CASHMAN PROFESSIONAL 2001-2008

My career, for the most part, had been devoted to producing videos and selling and integrating video technology up to this point. After meeting Morgan Cashman, that all changed and for the better I should add. In 2001, my career and life changed dramatically after deciding move to Las Vegas in 2001 and join Cashman Photo. At that time, the more demanding and higher skill-based photographic assignments (including video production) were being performed by Cashman Photo’s nightclub division. Sure, there were a few dedicated photographers and videographers shooting weddings and special events at various locations. Quite often, however, when there was excess demand for skilled people, staff normally assigned to take pictures in showrooms and restaurants were reassigned to shoot a wedding or corporate event. This created a scheduling nightmare and just keeping track of the images and video content was a challenge in itself. I spent the first six months learning the processes that were already in place observing what was good and what needed to go.

The business was now consolidated under a new entity, Cashman Professional. I became the Managing Director and partner in Cashman Professional. My mandate was to introduce new technology and training programs that would substantially improve quality, and provide a higher measure of consistency to our institutional hotel clients and those companies participating in large meetings and conventions. During that time, I developed an advanced understanding of photography and graphic composition.

The evolution of Cashman Professional from a simple idea to a company that dominated the wedding, and special event photo and video services industry in Las Vegas, makes for great reading. After spending the first six months getting acclimated , I could see the company had great possibilities but if we were going to make our mark, we had to evolve. It began with an early commitment to digital imaging in 2004, a time when film was still the professional choice of most photographers. I fought a rebellion internally within the company and externally with our institutional clients resistant to making changes. It meant a commitment to retraining, new investment, and new workflows. Prior to the decision, the prevailing fear was that the transition to an all digital workflow would disturb the delicate yet highly inefficient way things had been done for years at each location. And each location had it’s on legacy set-set of operating requirements, practically guaranteeing inconsistencies across multiple locations and services. I was firm in my resolve to make the transition away from film and analogue videotape. I knew they would soon become relics of the past. Our future was dependant on how we managed this sea-change. It was time to jump-in with both feet and move to an all-digital workflow, even if it meant some disruption. I believed that the insights and immediate benefits would ultimately justify the decision. Entrenched people comfortable with entrenched processes pushed-back hard and seriously threatened my future with the company. Without Morgan Cashman’s unwavering faith in me, I wouldn’t be telling this story today. Furthermore, had we not laid the foundation when we did, our competitors would have taken much of the market share we worked long and hard to acquire. I’m proud of the way we accomplished the digital transition, and when the full implementation of our plan was completed, we grew to a size that even the founders could not have foreseen. Cashman Professional and Cashman Photo were now technology leaders, advancing the state of the art in practice, no longer followers, we became a model for the entire industry and the gold standard of quality and overall customer satisfaction on a large scale.