Jennifer Cirignano Sheds Some Light on the Photo Side of the Fashion Biz
1/6Ever wonder how your favorite magazines and websites end up with such beautiful images? While original shoots are partly responsible, so are agencies that license work from big-deal photographers—and it’s the job of licensing agents like Jennifer Cirignano to make sure publications get the best pictures possible.
The 27-year-old New York native thought her FIT degree would have her working as a buyer, but a non-traditional career path led to a dream gig she never even knew existed. Jennifer took us on a tour of her office and told us all about her super cool career at Trunk Archive, so click through to see what we found out!
2/6"The first internship I had was with Thomas Pink in London. I applied through an FIT summer program and got it! It was a great way to be abroad but not be away from school and New York City for a semester. I focused on product development and also did a little bit of marketing. After graduating, I got an internship in ad sales at InStyle. I realized the magazine world wasn't for me, so I started managing a few different LF stores full-time. I knew there was a growth cap with retail and that I eventually wanted a more corporate environment, so I ended up at an advertising agency after that. It was sort of a weird step, but I really enjoyed the client-relationship management aspect."
3/6"My style is pretty classic—I'm definitely not overly trendy, but I like having a little bit of edge. I like playing with color and absolutely love accessorizing. Shoes are a fetish. I have I think eight pairs under my desk on any given day! I've been really into Maje recently. I also wear Club Monaco and Reiss. My dream brand is Valentino.
There's no dress code in our office—you could work here with five different hair colors and a mohawk and ripped jean shorts. So what I wear to work is 100 percent me. When I get dressed in the morning, I want to love my outfit because I love my job and I know I'll feel most like myself. It's a motivator."
4/6"I went to college at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, where I studied fashion merchandising and management. I dove head first into school because at FIT you have to choose your major right away. You learn a lot quickly and meet really cool, creative people. I was a resident advisor, which definitely helped me with general skills like building relationships, managing difficult situations, and knowing how to handle people and personalities. I also was involved in a fashion merchandising and management club that was an extension of my major.
I've always loved fashion, and I worked in retail all throughout college. I had one job in a small boutique in New Jersey where I helped with the buying decisions and ran the store day-to-day. It was a really tiny boutique, and I learned a lot because I got my hands in everything. I also worked as a manager at LF, and I loved the experience of working with clients there."
5/6"I was introduced to the celebrity director of Trunk Archive—a high-end image licensing company—while I was at the ad agency, and I interviewed for a job there. As soon as I walked in, I knew it was somewhere I wanted to be. I went through six rounds of interviews! They were really intense about the process because they only pick people they feel are going to fit into the Trunk culture. I've been there almost two years.
We represent some of the world's best photographers, and we partner with publishing houses to provide them images to illustrate their stories. There's also an advertising division. The photographers we work with are people like Bruce Weber, Nick Knight, and Ellen von Unwerth. We also represent deceased photographers' estates, like the Herb Ritts Foundation. As a licensing agent, I manage client relationships and am also part of the sales team. I help editors find images and get approval from photographers and all sorts of nitty-gritty stuff like running things by legal and calling in extra photos."
6/6"The coolest thing about my job is working with amazing people, from my colleagues to the artists. The fact that we have a firsthand connection with these legendary photographers and their studios is incredible. Also, the people I work with are just so great. You really do feel like everyone has been handpicked to create this environment. The most challenging part is how busy it is. It's hard, but I love the sense of urgency my job has! Our clients always have really tight deadlines. Keeping up with our ever-growing archive also definitely takes a lot of work, but it's really fun.
I think there's so much unnecessary emphasis on knowing what you want to do when you leave high school. I used to tell people I wanted to be a buyer, and I've never held a buying job. I followed opportunities that sounded intriguing to me and seemed exciting. One step led to the next. It's important not to put so much weight on knowing exactly what's going to happen. If a job doesn't work out, take what you liked about that position and apply it to the next. I loved working with clients. I loved fashion. I loved working in a culture I wanted to be a part of all the time. It finally all came together for me. You just can't be shy! Go to gallery openings. Go to parties. Meet people. Absolutely everyone is a connection."
