AMA News: May 2026 Newsletter
01. AMA Portfolio Reviews
A huge THANK YOU to all the AMA Members who generously volunteered their time for our Spring Portfolio Reviews! Your continued support, engagement, and willingness to connect with our creative community is what makes these reviews so meaningful year after year.
We’d also like to thank all of the artists who signed up to participate. We truly appreciate your support and the time, energy, and thoughtfulness you bring to the reviews.
Thanks to your support we:
• Raised $10,400
• Scheduled 85 portfolio reviews
• Had 32 AMA Members participate
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone for supporting this initiative and we hope to see you again during our Fall Portfolio Review this October.
02. Introducing - Office Hours
A rare opportunity for direct conversation with experienced industry professionals.
At a time when the industry is changing quickly and many people are navigating these shifts in isolation, the AMA is launching a new monthly initiative to offer something increasingly rare: direct access to experienced professionals working on the front lines of the creative industry.
AMA Office Hours gives artists, agents, and producers the opportunity to ask candid questions, discuss real-world challenges, and gain a practical perspective from people who understand the realities of this business firsthand.
Whether you're navigating a difficult client situation, figuring out your next move, rethinking your positioning, negotiating a project, or simply looking for an honest outside perspective, this is a space for open conversation, thoughtful guidance, and community.
While we always enjoy seeing new work, the focus of these sessions is conversation, problem-solving, and industry insight rather than portfolio reviews or presentations. This is a working conversation.
Our inaugural session will take place on Monday, June 1st, with AMA President Mary Dail and AMA Communications Director and AI Committee Co-Chair Heather Elder.
Bring your questions, your challenges, or simply your curiosity.
Open To
Agents, artists, and producers across all disciplines, including photographers, directors, DPs, stylists, set and production designers, illustrators, animators, hair and makeup artists, nail artists, and CGI artists.
How It Works
- First Monday of every month
- 12PM PT / 3PM ET
- Group Session: $100 per person
- One-on-One Session: $200 for dedicated individual time
All proceeds support AMA programming and initiatives.
Reserve your spot today!
03. Partner Showcase: Bespoke Digital
June 2, 2026 | 11AM PT / 2PM ET
Please join us for our next Partner Showcase featuring Bespoke Digital.
Hosted by Aaron Griesdorn, Founder & CEO
The advertising world is shifting fast; more formats, more channels, tighter deadlines, shrinking budgets, and now AI. If you've been feeling the pressure, you're not alone.
Aaron Griesdorn has spent 20+ years building Bespoke Digital into a trusted post-production partner for photographers, creative directors, and marketing teams at brands like Apple, Google, Amazon, Revlon, Skims, La Mer, Uniqlo, Adidas, and more. Along the way, he's built deep friendships across the industry and lately, those conversations keep circling back to the same anxieties.
Aaron's take? Like every shift before it, this one is full of opportunity for the artists and creators who choose to step into it.
He's coming to the AMA to share what he's seeing on the ground: what brands actually need right now, how they work, and where the real openings are for photographers and creators ready to adapt.
In this session, you'll learn:
- About Bespoke — what we do and how we work
- Previz & on-set supervision — how earlier post involvement protects your creative vision
- AI in the creative workflow — where it fits, how to use it, and how artists can lead with it
- Maximizing shoot value — how to give brands what they're looking for and earn a competitive edge
- Live Q&A with Aaron
Partner Showcases are a simple, low‑pressure way to meet the AMA Partners who support our work, learn what they do, and ask practical questions in real time. Think of them as short, conversational spotlights, focused on helpful context, timely insights, and resources you can actually use.
Register at the link below and we look forward to seeing you there!
04. Mayo Studios - Recording Available
Earlier this month AMA Partner Mayo Studios hosted a Partner Showcase.
They shared a look inside their 20,000 sq ft production studio, process and newest offering - A.Y.O., a studio membership program. They covered:
• History and overview of Mayo Studios
• A look at the studio space - including house sets, set shop, prop library and other in-house resources
• How Mayo can support your productions: Pre-built sets, set design and custom set builds
• Access to their prop collection and nearby prop houses
• Logistics and production support
• Introduction to A.Y.O.
• AMA member benefits
A recording of this conversation is now available to watch in our Video Archive.
05. Photo Industry Survey
The 2026 State of the Photo Industry Survey, organized by @aphotoeditor and @hmphotoprof, is now open.
This anonymous survey aims to gather insights into the current state of the photography industry, including income, workload, business practices, and industry trends. Results will be compiled into an executive summary to be shared with the community in Fall 2026.
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is designed to help provide valuable benchmarking and industry insights for the photographic community.
Please feel free to pass this survey on to your photographers. Link to the survey is below.
DEADLINE: June 1st
06. We're Hiring
The AMA is currently looking for a freelancer to join our team. You can find the job description posted on our job board below.
Don't forget that the AMA has a job board where industry professionals regularly check for opportunities.
The Artist Management Association is visited by 17,000 unique visitors every year, and one of them could be your next indispensable hire!
