Taylor merged his artistic skill with business focus in his work visually imaging the artist roster for independent record label Selectric Records. By creating an entire portfolio of videos, photos and other media, and by consulting with Selectric leadership, Taylor helped lay the groundwork for a lucrative bidding war between Universal and Sony over the independent label's artists.
Executives at Selectric had heard of Taylor's success in securing contracts and distribution for other bands, such as the Finalist, which Taylor helped sign to Maverick, Madonna's record label.
David Bach had just joined with industry legends John and Dino Elefante to create Selectric Records after serving as an executive at major labels in Nashville. Bach recalled a buzz around Taylor:
"I had heard the name thrown around," Bach said. "I am always looking for new talent, so when I went into a new label venture – Selectric Records – I looked at Taylor's work, watched some clips, and I knew we had found someone who could deliver high quality results that fit independent label needs."
Bach flew Taylor to Nashville to "use the same mojo he used with the Finalist and others" to secure major distribution for the up-and-coming independent label.
Taylor developed several electronic press kits for Selectric's artists, which the independent label then presented to major record labels. Bach described the reaction of executives upon seeing Taylor's work:
"We would roll in there and blow people's doors off. Time and time again, they were knocked out with his work, and it was his skills in the big picture of visual imaging that continued to impress," Bach said.
"That's one of Taylor's strengths; he understands the big picture. Taylor knows how things should look."
Taylor's work in visual imaging, along with the musical talent of Selectric's artists, resulted in a bidding war between two of the top distributors: Universal and Sony. Ultimately, Sony won the contracts, and Bach credits Taylor's ability to read into Selectric's goals as a large part of the reason for the success:
"I've worked in the music business for 20 years, and I've worked with enough video directors and photographers who just do what they want to do; the client is just along for the ride," said Bach. "Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn't. Taylor was able to listen, and at the same time deliver up a very creative product that would still appeal to corporate executives, as we saw with Sony and Universal. Taylor is going to hear what the client has to say and articulate that in a creative fashion."
"Taylor is now my 'go-to' for everything visual," Bach said. "I've seen what he can do first-hand, and whether he's creating media for an ad agency, a music video, or a corporate teaser for a multi-million dollar corporation, he renders a finished product that is very appropriate for the client yet exceeds their creative limitations."
"Taylor interprets unspoken needs and fills in the creative blanks for clients that may never be able to articulate on a creative level what they need to advance their company. He cuts through the tedious, boring stuff and reads into what's needed and delivers a successful product, every single time."
Taylor has amassed a list of true success stories for independent artists through his skills in image consulting. In 2004, he worked from the ground up to develop an music video press kit for the band The Finalist – an unprecedented tactic for an unsigned band.
At the time, The Finalist had never had a photo shoot, much less a music video or extensive press coverage. Taylor's package of three music video clips, press, and photography landed the band a recording contract with Maverick, Madonna's record label.
Through Taylor connections, The Finalist went on to record an album with producer GGGarth (Chevelle and Rage Against the Machine).
Subsequently, the band also did the title track for the feature film "The Hills Have Eyes."
Taylor believes that a company's spirit is not only communicated through slogans and jingles, but that the images surrounding a corporation will linger with its audiences as well.
This is demonstrated by Taylor's work with JDR, a manufacturer of cable and umbilical systems for the energy industry. JDR came to Taylor in the midst of a brand overhaul. Jeanne Righter, JDR's worldwide marketing manager, described the effort as taking the company from having a flimsy image to a "2.0 brand."
"We needed a crisp, clean brand that communicated the idea that something had changed. We wanted our look and feel to echo the sentiment behind our new slogan: 'Providing the Vital Connection.'" Righter said.
In order to communicate JDR's re-energized brand, Righter contracted Taylor to take artistic photos of some of their products, sending him to Cambridge, England; Paris, France; and Bangkok, Thailand for on-location photography.
"We wanted to get some photos that would be signature photos, not just standard photography," Righter explained. "It's difficult for a cable company to stand out. Cables, just by their nature, are not that exciting in the scheme of oil and gas. They represent a small component, so it's difficult to make our company stand out."
Righter collaborated with Taylor, ultimately deciding to pursue something more artistic than the standard-issue product shot.
"We wanted photos that capture our innovative side rather than just our product," Righter added. "Taylor joined with us to put forth a comprehensive image showing a product of innovation."
After a series of successful photoshoots, Taylor met with JDR's brochure designer to create an effective pamphlet demonstrating the client's technical prowess while highlighting the artistry and innovation of the product itself.
"Taylor collaborated very well in understanding JDR's goals and objectives in putting forth a new image and rebranding," Righter said. "The substance was there, but he used different techniques to put our reeler systems into a more interesting light."
"Our board of directors was blown away by the finished product. We actually had competitors coming up to us and asking, 'What's changed?'"
Righter continued, praising Taylor for his resourcefulness:
"The most impressive thing about Taylor- besides the high quality of his work- is how much he minimized effort on our side in putting these things together."
Taylor's client service and success in the field of corporate videos, presentations and trailers is unparalleled.
That's why Jeanne Righter, JDR's worldwide marketing manager, contacted Taylor to help the company prepare for the energy industry's premier event; the Offshore Technology Conference.
JDR had chosen OTC as the forum to debut its revamped image, and with only three weeks until the tradeshow, they sought Taylor's help in conveying the new brand via a corporate video.
Taylor "delivered a very concise message and look from a graphic standpoint that helped us reach internal shareholders, all within a very short period of time," Righter said. "Our booth at OTC was on a completely different level than it had been the year before, and that really generated a buzz."
The video, which was launched on several high definition screens – including a 103 inch HD screen – was met with high acclaim at the largest oil and gas trade show in the world.
"Our board of directors was extremely pleased. The whole company was very impressed" with the work Taylor produced, Righter said. "Pop Culture Media's collaborative nature and high degree of perfectionism is very refreshing. It makes my job much easier, especially when you're working a very tight deadline."
"Amazingly, it took very few resources for them to turn out an extremely high quality product," Righter said. "Cables and umbilical systems are very technical products, so you often have to spend time educating a person on what you're doing. Taylor, on the other hand, maximized what we already had".
"Of course, in a brand transition we really needed something of high quality to deliver a great impact, and the video Taylor created did just that. One of the most important things is that we actually had companies come up to our booth at OTC asking who did our video. They even brought in their own marketing people to take pictures," Righter said.
"The biggest compliment was from a competitor who told us, 'We'll show you how to make this particular cable if you show us how to do this kind of video," she continued.
"Taylor clearly communicated exactly what we needed him to," Righter said. "We needed to show our audiences that something has changed. Taylor put forth exactly what we needed him to put forth in a very slick, commercial way- and in doing so it said 'something has changed at JDR.' Taylor Gahm took us to a new level."
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ABOUT OTC:
OTC, the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection, ranks among the largest 200 trade shows held annually in the United States and is among the 10 largest meetings in terms of attendance.
Attendance consistently exceeds 50,000, and more than 2,000 companies participate in the exhibition. OTC includes attendees from around the globe, with more than 110 countries represented at recent conferences.
