Boulevard Artists

A community where photographers meet the creatives who hire them

Boulevard Artists connects commercial and editorial photographers with the people who commission them: art buyers, art producers, creative directors, photo editors, designers and agents. The business describes this as an exclusively professional community, and it organizes its offer around two groups. Photographers get ways to put their work in front of agencies and brands. Creatives get a tool to find photographers and keep track of them.

The creative dashboard

Creative professionals use an online dashboard to build their own collections of photographers. They can sort the collections into folders by genre, by location, or by the portfolio reviews where they first met someone, so a photographer can be found again when a brief comes in. The idea is to keep a roster of trusted artists within reach.

Agency visits, reviews and calls

The company visits agency clients in cities around the country to show a selection of its artists' work, and it names large advertising and creative agencies among the clients it has called on. Members of its top tier can be invited along on some of these trips. It also runs virtual meetings with agency creatives throughout the year, with new agency contacts joining every week, and in-person portfolio reviews. Agency-wide conference calls let members hear directly from creative directors and art producers.

The invitation-only tier

BLVDSelect is the curated top group, limited to 50 members by invitation. Members receive priority for portfolio review slots, features in biannual design pieces, weekly artist features, individual features and premium placement on the platform. A custom marketing program designs an original concept for each artist, with email design, analytics and lead tracking, and an optional printed mailer.

Membership levels and support

Other membership levels match how much engagement a photographer wants. Members can also draw on a network of freelance professionals for production, bidding, editing, design and marketing consultation.

Boulevard Artists runs a members' community for commercial photographers and the creative staff who hire them, such as art buyers, producers, creative directors, photo editors and designers. It gives photographers ways to show their work to agencies and brands, and gives creatives a tool for keeping track of photographers.

What Boulevard Artists offers

• Creative dashboard: lets creative professionals build their own collections of photographers, sorted into folders by genre, location or past meetings.
• Portfolio reviews: sessions where photographers present work to creatives, with extra reviews for BLVDSelect members.
• Agency visits and virtual meetings: in-person visits to agencies in cities across the US and conference calls with creative directors and art producers.
• Artist promotion: weekly artist features, individual features and a custom marketing programme.
• Support network: freelance help with production, bidding, editing, design and marketing advice.

Customers and markets

Professional photographers at several membership levels, plus the advertising agencies and brands it visits, which include Leo Burnett, Nike, Publicis and TBWA/Chiat Day.

Key facts

• Select tier: BLVDSelect is invitation-only and capped at 50 members
• Membership: several levels based on how involved a member wants to be