Go Forth: An Interview with Anthony Georgis

Tuesday August 2nd, 2011

Several years ago, photographer Anthony Georgis embarked on an assignment that would change the direction of his career and his life. Anthony was asked to be a part of Wieden + Kennedy‘s new campaign for Levi’s which aimed to portray the feelings of optimism, Americana, and hope. The called their campaign “Go Forth” and commissioned Anthony for an unprecedented assignment—a dream job really—where he would be driving across America for 30 days and shooting what he saw. Recently, Anthony continued his relationship with Levi’s by shooting a project for the European launch of “Go Forth.” Knowing how much people enjoyed Anthony’s original “Go Forth” assignment, I decided to catch up with him and chat about it as well as his new Levi’s work. Enjoy!

- Maria

How did Wieden + Kennedy and Levi’s find you?

I had been showing my work around Portland quite a bit right around the time Levi’s was getting ready to launch the “Go Forth” campaign and my name ended up in the pool of potential photographers for the project. I think it was a result of the positive momentum you get when you’re showing work and connecting with other creative people on a regular basis.

How was the project initially presented?

Levi’s wanted to do something that captured the spirit of “Go Forth”. They basically said “We want you to shoot a 30 day road trip across America, how soon can you leave?”. It was a really unique project in that the journey itself was a huge component. There was no destination or producer, or schedule. I was just supposed to get in a car and go and kind of make it up as I went along.

Were you excited?

Excited? Of course! It was an incredible opportunity and the creative team put a lot of trust into my vision. I was given complete freedom to go wherever I wanted to go and shoot whatever I wanted to shoot. The whole project was driven by a shot list that I scribbled out on a sheet of notebook paper!

I know they wanted this shoot done without a producer, but did you end up taking anyone with you?

Yes, I ended up hiring a friend who works as a freelance writer, Liz Hummer. One of the big logistical things we had to deal with was getting releases from everyone we photographed and Liz has a wonderful way of connecting with people. Between driving, shooting, uploading  and figuring out where the heck we were going to go next, we worked pretty much nonstop with just a few hours of sleep a night. Liz really helped keep me sane. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Do you know how many places you visited?

To be honest, I have no idea! The depth of America as a subject is absolutely amazing and kind of overwhelming. I know we clocked over 8,000 miles on our rental car and that we only barely scratched the surface of what’s there.

What kinds if photos did they want?

They wanted an unscripted, unproduced version of America. It didn’t have to go through focus groups. It didn’t need to be glossy or nice or pretty. It wasn’t about product placement, or models running though fields. It just needed to be a real, genuine document of the journey and the people and places that make America what it is.

What was the most interesting place you visited?

It’s hard to pick! I have a special place in my heart for Marfa, TX but I think the most interesting place we visited was Detroit. That city is in the midst of a huge transformation and it will be very interesting to see what emerges.

What were some of the challenges you faced along the way?

Well, sometimes we would travel 2 or 3 hours out of the way to photograph something only to discover that what we wanted to shoot wasn’t very interesting and now we were in the middle of nowhere. After a couple of days we just learned to accept that the middle of nowhere was exactly where we were supposed to be. We also suffered through illness, broken cameras, broken rental cars, questionable food, lost credit cards, hotel fire alarms that went off at 3 AM for no reason, a carjacking scare and bad radio stations.

Did this project influence your photo style in anyway?

I would say that it influenced my life more than my photographic style. It taught me to be patient, present and be open to the path that is right there in front of you. The path you don’t always see.

How were the photos used?

The photos initially came out the Levi’s website and online via social media sites. The Facebook site for Levi’s had this really cool interactive application where you could follow the journey via a map of the US in real time, with little excerpts of stories from the trip.

Which is your favorite photo from this assignment?

My personal favorite is a shot I did on the last day of the trip in New York City. We were in SoHo trying to shoot some street portraits, but no one was cooperating (almost everyone in New York City has an “agent” that they need to talk to before being photographed). I looked up and saw all these bubbles floating down the street and I just kind of fell in love with them.

Did you learn anything new about the photo industry during this project?

I learned that business insurance can be really helpful to cover repairs on the undercarriage of a rental car that you’ve destroyed by driving it off road.

You’re currently in Berlin, what inspired this move?

I came to Europe in April because I had a broken heart and I needed something new. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going or what I was going to do but I knew that I needed to keep moving forward.

What are some of the recent projects you’ve been working on in Europe?

I shot a project for the launch of the “Go Forth” campaign in Europe with Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam. It’s been really great to continue to work with Levi’s. I also just shot something here for Nike, which is another client that I had been working with quite a bit in the states.

We shot the Levi’s project in Berlin. which has an amazing energy. The city is growing and changing in really interesting ways and there is this kind of inspired sense of freedom here that I haven’t found anywhere else. Berlin wasn’t even on my list of places to visit but I immediately fell in love with it and it’s become my new home town. It’s a pretty good example of being open to the path that’s right in front of you.