Syed Kazmi Email & Phone Number

New York, New York, United States

New York, New York, United States

Greater New York City Area

• Produce, art direct and shoot all aspects of complex photography projects for clients in the photography, luxury e-com and publishing industry. • Manage teams of creative experts, handle all aspects of pre-production, execution, post production and oversee project planning + coordination.• Negotiate usage rights and fees for all projects. • Perform model castings, location scouting and creative team hiring.• Clients include Men’s Health, Calvin Klein, Trunk Club, Bernardo 1941, Nars, Krupp Group, Swissgear, Timo Weiland, and Aquatalia. MANAGEMENT: Experienced with sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and training the right teams for the right jobs. Natural leader with a passion for leading a team to the larger common goal while focusing on individual goals. Able to listen to staff needs, concerns and ideas and provide proper feedback. Strong believer in leading a team by example.STUDIO OPERATIONS: Expertise in maintaining and running an organized, neat and thriving studio space. Strong preference for guidelines and standards to maintain a meticulous studio at all times. PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Able to juggle multiple projects with ease. Expertise in price negotiations, budgeting, scheduling and sourcing. Two most recent examples of project management are:- STUDIO BUILD OUT FOR NARS COSMETICS: Successfully planned and built out a fully functioning photo studio for Shiseido company Nars Cosmetics. Collaborated with Director of Photography and internal creative team to lead studio development and advise on cutting-edge best practices. Strategically negotiated pricing for top-tier quality equipment with key vendors and maximized cost savings. Oversaw acquisition and testing of all photography equipment while staying well under a strict budget.- LIGHTING RE-DESIGN FOR SAKS/LORD & TAYLOR E-COMMERCE: Lead conception, testing, ordering and implementation of new lighting standards for Saks 5th Avenue and Lord & Taylor e-commerce.

New York, New York, United States

• Photograph and process all high end luxury product for both channels on model as well as for still life sets.• Point of contact for Mr. Porter Accessories and Sportswear, Lingerie and Swim channels for Net-A-Porter.• Direct and pose models for all on figure photography. • Select final images to be published on netaporter.com and mrporter.com. Mark up images and work with retouching team to ensure all images are retouched to company standard.• US Lead for the Diversity & Inclusion Global Initiative working directly with executive level management.• Leading all photography testing and initiatives for Mr. Porter Accessories.

Greater New York City Area

• Produce and photograph all New York based social media campaigns and marketing material.• Handle all pre- and post production needs including but not limited to casting, location scouting, and retouching. • Created mood boards, shot lists, and produced original shoots.• Created imagery with a ROI goal and placed special emphasis on layouts that would support typography.

Greater New York City Area

• Developed and launched an in-house photography studio for Shiseido and Nars Cosmetics. • Negotiated pricing for top-tier quality equipment with key vendors & maximized cost savings. • Oversaw acquisition and testing of all photography equipment while staying under budget.

Greater New York City Area

• Worked closely with Director of Photography to develop, test, implement and train on photography lighting standards for Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor e-commerce. • Shot still life and on model e-commerce photography and video. • Worked with Adobe Creative Suite, Capture One, Final Cut Pro, Canon DSLRs and Profoto lighting.• Collaborated with Art Directors to develop original sets for designer editorial photography shoots. • Selected images for web publication & worked with retouching teams to ensure brand standards were achieved.

Greater New York City Area

• Managed multi-department store for Quebec based retailer in its newest location. • Promoted over time to become Store Manager and led a team of commission based style specialists, merchandisers, key holders, and assistant managers. • Sourced, recruited, hired and trained all new team members. • Managed floor moves, supervised annual inventory, and in charge of selecting market appropriate outfits for window displays. • Ensured all merchandising directives were implemented appropriately and in a timely fashion. • Successfully proposed, planned and launched a new department in the store to increase sales. • Initiated new marketing campaigns to increase awareness of the brand within the US market and successfully delivered results. • Motivated team to achieve and exceed sales, beat last year and comparable store sales and dress clients in head to toe outfits.• Dropped shrinkage to 0.1% during tenure as Store Manager.