Rangefinder Magazine
December 2004

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Profile: Media 27 and Michael Verbois by Peter Skinner

Promotional Poster; Client: Semester at Sea

Media 27, a small, multi-faceted and dynamic publishing and general media agency based in Santa Barbara, CA, is proving something of a godsend to photographers looking for an alternative to traditional book publication. By establishing itself as a high-quality publisher of relatively short-run books, Media 27 has become a force in a niche market that, judging by the growing number of inquiries from photographers, is destined to mushroom. Also, given that the book publishing division of Media 27 is an adjunct to its wide range of photography and media services, it appears certain the good people at Media 27 are going to be very busy in the foreseeable future.

Founded in 1993 by J. Michael Verbois, former vice president of education at Brooks Institute of Photography, Shukri Farhad, graduate of Brooks, and their business partner, Susan Noble, Media 27 provides a broad range of services to a diverse business base. As the largest percentage of that business is in the hospitality and travel industry, most clients are located outside Santa Barbara. The company works strictly client-direct, acting as a full-service agency in many cases, and provides creative support for print, Internet, photography and DVD/video. Photography, for the most part, is divided into two areas—travel/hospitality and small product studio.

Indicative of its philosophy of harnessing technology, in December 2002, Media 27 converted completely to digital photography, even on location, and the studio has been designed to use a digital workflow—even power packs are controlled through software. “We use a MegaVision back with a video feed on a 4x5 camera. The combination of our Comet digital power packs and a motor-driven focus provides very efficient control at the workstation,” says Mike.

Book Focus on Africa; Client: Bridgewood Productions	Promotional Poster; Client: Semester at Sea

While the core of Media 27 business revolves around meeting the creative and media needs of numerous commercial clients, of specific interest to photographers is its expanding role as a committed and sympathetic publisher and packager/producer of books for discerning photographers and artists. Media 27 appeals to artists for many reasons, but the principal reason is the greater access, control and involvement in the creative process of their book projects.

“These days, many photographers are declining offers from publishers because they are given limited control on the quality of the project and even less of an opportunity to provide input for the creative direction of it. This, coupled with the lack of a financial incentive, results in a stagnant publishing model that severely constrains an artist’s vision,” explains Mike.

Marketing Material; Client: Media 27, Inc.

Traditionally, self-publishing has been the only recourse for exacting artists, particularly when producing books of significant and unusual subject matter. However, while the process of self-publishing removes barriers and offers unlimited creative input, cost and production expertise remain limiting factors. Additionally, marketing has always been an issue, and in many cases it may still be a huge barrier to overcome for many photographers. As a result, many photographers are seeking alternative approaches to self-publishing. This is where Media 27, recognizing a growing niche market, stepped in and developed a business model around it.

“Photographers and artists who want to self publish and are focused on the highest quality attainable, can now do so because we provide unlimited access to the entire publishing process,” says Mike. “We feel a great responsibility to support photographers and other artists in pursuit of their vision, and we do so by redefining the publishing model, using the Internet for direct sales and as a distribution vehicle, and providing such artists with complete access to creative processes beyond their own medium. As Media 27 is a small company, our staff is highly accessible so photographers and artists can speak with anyone here to begin a dialogue about a publishing project.”

The range of Media 27 print work extends from simple identity systems to large and complex book projects and exhibits. Most book projects are high-quality short runs, ranging from 2000 to 10,000 copies. Examples of those are:

	from Spring, A Menu for All Seasons; Client: Olive Tree Publishing

Silver Seas—a great project M27 published for Ernest H. Brooks; the book is a beautifully printed black and white (6 inks) of Brooks’ underwater work. Foreword by Jean-Michel Cousteau; text by Peter Skinner

The Golden Poppies of California—a collection of 15 years of poppy photography by George Lepp; the book is hardbound and full color.

Heart and Hands, Musical Instrument Makers of America—photographs by Jake Jacobson, published by Konemann.

Menu For All Seasons, Spring—first in a series of four cookbooks focusing on complete menus as opposed to collections of recipes published by Olive Tree Publishing/Montecito Country Kitchens.

Focus on Africa, Wildlife Conservation and Man—text by David Bridge and David Anderson; foreword by Dr. Richard Leakey.

Whispered Prayers, Portraits and Prose of Tibetans in Exile—text and photographs by Stephen R. Harrison; foreword by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama.

Cowboy Island, Farewell to a Ranching Legacy—text by Gretel Ehrlich; a history of the Santa Rosa Island, California.

One of the current book projects is Ancient Marks, which, at writing, was due to go on press in a matter of weeks. Photographs in this book are by Chris Rainier with a foreword by Wade Davis, both of National Geographic Society. To learn more about this extraordinary project, visit www.ancient
marks.com/.

Media 27 book project

Because Media 27 is a small company, staff members have to be multi-talented and, as Mike points out, they wear many hats. “For instance, our designers, Phuong Huynh and Judi Muller are cross-trained in web work. Jeff Litherland, also a graduate of Brooks Institute, is one of our photographers and our webmaster. He also designs and maintains our operations database, our networks, software and equipment. This multi-discipline capability allows us to provide the majority of our client services with in-house talent. Like most small agencies today, what we don’t cover in-house we simply outsource,” says Mike.

This multi-disciplined characteristic of Media 27 is consistent with Mike’s own background of music, printing, photography and education. When he started playing in a high school group back in Baton Rouge, LA, he almost certainly didn’t envisage one day being a principal of a media agency, but the creative process integral to music is very much like that involved in media projects. Similarly, the process and intricacies of commercial printing that he learned the 1960s are called on virtually every day in his current role.

Initially Mike worked for a small printing company in Baton Rouge, and was responsible for everything from sweeping floors to making separations and operating small presses. He later moved to a larger commercial company, Franklin Press, “where I learned a tremendous amount about standardizing systems and processes from V.J. Vicknair, the pre-press manager. Much of what he taught me, I now use everyday,” Mike says.

“Working in the printing industry provided an invaluable foundation, and it helped me gain a sense of process. This is extremely important to me now. We have become managers of some of our clients’ intellectual property, integrating material into many different forms of media through the digital process. This forces us to think differently about our responsibility and affords us total control, from concept through to distribution in some cases. The most significant aspect of the digital evolution is the way in which it has and continues to transform our industry—it provides content creators the opportunity to participate and control the entire process if they wish,” he says.

Brochure; Client: Mentor Corporation	International Studies Brochure; Client: Semester at Sea	Trade Ad; Client: General Research Corporation International

Mike’s music career started as a teenager and culminated as a professional baritone saxophonist with the C.C. Riders, a well known big band fronted by Wayne Cochran that toured the U.S. for 25 years. Mike, accompanied by his wife, Ruth, who is today a key member of the Media 27 team, traveled the road for five of those years. Today he appreciates how important that experience, and music itself, were. “Back then, I just thought I was having fun and playing music. l had no idea these experiences and lessons would play such a major role in my life. Early on, I learned how to function as a member not just of a band, but as a member of a creative team. Looking back now I can see that my entire career has been as a member of a creative team. Musicians rehearsing and practicing together represent the essential requirement for a successful creative team. Working with a group, we are exposed to much more than if working alone,” he says.

And he believes that most people involved in more than one creative discipline—such as music and photography—see a direct connection between them. “Even the creative language is often similar. Words like contrast, rhythm, unity, balance, bright, dark are used in many creative disciplines. The technical application may be different, but the thought process and the purpose are quite similar,” he says.

With two phases of his career under his belt, Mike moved into a third in the late 1960s by enrolling at Brooks Institute of Photography where he, like many other students of that era, came under the influence of a hard-nosed and demanding teacher, Russian émigré Boris Dobro. “Looking back it’s difficult to summarize everything I learned from him. He influenced me in so many ways and it was due to his teaching that I began to really think about the image and the process of creating it, and how to integrate that into what I saw,” he says. Another influential mentor was Vern Miller, head of the Brooks’ Industrial and Scientific Department, who taught Mike never to be satisfied with an image, to continue to try again but in a different way—the image can always be better.

And the photographer who had the most profound and long-lasting impact was the one that Mike first became aware of, Ernst Haas. “A friend who knew I was interested in photography gave me Haas’ book The Creation. To this day, I have not been inspired more by any other photographer. It was certainly not just his photographs that intrigued me, but also his thought process about photography and about life in general—he was an extraordinarily open-minded person. At the time I received his book, I never imagined I’d have an opportunity to meet, travel, and spend time with him. He even came to dinner at our home one time—I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations,” says Mike.

In 1976, four years after he graduated from Brooks Institute majoring in industrial/scientific photography and winning the school’s Achievement Award (an honor for top students in a graduating class), Mike was offered a job teaching entry-level students in Vern Miller’s department. He thought he’d try if for a year or two, a “trial period” that lasted 18 years during which time Mike became vice president of education, a position he accepted in 1978, and also during which, “I learned the most about photography through my efforts to design the curriculum and teach.”

Mike emphasizes two principles that existed when he arrived at Brooks Institute and in which he still strongly believes: Photography, like other creative disciplines, is not just abstract and theoretical, it is performance oriented, and we learn and grow by observing the consequences of our actions—the “learn by doing” philosophy on which Ernest H. Brooks founded the school.

“To maintain consistency and continuity in the curriculum, we involved all faculty in teaching basic courses and in shaping curriculum. The comparison to music education became apparent. Remembering that photography is performance-oriented like music, we needed more practice playing scales, not just the music. I knew that in music, this was a critical aspect of mastering an instrument while trying to prevent the development of bad habits. I believe this is true of almost any discipline, especially early on when developing your skills. In other words, practice makes perfect,” he says.

Also introduced into the curriculum were assignments that were strictly objective, especially in the area of lighting. “We wanted students to become skillful and accomplished in the basics. In my opinion, understanding and mastering the art and science of lighting is more important than any other technical aspect of making an image,” says Mike.

Like many other teachers, Mike also found he learned much from his students and the energy that abounded at Brooks. “Like most photographers, I had been exposed to a very thin slice of the creative process. When you’re at a school with 600 to 800 enthusiastic, creative young people—many of whom are foreign students—and a multi-disciplined faculty and alumni, you are exposed to an incredibly broad spectrum of ideas and opinions. The greatest aspect of the creative process is ‘the surprise.’ At Brooks, this was abundant and, of course, was always enjoyable,” he says.

Brooks Institute also opened up international travel opportunities and even though Mike and Ruth had figured all the road trips with C.C. Riders had satisfied their need to see “the other side of the hill,” the travel bug was reignited in 1985 with Focus on New Zealand, a major Brooks event in conjunction with the New Zealand government that led to the formation of the New Zealand Centre of Photog-raphy, an entity that is still thriving. Numerous other travels followed including two journeys with Semester at Sea—operated by the non-profit Institute for Shipboard Education, which is a client of Media 27. Semester at Sea sends more than 600 college students on an around-the-world voyage for a full semester. For many years Brooks Institute has provided the photographic faculty for this program.

Over the years, photography has taken Mike and Ruth all over the world, journeying to all seven continents and experiencing many cultures, so it comes as no surprise that traveling and making photographs has become his greatest outlet. If he had to choose just one subject? Without a doubt, it would be Africa.
And yes, Mike Verbois, like Media 27, has gone all digital. “I’m wired and hooked up! In addition to all my digital camera gear I always bring an iPod. And sometimes a 17-inch Apple PowerBook laptop with iTunes and a 160GB external hard drive with 21 days of uninterrupted, non-repeated music. What a great time to be a photographer!”

For information on Media 27, visit www.media27.com or call (805) 563-0099.

Freelance writer/photographer and author Peter Skinner, who has recently relocated to his native Australia, has more than 22 years experience in the photo industry in public relations, media liaison, corporate communications and workshop production and coordination. His magazine articles and photography have been published internationally and he has co-authored or edited numerous publications and books. He collaborated with the late Don Blair on an upcoming book Portrait Photography: The Art of Seeing Light (Amherst Media). He can be reached at: prsskinner@bigpond.com.