Lizzy Johnston
Atlanta, GA | elizabethlizzyliz@gmail.com | www.lizzyphoto.com | linkedin.com/in/lizzyjohnston

Photo Editor | Photo Researcher | Art Director | Creative Producer

Summary
Photo Editor and Creative Producer with 10+ years of experience in photo research, licensing, and creative production for brand, editorial, and marketing content. At Mailchimp, I sourced and licensed photography across campaigns, built vendor and agency partnerships, and directed large-scale productions within Wink Creative, Mailchimp’s in-house agency (named AdAge In-House Agency of the Year, 2023). Skilled in digital asset management, vendor negotiation, and collaborative workflows in fast-paced environments.

Core Skills

  • Photo Research & Licensing

  • Vendor & Agency Partnerships

  • Digital Asset Management

  • Creative Production & Workflows (Slack, Workfront, Figma)

  • Photo Art Direction & Editing

  • Budgeting, POs & Playbooks

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

Experience

Mailchimp — Photo Art Director / Brand Photo Lead — 2019 – 2025

  • Fielded photo research requests across marketing, product, and editorial teams, sourcing images under tight deadlines.

  • Partnered with stock agencies, creative reps, and freelance photographers to negotiate licensing and secure hard-to-find images.

  • Oversaw Mailchimp’s digital asset management systems, ensuring accessibility, rights compliance, and workflow efficiency.

  • Created Mailchimp’s Photography Style & Brand Guidelines to maintain consistency across global campaigns.

  • Directed large-scale productions and vendor partnerships as part of Wink Creative, Mailchimp’s award-winning in-house agency (AdAge In-House Agency of the Year, 2023).

Mailchimp — Senior Brand Photographer — 2018 – 2019

  • Built Mailchimp’s first in-house photo team; hired, managed, and mentored staff photographers.

  • Authored Mailchimp’s Photography Guidelines for the 2018 rebrand.

  • Produced photography for integrated marketing, web, and product campaigns.

  • Partnered with design directors and brand marketing leads to expand Mailchimp’s photography library.

Mailchimp — Brand Photographer — 2016 – 2018

  • Produced brand and campaign photography across marketing, social, and editorial channels.

  • Researched, pitched, and executed original creative concepts for campaigns.

  • Delivered imagery for customer case studies, company culture, and product storytelling.

Freelance — Art Director & Creative Producer — 2006 – 2021

  • Collaborated with clients including The New York Times, Whole Foods, Southern Foodways Alliance, Community Farmers Markets, and HowStuffWorks on photography, creative production, and visual storytelling projects.

  • Produced brand and editorial photography, with expertise in research, location sourcing, and vendor partnerships.

  • Managed end-to-end creative production, from briefs and budgets through final delivery.

HowStuffWorks — Creative Producer & Preditor — 2008 – 2013

  • Produced and edited digital content for 10+ top podcasts, including Stuff You Should Know and Stuff You Missed in History Class.

  • Acted as staff photographer for talent and campaigns.

  • Managed production schedules, edits, and digital asset libraries in a daily publishing environment.

  • Collaborated with creative teams under fast-turnaround deadlines.

Education & Certifications

  • BFA, Photography — Georgia State University

  • Savannah College of Art & Design (Entrepreneurship in the Arts coursework)

  • Brand Strategy & Storytelling, Hyper Island

  • Design Leadership & Ideation Workshops, Cooper Professional Education

Awards

  • AdAge In-House Agency of the Year, 2023 (Wink Creative, Mailchimp)

  • Webby People’s Voice Award


Previous

Photography in Application (Mailchimp Emails & Web)