Making the deal worthwhile?

cambler

So here's my situation - I have a great gig right now, shooting for a radio station. I recruit local models and do Maxim-style sets with them and provide two sets a week to the station, which puts them up on their web site and promotes them on the air.

The models win because they get local exposure. The radio station wins because they get free content that is free from copyright and they know that I check ID and all that garbage. I win because I get fantastic exposure and models beat down my door to be shot for this (my backlog right now is three shoots per weekend through September!).

I've now been contacted by another station on the east coast. They've asked me to help them get a photographer local to them set up to do the same thing. I could easily do this, and also handle all the web work. I would be compensated in owning the web site, which I could monetize. I put Google AdWords on my site and it makes about $10 a day on decent (but not overwhelming) traffic. If I did this in many markets, it would quickly pay for itself and more.

The question is - what do I offer another photographer in a different market that makes it worth their time? If they're a semi-pro, the exposure is very valuable. If they're a pro, it's still valuable, but not as much. What about offering two 30-second spots on the station? Would a pro find that valuable in getting more business? Or is that a demographic that's generally not worth it? Again, if they're a semi-pro, being able to say, "Yeah, I shoot for such-and-such a radio station" has a lot of value in getting local models to agree to trade shoots. But to a pro, time is money, and trade shoots eat into that time. On the other hand, they'd only need to do one per week - and if I got more than one photographer in a market, even less.

So where I'm going with this is in soliciting ideas on how to make this a win for everyone in a market. All the photographer would have to do is do the shoot and provide 600px web-scaled images into my content management system, and it would do the rest. I could offer the exposure, exclusivity, and perhaps a couple of trade commercial spots. Maybe in-studio opportunities, which is still great exposure.

In doing a little chatting with an associate of mine who works as a consultant to stations all across the country, I've gotten feedback from many major markets that they'd take this deal in a heartbeat since it costs them nothing. And models wanting local exposure are everywhere. I just need to find out how to make this worth the while to a photographer with enough experience and talent to do it.

Any ideas?

dragon300zx

For a pro your prolly right unless they are hurting for business chances of them jumping up for joy are kinda slim. It would be worth it for them if it was only an hour or so a week prolly but how much more time they would be willing to spend is all up to them. I can see the pro's requiring the radio spots though.

For someone semi-pro etc, I would think they would jump at a chance like this even if you end up rotating photographers every few months because one becomes to busy or something like that I think lots of people would jump for it. You would just then have to weed out the freaks and find the serious shooters.

Also thought I'd remind you West Bloomfield is in the detroit area if you need any help around there just let me know.

docwalker

I seriously doubt my market area is near the one you are working on. But, I had intended on asking you how you got the gig. 2 years ago I would have been happy to do this type of thing. 15 days until the wedding.... there is no way in hell I could do it now. :cry

Either way, you do great work. You work with some fine models. And I envy you.