Some people share photos that seem to back up their claims. Day of the shoot we get the call. “He can’t play basketball.. he can’t jump... he can’t even dribble.” He lied!!!!

Working with a very demanding photographer, we had booked a female model for a commercial shoot. On our first shoot day, the model shows up with a completely different hair cut and color as in her casting. The producer's hair happened to be the color & texture the client was going for, so the hairstylist had to cut her long hair SHORT so we could photograph it and do a composite.

She may not have been the body double, but that day, the producer definitely saved the day, in an unexpected way. She produces her own stunts ;)

I was working on an ad job with a well-known agency. The hero shot needed a handbag, so I brought the usual 50 options for 1 hero shot. The creative director didn’t like the options I had, so I sent my assistant to get more. While we were waiting, the creative director told me that I reminded him of his friend. A girl. And he called her The Butt. Then, he started calling ME The Butt. My assistant returned with more options, but the creative director didn’t like those, either, so I sent my assistant out for even more handbags. While we waited for the handbag options to return, the creative director continued to call me The Butt and started making even more lewd comments. Everyone could see he was being crazy with his handbag request, but his lewd behavior seemed to be reserved for just me.

Normally, I wouldn’t talk to a producer about a picky CD, But he went too far with his lewd behavior. I told my producer. She got the shoot moving, and we ended up shooting one of the handbags from my original options. A couple weeks later, my producer told me the creative director had been fired. I don’t know if my producer had anything to do with it, but she certainly felt like my hero that day.

During a studio shoot, the wardrobe assistant & one of the photo assistants went missing, but our shoot had such a packed schedule that there wasn’t much time for babysitting or sending out a search team.

My PA & I ran down to the loading dock to grab a few additional set items for the prop stylist. In a big city, you don’t leave your crew cars or cube trucks unlocked. Ever. So it was alarming to find the props truck completely unlocked. But things started to make a bit more sense as we rolled up the truck’s door. We discovered just where the wardrobe assistant & photo assistant had been hiding & interrupted a less-than PG-13 moment.

I’m a makeup artist & hair stylist. One time, I showed up to a shoot and the photographer told me he didn’t need me anymore because he’d purchased a $40 app to do the makeup for me. He showed me the results and it was soooooo bad and so obvious. I was like, “No problem. I’ll just stay for a bit and set up my station over here just in case anyone cares to actually have their makeup done.” You know… in REAL LIFE.

Toward the end of the shoot, the photographer kept sending the talent over to me, saying “Go see ***, she’s amazing at what she does”.

I’ve never heard him mention the app again.

During an aerial photography shoot, the photographer’s harness came unlatched as he was hanging out of the door of a helicopter. I grabbed on to him tightly, with my arms around his waist. He was majorly annoyed with me & thought I was afraid of flying. He had no idea that I was holding on to him while also re-fastening his harness… and keeping him from plummeting to his death! 

I never told him about it, because we had 4 more helicopter shoot days to go. I just let him think I was a nervous nelly. 

#delicatemaleEgo

I had been collaborating with a female photographer for a while, and she asked me for a favor to cast for a men’s editorial magazine.   The photographer had a very specific look that she was striving for - and I had the uncomfortable task of reaching out to talent agencies asking for men with pronounced “Jesus Muscles”... you know, that V-shaped lower ab muscle.  During the casting day, we had men wearing the lowest-slung jeans & randomly “dropping trou” in front of the camera. It was quite the day. I was in a permanent state of blushing. 

At the end of the casting, I prepared to confer with the photographer on her select list of preferred talent. She smiled slyly and said, no one. I was confused. We had had a great turn out & seen some pretty stellar examples. Then she clarified: “We won’t be casting anyone because there is no project. How many castings have you had to do for beer ads or babes in bikinis?! It was our turn for some eye candy and to flip the script.” 

I was producing a multi-national campaign with a very young IG famous photographer. Who also had a penchant for smoking weed all day long. This became more difficult for him as we traveled from country to country. He would ask me if I had connections in this department, & I would decline.  At one point, he was sneaking into airplane bathrooms to smoke. We were in danger of compromising the shoot & getting him arrested if things continued. While in a major European city, I was once again asked to “hook him up”. This time I agreed, much to his surprise. At our hotel, I told him to meet someone in the lobby.  

I had the photographer fake-kidnapped & placed into an ambulance. It was actually a weed delivery service. The worker bees showed up in EMT outfits & a gurney, and the ambulance was lined in cannabis options. But the plan to scare him actually back-fired. He thought it was absolutely fantastic.