CASE STUDY: Rhythm Swimwear

From a cold email pitch to a full day campaign in Malibu, CA

Jun 22, 2024

Crafting the Initial Pitch

The journey to work with Rhythm Swimwear began with a pitch and a cold email in July of 2022. I was going to be in Europe for a month in September and looking to connect with brands to shoot for. I found a contact from their marketing team on LinkedIn (this is usually where I start when searching for brand contacts) and sent a brief message about who I was, my upcoming trip, and a 6 page deck showcasing my work and locations I was visiting (in hindsight I would probably send a shorter deck and try to keep my pdfs no longer than 4 pages). Initially, I heard back from someone who was leaving the company, but she kindly looped in the rest of the marketing team, making it easier for me to follow up directly which is pretty essential. I rarely get a reply from anyone without at least one follow up.

In my follow-ups, I highlighted the details of my upcoming retreat in Europe and mentioned the model that was lined up for that experience. I feel like sometimes models can catch the attention of the people you're talking to so even if the models are not confirmed, it’s a good way to pique the client’s interest. I try my best not to give all the information away in my initial email because you want to have a reason to follow up and keep the conversation going.

This approach paid off when the global brand manager responded, showing interest in my work. They were planning their spring/summer shoots and wanted to know more about my availability, sample delivery, outfit counts, and budget details, etc.

Overcoming Communication Hurdles

However, getting everything finalized was not so straightforward. The team was quite slow to respond. Even after I had a confirmed yes and a budget together, there was a mix-up with the USD to AUD conversion and they eventually informed me the samples they intended to send arrived to their office incorrectly, preventing the shoot from happening as planned. Despite this setback, they expressed interest in future collaborations, which was promising.

Onward and Upward

Back in LA, I reconnected with Rhythm. They informed me they needed a new line photographed immediately. I took on the task of handling all the production details, which involved reaching out to agencies for model selection, securing a makeup artist, and organizing the logistics. I scouted multiple locations in Malibu beforehand as I wanted to shoot at a few different beaches to provide a variety of backgrounds and sun positions. I rented a surfboard as a prop and arranged for a person to come bring his vintage car by for an hour, which I sourced through Instagram.

The biggest challenge was their payment process; while Rhythm typically paid models 30 days post-shoot, the agencies I worked with required upfront payment. This led to a stressful situation where the shoot nearly fell apart the night before.

The Shoot Day

The shoot day itself went great. I planned all the outfits and locations down to the tiniest detail and had a schedule for how long we could take for each outfit. Looking back, I wish I’d had an assistant to help with outfit changes and other things. Juggling everything—photography, styling, and shooting Super 8 video—was A LOT. I had to keep switching filters on my super 8 camera while also managing all the styling + creative direction. Luckily both the model and makeup artist were friends of mine, so they were very easy going and happy to help hold things and carry things down to the beach.

We shot 8 looks in a full 8hr day at 4 different locations - shooting 10 rolls and 5 minutes of super 8 footage. We started on the later side of the day because I knew I wanted to get sunset shots as our last scene. I was using two cameras, a Nikon F4 and Canon AE1, one with a wider lens (50mm) that I primarily used for shots closer up and one with a zoom lens (70-200mm).

Some personal takeaways

Underexpose Close-ups Shots Only - I was experimenting with intentionally underexposing by 1-2 stops to get some moody-er imagery. I found that it is best to only do this with close ups - with wider shots, you really just get a gross image.
An Assistant is a MUST - with this small of a team, and the ambition of 6 different set ups + photography & videography, an extra set of hands would have made the day much easier.
Building Relationships Take Time - pitching doesn’t land you with dream clients overnight, but with patience and persistence, you can create the opportunities you dream about. Also don’t be nervous to send follow up after follow up!