Building Scalable Photography Systems
for Fictional Brands
Selected fictitious brands shown in product and marketing contexts at Mailchimp.
Photography systems and art direction across multi-brand initiatives. Developed scalable photo production systems for Mailchimp’s Fictitious Brands initiative, leading photography for 22 fictional brand identities while collaborating with designers and copywriters.
The challenge was to create credible, industry-specific photography for each brand across marketing and product experiences. I built production frameworks — shot lists, brand guidelines, creative direction standards — and partnered with photographers to execute each brand's aesthetic.
Flexstart (Fictitious Brand, 2021): Photography production for fitness/wellness brand identity.
My Role As Photo Lead
A hybrid role spanning photographer, art director, & creative producer.
Built photography production frameworks (shot lists, brand photo guidelines, workflows)
Led photo art direction: photographer selection, creative concepting, shot development
Managed photo production budgets ($20K–$180K per brand) and vendor partnerships
Directed shoots and oversaw post-production (retouching, asset delivery)
Adapted production models for constraints, including remote direction and COVID-era protocols
Production Approach & Scale
How a repeatable production framework enabled scale across brands and constraints.
Photography produced for 20+ fictional brand identities (2019–2025)
Budgets ranged from $20K–$180K per brand
Production environments included studio, on-location, and remote direction
COVID-era productions: 8 brands (Los Angeles, Atlanta, remote Zoom, and stock-based shoots)
Production planning framework: shot lists, design system, and moodboards for cycling brand (2025)
The outcome→ The photography production framework became the standard for fictional brand development at Mailchimp, enabling consistent quality, efficiency, and creative flexibility across all brands.