Photo Copyright Gregory Heisler
Skip Cohen is President of Marketing Essentials International, a marketing consulting firm specializing in imaging projects, primarily in the professional photographic sector. He is past President/Chief Operating Officer of Rangefinder Publishing Inc. and previously had responsibility for Rangefinder Magazine, AfterCapture Magazine, the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Association and the WPPI Convention and Trade Show. He has also been a regular contributor to Rangefinder Magazine, writing a monthly feature on marketing, business and education.
His career in the photographic industry started at Polaroid in 1970 in the emulsion development group in R&D. During his 17½ years with Polaroid he held positions in research, personnel, customer service, both overseas and domestic, and was the US Marketing Manager for Polaroid’s photo-specialty dealers from 1984 -1987, when he left to take over Hasselblad USA as President/CEO.
During his twelve years at Hasselblad he founded Hasselblad University, today Hasselblad’s worldwide educational arm; expanded the Hasselblad newsletter to a quarterly magazine and helped to establish Hasselblad as a leader in marketing and education. In 1998 at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, Skip and his management team were recognized as the best Swedish company in America.
He served as President/CEO of Hasselblad USA until 1999, at which time he helped launch an Internet photographic retail site as president of PhotoAlley.com until 2002, when the dot com economy collapsed.
He has served as PPA’s Industry Advisor and Board member, Vice President of the Photographic Manufacturer’s and Distributor’s Association, member of the board of directors of Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS, board member of the Center for Creative Photography, originally founded by Ansel Adams, the Photographic Hall of Fame and the P.H.O.T.O. Foundation which he helped create to help photographers who were victims of Hurricane Katrina.
He has written five books on photography, The Art of Wedding Photography, The Art of the Digital Wedding and The Art of People Photography with professional photographer, Bambi Cantrell and Don’s Blair’s Guide to Posing and Lighting Body Parts with the late great portrait photographer, Don Blair. His newest book, Wedding Photography from the Heart, co-authored with creative genius, Joe Buissink, is expected to be released in the fall of 2009.
Contact Skip directly at skip@mei500.com
