TPS exists in the smaller markets in the US. When the agency has the budget, the desire is to go with the big name shooter in a cool place. Let’s face face it, who wouldn’t want to go to LA during a Seattle (where I live) or Canadian winter.

It is a shame, but it is human nature.

That said, my friend is a big-production car shooter, and he’s always complaining about how “the Germans” are eating his lunch when it comes to getting the high profile shoots. “Everyone wants the Germans shooters for cars now, and my style is just like theirs, but I don’t get hired because I don’t have a funny accent.”

I see some people have mentioned a more local tall-poppy syndrome, and that’s probably true. But again, it’s reputation: if NYC has all the best commercial shooters, and you want the best you can get, you get one from NYC. Even if your local shooter is just as good.

I thought TPC was merely the act of cutting down or denigrating those who do well or stand out, without the component of foreigners-are-better component. No?

Bravo! and Amen!

America is not free of the “Tall Poppies” – especially in the America that exists outside of LA and NY. As a shooter/AD in a smaller market I have watched it play out for decades.

Terrifically talented local photographers are passed over when the really big budgets come along. Sure, the local talent is working with agencies all over the world, but when a local agency would get a real plum gig, off to NY or LA to get “the really good guys” to shoot it.

I knew a director who got more local work after moving to LA than he ever got when he was local.

We had a big client in the Bay Area for a while. When we go to a really great international recruiting campaign, we pitched 3 SF based shooters – all excellent. The company however had aother plans… they wanted to work with a European shooter (bigbigname guy) and when we got the bid back nearly fell on the floor… 8 times more than the local heavy hitters. And he got the job.

The company is now out of business, but that is more irony than explanation.

While I have never heard it called TPS before, we do indeed have that type of conceit… oh yes we do.

I’ve heard one too many stories about industry insiders that felt they were the s@$!t here and then got their buts handed to them on a platter when they went to explore other markets expecting to be lavished with praise. Yes, it’s harsh and no, this description doesn’t apply to everyone, but I think we all know at least one person who fits the bill. I’ve also heard of great success stories, where talents went ignored here and went on to great things abroad because someone somewhere else had the balls to take some risks.

Maybe Torontonians should just focus on getting it right inside their own borders. Hire your own for a while, keep the egos on simmer and aspire, like our American neighbours to reward great work instead of great hipster style or someone’s ability to slag a beer when the day is done. At the end of it all, we sell stuff to people who don’t need to buy it. We sell the dream and everyone one of us who gets to make a buck doing what we do is really lucky to do it. We could all be sitting facing a brick wall every day, but we get paid to create.

Can we all cut the bull and realize that we’re not New York or Paris or London, but we are a great city with tons of talent that people in New York, Paris and London have the sense to discover before we do? Instead of following the bandwagon after everyone else has jumped on, perhaps we should try and build a new one that will make Toronto finally ‘the place’ to be instead of the place to escape because you’re never quite ‘good enough’ to get the dream gig.

A.