Collective Gallery channels record labels to focus on photography representation

The Future. Top hip-hop photographer Cam Kirk is launching a management company for photographers. Taking a cue from record labels, Kirk’s firm will provide monetary advances, career development, and merchandising opportunities for those on its roster. With most music managers working with just a handful of artists, and Hollywood management firms starting to consult on every business opportunity of their clients, the future of artist representation may be in the quality of a company’s offerings instead of the quantity of their clients.

Roll-up roster
Cam Kirk wants to clone his success with a new “record label-style” firm for photographers.

• Kirk and partner John Rose are opening Collective Gallery.
• It plans to “sign, develop and help talent monetize their craft, from assistance with touring, merchandising, and content distribution.”
• The first signed artist will receive a $20K advance.

Additional deals will vary in the details (advances, creative rights, etc), but Rose noted that the company’s measurement for success is if “the artists are well-protected.”

Eye for an eyes
Cam Kirk has become a go-to photographer in the world of hip-hop, working with artists such as ScHoolboy Q, Gucci Mane, and Future. He’s leveraged that success into his own deals with brands such as Glenlivet, Martell, Puma, and Nike. That brand expansion is the blueprint that Collective Gallery wants to follow for the artists it represents.

Kirk states that “Collective Gallery is one hundred percent rooted in creating a better landscape for photographers. I wanted to build another complementary company that can further assist in my mission of sustaining the photography industry and help pass the torch to other creatives like me.”