and built the shot list around the festival schedule.

Deliver

Shot it solo on a tight festival schedule, edited overnight, wrote the feature over the weekend. Timed the gallery and the article to ship together.

Result

Roughly a dozen collaborative posts, tens of thousands of views for the festival, and a reason to watch the next one.

Plan

Asked Katerina Sky for access, researched the series and the lineup, built shot lists and artist profiles for the night.

Deliver

Shot through the night, edited overnight, delivered the full gallery and article to the artists by 8 a.m. Held the approval window so the post went live around 10.

Result

Collaborative posts went out across the artists’ channels. Katerina Sky, Ben Arsenal, and Sky Society adopted the images as profile photos. Repeat engagement after the assignment.