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Interview with Marta Aldriedge – Pet Photography
October 12th, 2009
K9 Cuisine was honored to interview Marta Aldriedge of HealeyGrisham Studio – a well-known pet photography studio.
K9 Cuisine: What is your story-how did you get into pet photography and pet rescue?
Marta: I’ve been heavily involved in commercial photography for 5 years. One of the things that attracted me to HealeyGrisham Studio is their reputation for helping the community – specifically in animal rescue for companion animals. My husband and my daughter are both passionate about working with animals, of all kinds. (We’ve also rescued and rehabilitated opossums, birds, turtles, reptiles.) It has always been a part of our lives. My first rescue was a poodle that found me in 2nd grade – at school.
Hooray for the Underdog! was created by the owners of HealeyGrisham Studio. Janet Healey and Joe Grisham have been lifelong animal lovers and rescue advocates. About 10 years ago, the couple began creating portraits of rescue animals to motivate others to open their eyes and their hearts to animal rescue. In 2006, they took their efforts one step further and created a stationery/gift line, aptly named Hooray For The Underdog!. 10% percent of all proceeds from “Hooray For The Underdog!” sales is given to a national charity that distributes funds to provide spay/neuter, adoption and emergency relief services to animals across the country. Last year alone, the charity contributed 24 million dollars to more than 3400 grassroots animal welfare agencies.
Janet and Joe’s animal rescue efforts have been recognized locally on Good Morning Texas, Channel 5 news, Larry Powell.com, the Daily Candy and in The Dallas Business Journal, as well as nationally on Oprah.com and CNN.com, The Haystack Needle and in Redbook magazine.
K9 Cuisine: What is the secret to your success with the organization-how have you gotten to where you are today?
Marta: Hooray for the Underdog! is successful and growing because of the genuine desire to help grassroots rescue organizations. Along the way, there has been much support from friends and strangers who believe in the cause. When you combine something that you are good at (photography in this case) with something you care deeply about (giving rescue animals the homes they deserve), the only way you can fail is to do nothing with it. Janet Healey and Joe Grisham put a tremendous amount of time, energy, money, and belief in their idea. When they didn’t know what to do next, or how to take the next step, they did extensive research, sought out professionals, and they did it to the best of their ability. Doing their personal best – that’s really the secret.
K9 Cuisine: What makes you different?
Marta: There are several things:
1) Janet and Joe don’t just rescue pets that they get to enjoy, (these days, they have 2 rescues that come to the studio every day), they also use their talents to make a difference for hundreds, maybe thousands, of companion animals across the country.
2) In raising awareness, rather than focusing on the abuse and neglect these animals suffer, their products showcase the beauty and charm of underdogs (and cats). The backs of these clever cards spotlight the animals’ personalities with each pet’s rescue story and their unique traits, their “special power.” In addition to greeting cards, there are also journals, notepads, folders, buttons, and pet id tags. You can purchase these items at the following websites: HoorayfortheUnderdog.com and Cardstore.com, at The Petropolitan in Dallas as well as in pet boutiques across the country.
K9 Cuisine: What is it about dogs that you love?
Marta: It sounds cliche, but dogs love unconditionally. They are always happy to see you no matter how hard their day has been!
K9 Cuisine: What is the neatest part about your work?
Marta: Wow – you know, it doesn’t really seem like “work” at all… I think knowing that I am working with other people who have the same philosophies about the day to day – that our work and our personal lives really do have to blend in order to be truly successful on all fronts. I love what I do and so do the owners of the studio, so it is not like a typical “job”. Janet Healey and Joe Grisham found a way to integrate their passion for animal rescue and commercial photography into a business model, one that also gives back. I’m fortunate to be a part of it.
K9 Cuisine: Where do you see the pet photography industry going?
Marta: Up! There are several directions pet photography will grow. We are seeing in our portrait area that because pets are part of the family, and the emphasis on family has risen because of the economy, owners want professional, fine art portraits of their animals. A couple of candid shots at the holidays isn’t enough. In advertising, I’ve seen an increase in including pets in shots, not just for pet products, but across several consumer product lines. As consumers today, we are more emotional about the purchases we make, and whether consciously or not, we want to buy from companies that we feel a connection to. Animals, especially dogs and cats, provide a common ground for everyone. I’d venture to guess that almost every American today can tell you what type of dog, and probably his name, that President Obama has. Not because he/she voted for him, but because they relate on an emotional level. I don’t think that can be said of the past administrations pets. I believe this is due to the fact that literally everyone has been affected by the financial crisis and is more sensitive, more appreciative, of relationships – even with our pets.
K9 Cuisine: How do you fit into that-what are your future plans?
Marta: We are gearing up for growth. Our stationery business has increased 200% over this time last year. Because the demand for pet photography has risen, we are brain-storming ideas that will facilitate efficiencies in locating the animals we want to shoot, both commercially and for our stationery line. As a result of attending the NY stationery show in May, we now have 30 reps across the US for Hooray for the Underdog! We expect big things in the years to come. Joe made a comment recently that he would like to see our cards become a household brand name – not unlike Hallmark. Imagine the difference it would make to the 5 million animals that are euthanized every year.
K9 Cuisine: How can people find out more about you and your organization?
Marta: The best way is through our website – www.HoorayfortheUnderdog.com
K9 Cuisine: Tell us a little about you!
Marta: My job title is Artist Representative – I represent HealeyGrisham – a successful commercial photography studio in Dallas, Texas. I’ve been working for over 20 years in commercial advertising services: design, photography, high end retouching and pre-media support. My strength and passion is in building teams and cultures – putting the right people with the right projects, and in providing over the top customer service. I have an adorable Yorkie, Sophie, who models professionally, so I get to see that side of the business as well. She is represented by an animal talent agency in Dallas, AgentBeast. They are also very involved in animal rescue. Every day I’m surrounded by people and companies who champion rescue animals. It doesn’t get any better than that!
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K9 Cuisine is a provider of premium dog food. We’re committed to providing our customers with the knowledge, and the products, to help their faithful friends be the best they can be.
Tags: dog, dog cards, dog rescue, dogs, HealeyGrisham, Hooray for the Underdog, pet photography, pet rescue, photography, Underdog
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