I get asked this question a lot when I’m out in the field shooting. The A-List on http://www.austin360.com is a major customer of mine. I wear a branded shirt at every event I shoot for them so I am readily identifiable as a shooter for them.
This question isn’t well answered at an event I’m working because…well…I’m working to get photos of the event and I can’t really take the time to answer this – nor an I qualified.
My editors assign me to events based upon what they think is a good event for their site. I have other clients and they assign me to events based upon their needs. Think of me as a waiter assigned to a table: I will work to provide the best service possible for the assignment.
As a freelance professional, I don’t question my clients motives or purpose or the demographics they are seeking. I take assignments. I get paid for those gigs. I’ll go shoot events aimed at any demographic and variations thereof based upon if it is an assignment. It’s not that I don’t care what you do or where you are from, it’s a simple business decision – a client has an assignment and I there to fulfill it. This is one of many reasons why I love my job, I get to go places I wouldn’t normally go visit.
As far as I can tell, the A-List events need to be in Austin or nearby Austin. They need to fit their sociodemographic/reader-viewership profile. This is true for all the publications I have shot for and is not specific to the A-List.
I shoot for other publications and business too. They (generally) want shots in Austin (because I’m…well…in Austin) and they have their set pf requirements. I love taking gigs outside of Austin as I get to diversify my shooting territory. at the end of the day I shoot what I’m assigned to shoot and I love that.
Back to the the question “What is an A-List event?” I’d suggest sending your recommendations and event notifications to austin360@statesman.com. There is a slew of staffers/producers that read and digest and suggest recommended events that I and others might get assigned to cover for Austin360.com. A little planning is certainly appreciated. Asking your event to be listed the day before won’t generally work well. Sending notice a month out then a couple weeks out then a week out seems to be a reasonable PR/marketing strategy for event promotion. That’s what I see some of the PR pros do.
