Susan Baraz, Fine Art and Commercial Photography Consultant

Susan Baraz graduated with honors from the Fashion Institute of Technology, NY with a dual degree in fashion illustration and photography. She has consulted with major photographers, edited fine art photography books, curated shows for top photography galleries and is respected widely for her recommendations of talent to galleries throughout the country.  In 1987, Susan helped establish and is the Chair of "Focus On AIDS,” the world's largest fine art photography benefit, which has raised and donated over $2.5 million to various AIDS organizations. Along with rep Rhoni Epstein, Susan Baraz now creates and designs commercial and fine art portfolios for new and established photographers, and advises them on how to market their images. She is also the Co-Chair of the Lucie Awards, and is the West Coast marketing consultant for AtEdge.

Jigisha Bouverat, Director of Art Buying, Arthaus Loupe TBWA Chiat Day

Jigisha Bouverat believes strongly in the fundamental TBWA\Chiat\Day philosophy that she was there to challenge everyday conventions and to develop fresh ideas and inspiring visions.  Simply, to do great work.  In 1998, she became Director of Art Buying for TBWA\Chiat\Day, and, with this role, she incorporated the core Chiat\Day principles into the department by forming a team of Art Producers who are responsible for, and integral to, the creative and business processes. The department works with many of the top, highly renowned photographers and artists in the world to help produce some of the most memorable prints in advertising.

Gail Fisher, Senior Editor Projects, The Los Angeles Times

Senior Photo Editor for the Los Angeles Times, Gail Fisher, has spent the past twenty years of her career traveling extensively throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America covering social issues.

Some of her accomplishments as a photojournalist include earning the 2003 Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for outstanding coverage of the problems of the disadvantaged, the Harry Chapin World Hunger Award and twice winning the Community Awareness Award in 1996 and 2002 from the National Press Photographers Pictures of the Year.

Gail Fisher’s photographs and editing skills have been recognized internationally, earning her numerous awards as well as judging, teaching and speaking engagements. From 2003 to 2005, the photography department produced five Pulitzer finalists, won two Pulitzer Prizes in Feature Photography and the Pulitzer Public Service Award, was honored twice by Robert F. Kennedy for photojournalism and twice won the Overseas Press Robert Capa Award along with several other international and national awards. Also in 2004 and 2005, the Los Angeles Times was awarded the Angus McDougall Excellence in Picture Editing and Best Use of Photography from Photographer of the Year International.

In 2000, as a photojournalist, Fisher began documenting the causes and effects of foster kids after they turn 18 and emancipate out of the system. With the advances of digital technology, Fisher seized the opportunity to shoot both still photography and video for “Unadoptable,” which was broadcast on ABC Nightline Up Close as a two-part series. By integrating these two media, the story was published on a much broader scale; stand-alone pieces appeared in print publication, web streaming and television broadcast.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Gail Fisher earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Miami University of Ohio, and an M.F.A. in Photojournalism from Ohio University. She has two children, Whitney, 19, and Zachary, 15.

Jeff Griffith, Creative Director of Scheer Advertising Group Jeff Griffith is the Creative Director of Scheer Advertising Group in South Orange, NJ. His 17 years in advertising span across 32 advertising agencies in eight states: Hawaii, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. He has received awards from almost every advertising show including Communication Arts, The Clios, The One Show, The NY Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club and received over 41 local and regional Addy Awards including two Best of Shows. From 1999 to 2003, in his spare time he co-published ATOMIC Magazine, a national publication about retro culture, which has received design and photography honors from the Society of Publication Designers every year since its debut. In December 2003, he was awarded the very first Art Director of The Year Award by the IPA. Jeff's first job out of college was in Honolulu, Hawaii that he got by answering an ad in ADWEEK. At the age of 25, he created a yearly scholarship at his alma mater back in Wisconsin that rewards students for excellence in their portfolios.

Stephanie Heimann-Markham, Photography Director, Luxury SpaFinder Magazine Stephanie Heimann-Markham is the Photography Director for Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, an international spa and travel bimonthly. Previously, she freelanced for various publications in New York, including Newsweek, New York Magazine, Scientific American Magazine, and in Hong Kong for Time Asia. She was the Photo Editor for “The September 11 Photo Project,” a not-for profit grassroots organization that published a book by the same name with Harper Collins in 2001. She spent 8 years living as an expatriate in Moscow, Paris and Hong Kong where she worked as a photojournalist and photo editor, covering post-Soviet culture and the first war in Chechnya. She is a founding member of Fovea Editions, a non for profit organization dedicated to showcasing international photojournalism.

Paul Kopeikin, Curator of the Paul Kopeikin Gallery No bio or photo available at this time.

Karen McCullough, Photo Editor Former managing editor of CameraArts Magazine and assistant to the publisher of CameraArts and View Camera Magazine, Karen does freelance writing and photography for CameraArts and PhotoJournal Southwest as well as Sports News and abqArts.  She currently works as photo editor and production manager for New At Home Magazine in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Scott McKiernan, Director and Founder of ZUMA Press

With over 30 years of wide-ranging experience in photojournalism, Scott McKiernan built a successful career as a photojournalist shooting page-one stories for major magazines such as Paris Match, Stern, Newsweek and People Weekly. He then moved into editing before founding ZUMA Press and becoming the agent to some of the most respected shooters in the world. Representing over 900 professionals worldwide plus dozens of large dailies, ZUMA Press is now the largest independent picture agency and wire service.

McKiernan launched two new initiatives in 2004: DOUBLEtruck Magazine, the ultimate showcase of cutting-edge photojournalism; and zReportage.com, the high-end, premium photojournalism service for stories that need to be told. In 2005, he co-founded FOTONITE.org, a monthly gathering for photojournalists and a non-profit organization to help aspiring photojournalists. McKiernan guest lectured at UCLA for seven years before signing on as the instructor of "Cutting-Edge Photojournalism" three years ago.

Scott McKiernan is a BFA graduate of Hartford Art School in Connecticut. He also studied at the School of Visual Arts, the Rhode Island School of Design and completed postgraduate work at the News School of Social Research. McKiernan remains an active shooter today.

Nan Oshin, Senior Art Director and Photo Editor, Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine

Nan Oshin has had an extensive career in publication design and art direction. Before her current position as the Senior Art Director and Photo Editor at the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, Nan served as the Art Director at San Francisco Focus Magazine, a highly regarded city magazine in San Francisco. She has also designed the format for and art directed Angeles Magazine, a monthly lifestyle magazine based in Los Angeles, and redesigned and subsequently art directed Designers West Magazine, a shelter publication also based in Los Angeles. In addition, Nan has art directed and designed books for WW Norton, Price Stern Sloan and Knapp Communications, including books for Bon Appetit and Architectural Digest. Her freelance clients include Warner Brothers, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Carlyle Hotel, the Ritz Carlton Hotel Group, the Oracle Corporation, Billboard Magazine and the Capital Group.

Nan Oshin began her editorial career at GQ Magazine after graduating from Art Center College of Design in Graphic Design. She has been teaching photography at the college level since 1990 and is the former Co-Chair of the photography department at Art Center College of Design. Nan has won numerous awards for her art direction of magazines and photography as well as for her design work, including awards from the Society of Publication Designers, American Photography, American Illustrator, Communication Arts, the AIGA, PDN and the Western Publishing Association. In addition, she has juried shows for the Society of Publication Designers, Communication Arts, Photo District News, Women in Design and the APA and has been published in the Society of Publication Designers Annual, the CA Photography Annual and Design Annual, Photo District News, CMYK, and American Photography and American Illustration Annuals.

Jodi Rappaport, Photography Agent

No bio or photo available at this time.

Paul Soady, Art/Type Director & Instructor, Art Center College of Design

Paul Soady was born in Australia and now lives in Los Angeles, CA. After two years of working as type director at Ogilvy Benson & Mather and freelancing in London, Paul moved back to Australia in 1975 where he freelanced as type director/art director on everything from beer to sheep dip ad campaigns for many of Sydney’s top creative shops, including Campaign Palace, John Bevins and Mojo.

In 1990 Paul moved to Los Angeles where he worked his way up to art director for Lord Dentsu & Partners, while teaching Advertising at the Art Center College of Design. In 2000 Paul added Photography to his list of classes and also presently freelances on advertising and design projects.

Over the years, Paul Soady has won 32 Australian Writers and Art Directors awards for Type Direction, Art Direction and Design and judged for the show four times. He has also judged for the Annual Belding Awards, received awards for a UCLA Millenium design project and won two Art Center College of Design “Great Teacher” Awards.

Kristine Wilson, Manager of the Art-Buying Department, Ogilvy Los Angeles

Kristine Wilson has been an agency art buyer for more than 10 years. Her interest in art buying began at DDB Needham, where she routinely intercepted photographers’ promos addressed to the creative director. Soon she became the agency art buyer, and the photographers were sending her their promos directly. To this day she looks forward to an inbox full of images.

Her experience at DDB, Suissa Miller, J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy includes work for clients such as Acura, Beechnut, Jenny Craig, Princess Cruise Lines, GTE, Wells Fargo, Los Angeles Times, Kraft, Arco, ampm and Cisco Systems. As a result she has produced photos of everything from babies, sheet metal and Japanese teahouses to Fruity Pebbles and corn dogs.