Creative Help Wanted:

Most people agree that Atlanta has a multitude of creative talent. Our city also has a wealth of creative opportunities in marketing, graphic art, interactive programming and design; film, video and television production and advertising. How do local creatives find opportunities for work, and how do companies with opportunities find the right creative person?

Not surprisingly, making the perfect match between creative talent and employers’ needs has become an important business, in Atlanta and across the nation. The tight employment market of the past few years and the growing dependence on freelancers has increased the demand for creative placement services. Growth has spawned competition, and competition for the best talent has resulted in a razor-sharp focus on providing the best service, both to the job candidate and to the hiring company.

Atlanta is now home to a smorgasbord of creative placement firms, offering something for virtually every potential employee and employer. From occasional freelance projects to full time ad agency positions, Atlanta creative placement firms fill the gamut of needs with the most appropriate talent. No two firms are exactly alike in size, clientele, and the types of positions in which they specialize. However, the firms are similar in philosophy and business practices.

In general, Atlanta’s creative placement firms can be grouped broadly by medium, print or broadcast, although several fill both types of positions. A sampling of these firms reveals their diversity.

The Ultimate Outsource manages marketing communications projects, assisting companies that need individuals with specific skills and industry expertise for short-term or long-term assignments. According to owner Ramona McCary, the firm places freelancers and forms project teams that include established businesses, such as direct mail and telemarketing companies. Her clients most frequently request writers, database programmers, graphic artists, and direct mail companies. The majority of these placements are in Atlanta.

McCary says The Ultimate Outsource is quite different from a temporary placement agency. "I become much more involved in the projects," she explains. "Database management and direct marketing are subspecialties of mine, so I may place myself in the equation, depending on the company’s needs. I watch over the projects closely, and I’m careful to take on an appropriate amount of work. My goal is not to be the biggest, I just want to do really good work for a select group of people."

Moving to a broader service line, E-Staff and Aquent Partners place freelancers and also fill permanent positions. A subsidiary of Randstad Staffing Services, E-Staff most frequently finds work for designers, art directors, and web and print production artists. Branch Manager Kathy Fitzmaurice says her firm also occasionally places creative directors and account executives. One of eight offices throughout the country, Atlanta’s E-Staff concentrates on the local market and maintains a large candidate database.

"We are a good resource for candidates looking for both freelance and permanent positions," she says. "We help people find work, or keep them busy until they find work on their own. Unfortunately, we can’t help everyone. Our clients have specific needs, and we have to deliver the most ideal candidate."

Aquent Partners is the newly christened name for what used to be MacTemps, WebStaff, and Portfolio. Along with the name change has come a revised mission, to provide a higher level of service for independent professionals. "We aim to keep people as busy as they want to be, and to provide benefits, such as insurance and retirement planning, from day one," says Nikki Granner, the Boston-based general manager. "In return, we expect deeper relationships with the talent and clients we represent."

Granner says the firm most often fills graphic design, print production, and desktop publishing positions. Within the past two years, web site development and design have grown, now accounting for about 20 percent of the firms placements.

At the local Aquent Partners office, Area Manager Audrie Eidson estimates that approximately 75 percent of the local placements are independent professionals, and the remainder fill permanent positions. In the past, these candidates did not sign an exclusive contract with the firm. However, Eidson says this recently changed, and now Aquent Partners is looking for exclusivity with a core group of talent in order to bring the most value to the client companies, and to those who want to work essentially full time while remaining independent.

CREWS bridges the gap between print and broadcast media. The firm places freelance stylists, set designers, hair and make-up artists, art directors, and production assistants. CREWS clients include local catalog houses, department stores, and photographers, along with film and video producers who come to Atlanta to shoot. "In many cases, we keep our core group of freelancers busy 100 percent of the time," says Shirlene Brooks, owner and president.

According to its president, James Jernigan, 1-888-TV-CREWS is the largest supplier of television crews and equipment in the south. "We hire more freelancers than anything short of feature films in this region," he notes. Crews range from two people with appropriate production gear to a team of more than 20 people.

Jernigan says 1-888-TV-CREWS serves as this region’s bureau for clients such as Fox Television, Miramax, and Paramount. He frequently gets calls for directors of photography, camera operators, sound mixers, production assistants, gaffers, grips, make-up artists, and teleprompter operators. The crews work predominately in Atlanta, but the firm also sends talent to neighboring states.

Crawford Production Services is not a placement firm. However, the company hires a significant number of freelancers to staff its clients’ productions. "Every project requires a certain number of freelance personnel," says Bill Thompson, director of operations, "and we do more than 1,200 shoots a year. The main positions we fill are camera operators, directors of photography for film and video, audio technicians for film, and audio engineers for video. We also pull in make-up artists, gaffers, and prop stylists." Thompson says about 80 percent of the time he hires people for shoots in Atlanta and in this region. Most of the remaining shoots are in New York or Washington, D.C., with occasional opportunities elsewhere in the country.

Two independent recruiting firms based here specialize in filling permanent advertising agency positions throughout the country. AskGuyTucker, Inc. and The Talent Zoo have directly benefited from the tight employment market as agencies have found it harder to get the caliber of people they seek. "Agencies are used to and comfortable with paying for this service," says Guy Tucker. "The nature of the advertising business is very fluid, accounts move and employment fluctuates. These days everyone is more comfortable with the movement."

According to The Talent Zoo’s Rick Myers, the positions most in demand are account management; media buyers, planners and supervisors, and creative directors. He gets the fewest requests for production or traffic jobs.

For these firms, the percentage of people placed in the Atlanta market varies between 15 and 30 percent. Myers observes, "We’re currently placing most people in Chicago and New York, but more often than not, these are people who are in those markets currently. There is really less market crossover than people think. We have found people tend to move around within the same market."

Even though the creative placement firms seek different candidates for a variety of clients, they are alike in many ways, particularly in delivering the benefits of using their services. Granner says, "The biggest benefit to both parties is that we do most of the work. Our job is to be the matchmaker, to find the right job, and to give advice. We save the talent and the client time and money."

"For freelancers and vendors, I handle all the billing and paperwork, negotiations with clients, and I act as a liaison between the creatives and the client if problems arise," explains McCary. "Most importantly, I sit on the doorstep of clients who are reluctant invoice payers."

Brooks points out, "Freelancers are under our umbrella, it’s a safer place than being on their own. If they don’t have to hunt for new clients and track billing, they have the time to do their jobs to the best of their ability."

Client companies also benefit from using placement firms. "Most companies do not look at the cost of hiring someone," says Myers. "We pay for our service many times over. In advertising, people are your biggest assets. You can grow a better agency if you find better people."

He cites a recent example of how his firm saved the client agency time and money and added value for the long term. "One of our clients ran an ad and received 300 resumés. Of those, 290 did not meet the specifications. The remaining 10 were less than desirable candidates. After they contacted us, we sent three candidates from cross-town rivals and they hired one. They raved about him, he’s already making a difference by helping to grow accounts and helping the agency to be more successful."

"We also act as a resource for clients," says Fitzmaurice. "We advise them about salaries, rates, and other issues. When they call in a pinch, we can help them out with freelancers, and we can save them a lot of time and trouble in filling permanent positions."

Brooks sums it up, "We’re here to make the clients job easier and to make them look good."

In this win-win situation, who pays for the service? Most firms receive compensation from the client companies. The ad agency recruiters charge 20 to 30 percent of the candidate’s first year salary. This practice is consistent with that of the other firms that fill permanent positions, although the salary percentage varies.

For freelancers, the placement firm usually negotiates a project fee or day rate with the client company, based on the candidates skills, length of the assignment and other factors. Some firms mark up the freelance rate and add a percentage above that for managing the process.

Jernigan says 1-888-TV-CREWS calculates a daily rate that includes equipment and personnel. What he pays his freelancers is negotiated individually.

Since Crawford is not a placement firm, Thompson says the freelance fees are marked up and included in the bill he sends the client. Crawford typically serves as paymaster for the crews it places, although certain institutions use outside paymasters, especially where union issues are a consideration.

Fitzmaurice advises, "There are plenty of good placement companies that do not charge fees to job candidates. People looking for work should not be afraid to ask questions, and they should realize that they do not have to pay for this service."

These recruitment and placement professionals also agree on the type of candidates they want to place. Specific skills and creativity are important, in fact, they are a given. "What’s most important is that we hire people we know can work well in the situation and interface well with the client," says Jernigan. "We need people who are responsible and dependable and who have a good attitude. We want to feel like they will represent our company to the best of their ability, in the same manner we would represent it, if we were there in person."

Tucker adds, "The best candidates show real talent and enthusiasm for the business. Often this happens during a phone conversation, sometimes its evident in the portfolio. They have to have a passion for this industry, a desire to contribute and be a positive part of it. I’m not looking for people whose glass is half empty."

"Finally," says Thompson, "we look for people who are easy for us to work with, who invoice correctly, without math errors, and provide necessary information, like tax identification numbers. We want people who return calls promptly, and who are willing to be our partners in the production process. They have to be willing to go the extra mile."

None of these firms represent entry level candidates. The minimum amount of experience is two years, but most say their lowest level candidates have approximately three years experience. The best advice for candidates just graduating from school is to go to a smaller market to get started.

Most of the firms want candidates to mail or fax resumes or to send them via e-mail. While a few welcome phone calls, a review of the resume is the starting point of the process. Once they have a resume, they may call and ask for a portfolio or reel. Then, they will schedule a meeting or a phone interview.

The personal interview is key to the placement process. Those in charge of referring job candidates want to be sure about the people they are recommending. Some even go so far as to match the candidate’s personality and work style with the clients to ensure a successful fit.

The way a portfolio or reel is presented is very important, and the best ones are not necessarily the ones that have the most bells and whistles in the packaging. "Make the book simple to be seen," suggests Tucker. "Any difficulty you put a creative director or president through in viewing your work is a mark against you and a door closer. The portfolio is like an ad, quickly get to the meat of the subject and persuade the audience in your favor. If you have a reel, put the five best spots on it, not 25."

Myers agrees, "Send everything you have ever done to your mother. Send us your best stuff. Have copies made and send only non-returnable samples. The word on mounting is ‘yuck.’ Save the foam core, the black mat, the lamination fees, the clamshells, the Spray Mount. Wrap it up good and tight, nothing fancy dancy, and use a parcel service you know and trust."

There was general agreement that the biggest potential downside to the creative placement business is having client demands for the best talent outpace the supply. Right now, some highly specialized positions are hard to fill because most of the best people are already employed. These positions include webmasters and broadcast engineers who have experience with both live satellite productions and webcasts.

The good news is that these creative placement professionals have an optimistic view of the opportunities in the Atlanta market, and by extension, their own future success.

"Atlanta has developed a depth of talent in television production," says Jernigan. "Informal mentor/apprentice programs are in place, and the system has matured. The city allows movement and growth in many creative areas."

"During the past 15 years, this city has been blessed with people moving here from other markets," says Thompson. "The market is not saturated, but it is very competitive. People have to work hard to rise to the top of the list. The more versatile they are, the more work they can expect."

"The economy here is good and that’s good for creative people," notes Eidson. "We see more people interested in relocating to Atlanta than leaving."

For those people, Fitzmaurice recommends moving here as a first step. "A lot of people want to move from out of state and have a permanent job set up before they get here," she says. "It’s easier to find a job once you’re here. There’s a lot of talent in town, and clients are hesitant to consider someone from out of state."

"The market for freelancers has grown tremendously," says Brooks. "A prime example of this is the growth of our business during the past five years, we have grown exponentially. Large companies are downsizing and cutting overhead. Freelancers are becoming a more prominent part of those businesses, a more viable resource for large companies. This general trend should continue."

The increased use of creative placement services should also continue, especially as client companies and job seekers realize they can turn to these firms for hiring advice, career planning, and counsel about specific job descriptions and salaries. For both parties in the equation, these firms exist to provide a much needed service. Those that don’t deliver that service at a consistently high level will soon be replaced by their competitors.