Heaping carts, Batman!

This was undoubtedly the most fun I’ve had in a while! Bob McNamara was set up in Studio B at Orbit to shoot a new coupon book for Target. Bob has such a great way with people getting fabulous expressions from the talent on his set. I worked alongside Jocelyn Kracke assisting Jennifer Dickey to create massively piled up carts full of shampoo, twix, detergent, fruit snacks, toothpaste, cereal, kleenex, sponges, …ahhyeee! We had a whole studio filled up with extra product just in case. Thomas Kane was on set to make quick decisive choices and the shoot went extremely smooth It had been quite a while since the last time I saw Thomas, all the way back to my internship at Periscope Marketing.

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Buffalo DO have Wings

After having met Grady Reese on my last shoot, he recommended me to agent Jeff Cerise and photographer Justin Carrasquillo. We picked a location in Hudson for Justin’s shoot of Buffalo Wild Wings’ latest campaign! Justin had recently moved to Los Angeles and was happy to come back and do a great job for a local Minnesota company. Grady headed up the coordination and I took care of the Digital end of things. We spend a few days with Jared Cullison’s ready hands and quick mind made Justin’s every request easily completed.

Photos below © Justin Carrasquillo

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Bestest Buy

Vanessa Meade gave me a call and asked if I could help as a digital tech for a shoot by Grady Reese. Even though it’s not my leading aspiration, I have a solid knowledge of the digital process, and was happy to help! Grady set up each shot throughout a few buildings and skyways in downtown Minneapolis for Best Buy and Denali Marketing. Vanessa is such a great assistant and great to have at any shoot!

[album: https://matthewslimmer.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Best Buy Grady/]

Pooches and Vets

Austin, TX based Randal Ford came to the freezing north for a great shoot at an animal shelter. We got some fantastic shots of pooches looking great with their veterinarian co-stars. Tia Cartwright was in charge of hair and makeup and Jocelyn Kracke did the props and wardrobe. Barbara O’Brien did an excellent job wrangling the animal actors for fabulous photos. Production for this job was pretty easy as it had been started before I was brought on board to finish the shoot. Looking forward to the next time I get the opportunity to work with Randal!

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Babies!

Patrick Fox of Fox Studios needed an extra hand for prop stylist, Jennifer Dickey to get so many baby products looking great! I had the enjoyment in lending a hand at his studio in the Ford Centre. Jennifer always makes every piece look fantastic and this was no exception. She asked that I hand craft a mobile for above one crib. The result was stunning and made for a fantastic ad.

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Rise & Shine

Kristopher Clewell of MotionBlurPhoto asked that I help in the coordination and execution of a brand new set of photos for the Morries Automotive group dealerships. We are midway through the project and continue getting up at the crack of dawn to capture the architecture and balance of light to make these buildings into something really special. Kris’ stellar photography skills tied with an incredible talent in retouching digital files make him great for this job. My attention to detail tops the cake.

Photos below © Kristopher Clewell

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Thyme for Another

Working again with prop stylist Jennifer Dickey, we did a delightful shoot for Minneapolis based The Thymes. The very talented Tom Matre was the photographer and he made every shot turn out effortlessly. Two fun surprises awaited me: my good friend Jared Cullison was part of the crew who was responsible for the Digital Images capture and processing. The other was Christopher Berg who I graduated from MCTC’s Photography & Digital Imaging program with. I haven’t seen him for 8 years or so. The other half of my tag-team for prepping the merchandise, wardrobe and props was Cathy Christensen, who I had a great time working alongside.

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Shipping is Free

If there’s nothing else that Target has instructed upon us, it’s that they love to have a sale. The wonderful Dani Hartmann from the dot com division hired John Reed Forsman and me for this quick little promotion shot! Wehmann Agency provided two wonderful models for us, who you can clearly see having a good time in the chilly October air. Although it was sunny & clear out, the temp was quite low in the shade. Hot apple cider and Hot cocoa were my chosen cure for the chills. Glad I brought four gallons of it to share!

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More Garden Place

It had ben a few years since I’ve worked on a Target Garden Place job, but one of my favorite Prop Stylists, Jennifer Dickey needed a hand and I was more than willing and very excited to help. For these garden accessories and patio furniture, I bet I’ve spent a cumulative total of about eight months outside in beautiful gardens! This three day job with Joel Larson Photography was a great welcome back. The shoot took place at a very familiar home for me, Mrs. Sanderson is always a great hostess.

Ranch Beauty

Today I had the pleasure of taking a day away from the city and cruised out to Minnetrista, which I still do not know if it’s an actual city or not. Jared Cullison had somehow found a way to get into the very most beautiful and extensive ranch in Minnesota. When the man has a vision, he just goes with it. Although the land was absolutely spectacular, we had to step back to avoid getting overwhelmed by the greatness. The shoot went very well, better than expected and we got so many great shots that both photographer and model were thrilled about!

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Pieces of Florida

Jacksonville, Florida based Stein Mart has stores scattered across the states. Although we don’t have a local center, they chose John Reed Forsman to shoot their Fall Fashion catalog and Newspaper inserts. It took more that a week for all the goodies they had for us to shoot. We had the opportunity to work in Phil Aarestad’s studio in South Minneapolis. Two full bedroom sets and a bunch of painted backdrops were created by Bob Heili (Heili Recommended) and Stuart Manning – decorative painting. Ilona Zwierski and Molly Meehan & Vanessa Meade made an excellent crew.

[album: https://matthewslimmer.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Forman Steinmart/]

Chris Crisman’s referral

“Matthew Slimmer is a hard working, results driven, and very easy to work with producer. We worked together on the most complex project of my career and he helped us Ace the production. I would feel confident in hiring him for almost any photography production out there.” -Chris Crisman • Photographer & Director

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Jonathan Chapman’s referral

“Matthew’s certainly made his way to the top of our speed dial as his experience, workflow, and approach to problem solving have become an invaluable part of our still + motion based productions. He always brings new ideas and is always working to refine his offerings. Regardless of what’s asked, he’s the guy to get it done with a smile and appreciative spirit!” -Jonathan Chapman • Jonathan Chapman Photography

Rob Story’s referral

“One of the most detail oriented, honest, patient producers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Matthew is a good man. It was truly a pleasure to work with him. I’m looking forward to our next project together.” -Rob Story • Associate Creative Director, Proof Advertising

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Heather Elder’s referral

“Matthew is a great producer, always willing to take the time to figure things out. He is resourceful, nimble and never flusters. He has helped my photographers on big and small projects and all have been produced flawlessly. We love working with Matthew!” -Heather Elder – Owner/Agent, Elder Represents

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Kat Dalager’s recommendation

I didn’t think it was possible, but I have met someone who is more obsessive/compulsive than I am about producing. I’m happy to report that Matthew Slimmer is that man. Don’t get me wrong: his behavior is in no way a disorder. Rather, it’s about being hyper-organized, efficient and thorough. And, dang it, his invoicing spreadsheets look prettier than mine. If you’re looking for someone that will produce your project with the ultimate of intelligence and care, you’ll want Matthew “Every-T-Crossed” Slimmer on your team.

Lauranne LoSpalluto’s referral

“Our first job with Matthew was an incredibly complicated and large scale project requiring good negotiating and organizational skills. Matthew did not disappoint! He was thrifty with our limited budget but also met & exceeded expectations at times while being nimble, professional and a great communicator. We continue to partner with Matthew when it’s a good fit. I would definitely recommend him.” -Lauranne LoSpalluto – Agent, Elder Represents

Lauranne LoSpalluto

Maura Boland Recommendation
“I had the pleasure of working with Matthew Slimmer at Target, how fortunate I was to have had this experience! I have seen him handle amazing amounts of work in one day with an unflappable demeanor. He has all the skills you would want in every producer. Organized, engaged and honest. Matthew Slimmer will be a success at whatever he attempts. I miss my co-worker and friend.”

Sarah Hillstrom Recommendation
“Matthew took on a complex and FAST photoshoot for Little. His performance from planning through execution was better than we could’ve thought. Logistics included 3 separate photographers, talent coordination, location details, prop coordination and final image select deliveries. What a great person to work with – everyone from photographers, stylists and talent, employees, art director – ALL loved working with him. It made for an an extremely successful client deliverable.”

Adam’s Referral
“I’ve had the opportunity to interact with Matthew on a number of video projects from large to small. Matthew’s professionalism and attention to detail has always been a powerful asset to our productions. I’m always excited to work with Matthew and would highly recommend his services.”
– Adam Duguay – Partner / Production Director – Coelement Inc

Matthew is great. We’ve worked on a few photoshoots together and he’s been great. He’s highly organized and has a real gift for anticipating needs for everyone involved, from the photographer to art director and everyone in between. He is able to think of and prepare for whatever may come up. He thinks of all the details and tucks them away so others don’t have to deal with them. And he has to nerve to be a really nice, interesting and creative guy. Frankly, if he were producing this recommendation it would have been written much earlier.

Jon Erickson Recommendation
“I worked with Matthew on a large photoshoot. Matthew was very well organized and knowledgeable. I could always count on Matthew to have a solution to any obstacle encountered and as a result the shoot went off without a hitch.”

Gina Hessburg Referral
“I have worked with and for Matthew in various roles. Each and every time he has been a supportive and strong partner. As an art buyer and producer he is diligent about supporting his crews by providing them with the information and organization needed to allow them to produce amazing final products. He is incredibly thorough in understanding his project needs in every step of the process. I feel that every project I have worked with him on has gone seamlessly and has been a success.”
Gina Hessburg – Art Producer

Jared Cullison Recommendation
“Matthew’s years of experience, attention to detail and ability to take the job from start to finish make my life easier so I can focus on making images. He’s also great to have around if your Mac or VW is misbehaving!”

Thomas Strand Recommendation
“Matthew is an exceptional producer. Detailed and meticulous with all the logistics and nuances that make a shoot run smooth. He is also a great pleasure to be around. Even at 4:00 in the morning.”

Jeff Cerise Referral
“Matthew has been a great person to work with no matter what the assignment. We’ve worked with him in many different capacities – Producer, Digital Tech, Castings, and he’s been the point person at the rental studio! He flows effortlessly between tasks, is always on time, professional and pleasant to be around. On top of that, he also knows how to drive some pretty damn big trucks! Highly recommended.”
Jeff Cerise

Eric J. Roselles Referral
“Matthew is a very well-organized and detail-oriented person who takes his job responsibilities seriously and is committed to achieving the best results possible on every shoot he produces.”

I’ve worked as a model, creative director, and wardrobe stylist on commercial and editorial sets and Matthew is by far the most effective producer I’ve worked with. He addressed concerns promptly and diplomatically, while moving the project forward. The product turned out amazing because of his leadership and management.

Candice DePrang Boehm • Partner at Maddox & Boehm

Steve Mitchell Recommendation
“Matthew is a great producer. I have worked with him on several projects this past year and the end product has always been stellar. He has the ability to juggle many things at once and make it seem effortless. Matthew will definitely be an asset to your next project.”