Our Members
John Keatley
Growing up in a small town in California, John Keatley never knew photography could be anything more than a hobby. Half way through college — thanks to some timely encouragement from others, together with a personal passion — he set out to become a photographer. For more than eight years, Keatley has slowly grown his business ( www.keatleyphoto.com ) and in the process garnered a very remarkable client list that includes the Discovery Channel, MSN, Wired, Time, Rolling Stone, and Newsweek, as well as a large number of Seattle–based businesses. Focused on continued growth, he searched out Agency Access to help take his business to the next level.
“In 2005, I started to discover what I really wanted to be shooting, and I began to shoot a lot of personal work to build my portfolio with my focus being stylized portraits,” says Keatley. “In 2006, I started getting hired for local editorial work, and it grew from there. For the past three years, I have been photographing celebrities and everyday people for magazines, advertising agencies, and corporations.”
Keatley says his personal work continues to be very important and meaningful and it helps him to stay grounded and to make sure he is working on the art he loves.
“About one year ago I had the opportunity to photograph Annie Leibovitz and just recently, my portrait of Annie was selected for the American Photography 25 competition, which will be released in the form of a book next month,” he says. “I also just wrapped up photographing Sarah Palin for the cover of her new book.”
As it seemed that Keatley was on the perfect career track, what could Agency Access offer this very successful photographer?
“When I began marketing myself to art buyers, I discovered there were services that would help me reach my target clients more easily,” he says. “In the past, I was literally looking through magazines for the name of the art director or photo editor, then calling the magazine or searching online to find an email address — it took a very long time. I first signed up with another service, but after approximately six months I was frustrated. It was then that some friends in the industry recommended Agency Access.”
Significant Time Savings
When Keatley began working with Agency Access, he knew he had made the right decision.
“Everything was at my fingertips and saved me hours upon hours of work,” he says. “The customer support, online user interface, and online tools are fantastic. Working with Agency Access saves me many hours a month compared to the time it was taking me to create lists and promos with other groups that I have worked with. The personal attention I receive with Agency Access was outstanding.”
Keatley has used a number of different services that Agency Access offers, but it is the list services and email services that have been the most helpful.
“I love the tracking feedback that I get when I send out an email,” says Keatley. I also used the list services to send out postcard mailers. These worked because they have allowed me to target clients outside of my local area much easier and quicker than I ever imagined. I also love that I can easily create a list for a specific type of client so that I am not sending content that does not relate to what a company does. For example, I don't have to send a portrait of an athlete to a food magazine. Everything I send out is very specific to the client I am trying to garner at that specific time.”
In the end, Keatley has been thoroughly impressed with everything that Agency Access has offered his quickly growing business.
“The contacts, new clients and relationships I have been able to form and maintain because of Agency Access are invaluable to my business,” states Keatley. “In my opinion, they are the best option. They are very upfront and honest. There are no hidden costs or fees, they always deliver on what they promise, and they offer the best tools and support available. If you want to grow your brand and improve your reach as a business, then Agency Access is a must.”