We had the good fortune of connecting with Marietta Marthinsen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marietta, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I know everyone always says the same thing when they get into the pet industry; I love animals. Although this is definitely true, it’s definitely not the only thing that led us here. I started as an artist (as long as I can remember), and went to art school for most of my life. During that time, I got into photography and film, and went on to go to film school in LA, where I met my husband and business partner now (who is now a professional video editor for television). I always owned dogs, and used them as my muses for a lot of my projects. I was drawn to commercial and fashion photography, and eventually started combining all of those interests and went on to shoot for the largest pet e commerce brand. I built relationships with a lot of pet parents over several years, and one day, we thought to ourselves, there is actually an opportunity here. We have pet models, and experience in the photography AND film industry; we can create a business that makes it easy for pet brands to get quality imagery, while doing what we love. The pandemic further proved that this would be a popular business model, and is when we started taking off.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Work for Treats is a production company created to cater to pet brands exclusively. I am the photographer, and my husband (Morten) is the videographer. We also handle the post production ourselves. What sets us apart is, we focus ONLY on commercial pet imagery, and we also have a database of pet models our clients can choose from. We also work remotely, so our clients go onto our website, choose the model they like, the style of shoot and send us their products. We handle the rest. We love that we get to have an entire project in our hands and create something great for each client.

It’s hard to say if getting to where we are now was easy or hard. It was more about getting the timing right. I tried a lot of different things that led me here, and I don’t think I would have ended up doing what I do now, if I hadn’t tried everything else. Art school led me to photography and film, which led me to go to school in LA, which gave me experience in the media industry. I even worked at a doggy daycare in Hollywood, California, which gave me the physical experience of working with dogs, understanding different personalities, and learning how to communicate with them best. I tried different styles of photography along the way which gave me perspective that some photographers don’t have. So when we have to shoot a brand, I’m not the traditional pet photographer that started out taking pictures of my dog as a hobby and started a business. There are layers to our creative process, and how we arrive to every decision on every project. The same goes for the video side. Morten brings in a lot of experience from the tv industry, and knows what works or doesn’t work when we’re creating video projects for clients. We’re still growing, and like a lot of businesses, the pandemic has affected a lot of it, but it also pushes us to find new creative ways to make it work and become better.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Living in South Florida, our friends love to come visit! My suggestions for fun spots are always changing; since the area is also constantly changing. 10 years ago, I would say South Beach was the place to be; but now we prefer less touristy areas. We still love Wynwood, even though it’s also getting a bit too crowded. It’s always a cool spot to get some nice photos and try some good food. We also love Fort Lauderdale, especially the breweries. Funky Buddha and Lauderale our a couple of our faves, and Lauderale specifically is very dog friendly, so that’s always a plus. The new Dania Pointe is close to us and also a very fun area to just hang out, do a little shopping, and end with some dinner or a movie. And for first time visitors, we love taking them on a good everglades adventure, and walk with alligators at Shark Valley.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I think I’d have to thank my parents, for always supporting my creativity and pushing me to pursue it even further. While a lot of parents would be worried about creative fields not being financially stable, they taught me to think outside of the box -instead of just settling for what “the safe choice” was. I’m doing something I truly love to do, and created my own business with my husband.

Website: www.workfortreats.com

Instagram: @workfortreats

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workfortreats

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workfortreats

Image Credits
Work for Treats

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.