Who's Who: Christina Gandolfo

I grew up in Southern California but am often mistaken for an East Coast transplant. I create narrative portraits that are colorful and character-driven. My earliest photos were of family cats and dogs (often in costumes, before cosplay was cool). I like noticing the small things, making big plans and, when it feels right, going with the flow.Collaboration is among my favorite things to do.

How I got into advertising…

When I was teaching myself lighting I would use my cats as stand-ins. This was before “animal photography” was really a thing. I would post photos online and not long after I was getting asked to license my photos and that led to advertising requests. As they say, shoot what you love and the work will follow.

A run-down of the most recent campaign I worked on…

Print ads for Purina’s Party Mix. We had cats performing ninja maneuvers and others posing on their heads— all in an attempt to get irresistible cat treats. It was a blast. 

The best piece of creative work around at the moment is... 

Not sure about the best but I think the ad campaign for Microsoft’s Surface Pro is really strong. I’m a longtime Apple user and have never owned a PC but Microsoft is making a compelling appeal to the creative market.

The next big advertising trend is going to be... 

I expect we will see more campaigns that subtly weave in themes of unity and diversity, celebrating social progress in a new era of polarity, fear and divisiveness. Advertisers want to include not exclude and I think they will try to appeal to those that are feeling dispirited by current political climates across the globe.

The piece of advertising work I wish I had thought of is…

The Farmer’s Insurance commercial with the dogs flooding the house and doing belly-flops in the living room (part of their “Hall of Claims” campaign). I would love to have been on that set.

My favourite digital tool/app at the moment…

Camera app of course, specifically taking short videos clips on my phone. I like recording them, not watching them right away and discovering them months or years later.

In a film about my life, I’d like to be played by… 

That’s hard. How about an ensemble of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sarah Silverman doing improv of my most embarrassing moments? We should all laugh at the mistakes we’ve made along the way.

A word or phrase I overuse…

Does the cat with heart-eyes emoji count? 

My last social media update said…

One of the last … “Dogs that are smaller than cats are hilarious. Say hello to Poo” (accompanied by partial selfie with a tiny Chihuahua, both of us laughing hysterically.)

Dream collaboration

I’m never after a specific “get.” I’m always interested in working with fascinating people who have a quirk and subtle humor about them. Characters always welcome.

A piece of criticism I’ve received was…

"You’re not working hard enough." I was 22 at the time and three months into my first professional job as a newspaper reporter at a weekly paper. I was crushed because I loved what I was doing and thought I was giving it my all. But my editor was right; I wasn’t pushing to my full potential. That one comment shaped my work ethic moving forward. I still think of it when I start to slack.

A great piece of advice I received…

You’re on your own path. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.

Twitter handle: @gandolphoto