Meet Scott Harben | Photographer/Director/Artist

I have always believed my job was to make my client successful. Viewing the client brand, ethic and success would depend on my ability to see the work as a collaboration. So competitive is the landscape today that it takes the right mindset to make it work, also in todays market so many clients expectations are low with what is expected on social media, we find keeping our expectations higher ensures that the final product exceeds what they were expecting.

I started out loving art as a child growing up in Scotland. My mother encouraged me to explore art, music and my Scottish heritage. Drawing then moving to painting when I was about 15, my father would dumpster dive for canvas covered board that was thrown away by carpet stores. I lost my mother when I was 17 and lost my way for many years trying to find a creative outlet. My father couldn’t afford college for me so I joined the military. It wasn’t until I met my wife in the 80’s that I found creativity again, this time in photography. Around 2003 I met the guy that would get me back into art, a comic cover artist named Tim Bradstreet. He drug me kicking and screaming into comics. I was making an excellent living doing advertising photography and didn’t want to add something that could take my attention away from it. But I ultimately enjoyed it so much it became a side hustle. Working with Marvel comics, Boom Comics and collaborating with Clive Barker on the reboot of his Hellraiser series in comic form were formative but also helped me become a better storyteller as a photographer and director. I started working with Lucasfilm around 2005 and became one of their artists while still working in advertising. I learned a lot about composition, color and cinematic storytelling which is my mantra today. No matter what the medium, cinematic storytelling allows the artist, photographer and director to see things in a way that captures the audiences attention. Learning this really changed my view. I now see this in everything I do, but also in the work of artists I admire. From Frank Frazetta’s fantasy work to Ridley Scott’s epic film making, I want people to see the tension and story in my work. I want them to be drawn into the story or character in a way that they walk away with an emotional response, whether empathy or fear. Truly my job is, to evoke that emotional response and connection.

Over the years I have garnered many relationships with other like minded people. I would take them to my friend’s restaurant for dinner, its an Italian Steak House called Dea. I helped him launch it about a year ago. Having a friend who is a chef is a huge perk, lol. Then drinks at a speak easy, as I have gotten older my tastes have matured to the point I am very picky about my cocktails. My favorite is the Black Manhattan. Top shelf rye whiskey, Averna Amaro, bitters, shaken and served up. I would introduce them to that. If there was a show at the art museum I was wanting to see we’d go there if not some local galleries. There is a beautiful Japanese Garden in Fort Worth that I would love them to see, I have an affinity for Japanese culture, art and design. I would love to set up time with some of my artisan friends, glass blowers, metal sculptors, chefs and painters. Drinks and great conversation about art and creativity really get me excited. If we are in LA, I would love to have a party at the Leica Gallery in Beverly Hills. I have been there many times for many shows and Paris, the curator there is a truly awesome human being.

Thats tough as there are so many. My partner in my production company, Jen Tone, has worked with me for over 30 years. She is truly one of my best cheerleaders. She encourages me and has helped me develop a team that is truly one of a kind. My wife Julie, of course and my children, and also Ian Haworth,  I first met him when he was running Rapp Collins World Wide. He is an amazing client and collaborator.