What does a key art photographer actually do?

A key art photographer produces the central campaign imagery used across movie posters, television one-sheets, streaming thumbnails, bus wraps, billboards, and social. The job goes beyond photographing actors — it includes shooting body doubles, hand doubles, props, and supporting elements that get composited into final layouts; matching lighting to existing celebrity headshots; reverse-engineering looks for international markets; and producing material that survives executive review at HBO, Netflix, Universal and similar studios.

How much does professional key art photography cost?

Key art photography for major studio campaigns typically ranges from $10,000 to $75,000+ per shoot day depending on talent, crew, location, and usage rights. Josh Separzadeh offers high-level entertainment-marketing experience at approachable pricing for direct-to-studio, agency, and creator clients.

Where is Josh Separzadeh based and does he travel?

Josh is based in Los Angeles and works throughout LA county (Hollywood, Burbank, Studio City, Culver City, Venice, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, DTLA). Travel available for studio campaigns nationwide and internationally.

What entertainment campaigns has Josh worked on?

Multi-time Key Art Award winner for HBO Game of Thrones (Gold — hand-and-crown one-sheet), Universal Catfish (Gold — best teaser poster), Sony Pictures Classics Whiplash (Bronze — international one-sheet). Additional studio campaign work for FX, Netflix, AMC, Warner Bros, Focus Features, Disney+, and Interscope.

What kind of celebrity photography does Josh shoot?

Editorial portraits, campaign imagery, album covers, and entertainment-marketing portraiture for studios, streamers, record labels, and talent representation. Past work has included sessions with Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Bebe Rexha, Ludacris, Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, Lindsey Stirling, and the casts of major TV and film campaigns.

How does Josh approach celebrity portrait sessions?

Sessions are run with the calm and adaptability built from 15+ years inside campaign production — efficient with talent time, technically consistent across rapid concept changes, comfortable directing under executive review timelines, and prepared with lighting setups that can pivot quickly.

What's included in a celebrity portrait engagement?

Pre-production consultation, on-set capture (studio or location), tethered review with the creative team, retouching oversight, multi-platform delivery (print, social, streaming, billboard), and asset organization for downstream campaign use.

What's the difference between key art and entertainment marketing photography?

Key art is the single hero image — a poster, one-sheet, or thumbnail. Entertainment marketing photography is the full pipeline behind it: character breakouts, talent portraits, BTS, additional asset shoots, all coordinated against the campaign's visual system. Josh works across both as a campaign-production partner.

Can you produce material for compositing?

Yes. A large portion of campaign work is shot specifically for compositing — matching lighting setups to existing celebrity headshots, shooting body doubles, building negative space for typography, capturing texture and motion references. Josh has produced compositing-ready assets for major studio campaigns over 15+ years.

Does Josh handle retouching and post?

Yes — full Adobe Creative Suite + Capture One certified. Retouching oversight, asset management, version control, and multi-platform export are part of the engagement. Useful for clients who want a single creative partner across capture and post.

What kind of product photography does Josh shoot?

Premium product photography for wellness, luxury, lifestyle, and entertainment-adjacent brands. Cinematic lighting, careful color and texture work, and the same compositing-ready discipline learned from key art production.

What size brands does Josh typically work with?

Premium and prestige product brands — sweet spot is high-end positioning at approachable pricing relative to top-tier celebrity-photographer rates. Right fit for brands that want agency-level visual thinking without giant-agency overhead.

Can Josh handle full campaign production beyond capture?

Yes. Background spans creative direction, prop sourcing, wardrobe coordination, retouching oversight, multi-platform delivery, and AI-assisted creative workflows. Engagements can be scoped from capture-only to full visual campaign production.

Who is Josh Separzadeh?

Josh Separzadeh is a Los Angeles-based key art and entertainment-marketing photographer with 15+ years inside the campaign-production system. Multiple Key Art Award winner — Gold for Game of Thrones (HBO Season 3 One Sheet), Gold for Catfish (Universal Best Teaser Poster), Bronze for Whiplash International One Sheet — plus Graphis Gold honoree for Lindsey Stirling on YouTube Originals. Clients include HBO, FX, Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros, Marvel/Disney+, YouTube Originals, and Interscope.

Is Josh Separzadeh available for hire?

Yes. Available for studio commissions, agency partnerships, premium-brand campaigns, and senior creative-operations engagements in Los Angeles. Travel available for studio campaigns nationwide and internationally. Inquiries: joshsep01@gmail.com or via joshsep.com/contact.

Where is Josh Separzadeh based?

Los Angeles. Works throughout LA county — Hollywood, Burbank, Studio City, Culver City, Venice, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, DTLA — and travels for studio campaigns.

What types of campaigns does Josh Separzadeh shoot?

Key art photography for theatrical, streaming, and franchise campaigns. Celebrity portraiture for studios, streamers, and record labels. Entertainment marketing photography (character breakouts, talent portraits, BTS, additional campaign assets). Commercial product photography for premium and lifestyle brands. Editorial portrait work.

What software and workflow does Josh use?

Full Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, Bridge). Capture One certified. AI-assisted creative workflows including prompt engineering, AI imagery, asset variation at scale, and retouching acceleration. Compositing-ready capture matched to existing celebrity headshot lighting. Multi-platform delivery and asset management systems.

Press & Recognition

Multi-time Key Art Award winner for entertainment marketing campaign work. Graphis Gold and Merit recognition across YouTube Originals, theatrical, and streaming campaigns. 15+ years inside the entertainment-marketing production system, with award-recognized work for HBO, Universal, Magnolia Pictures, and YouTube Originals.

For press inquiries, interview requests, speaking engagements, or campaign profile features: joshsep01@gmail.com

Key Art Awards

The Key Art Awards (Clio Entertainment) recognize the world's best entertainment marketing creative. Josh's award-winning work includes:

Gold — Game of Thrones, HBO Season 3 One Sheet. The hand-and-crown concept. Practical photography blended with 3D rendering. The image that defined HBO's Season 3 visual campaign.

Gold — Catfish — Best Teaser Poster (Universal). Practical photography effect requiring a real catfish, sourced in person from Chinatown markets. The teaser that committed to genre ambiguity most posters can't risk.

Bronze — Whiplash International One-Sheet. Pre-talent body-double production. The international variant that solved a translation problem before it solved an aesthetic one.

Graphis Awards

Graphis is the international design annual recognizing the best in advertising, design, and photography. Josh's Graphis-recognized work includes:

Gold — Graphis Poster Annual — The Collector One-Sheet. Theatrical one-sheet, horror genre.

Gold — Graphis Advertising Annual 2018 — Lindsey Stirling, Brave Enough. YouTube Originals documentary campaign — concert film and tour-companion documentary.

Merit — Graphis Advertising Annual 2018 — Mind Field Season 2. YouTube Originals science docuseries (Vsauce / Michael Stevens).

Golden Trailer Awards

Nomination — Apartment 143 — Magnolia Pictures One Sheet. Horror theatrical campaign.

Notable Campaigns

A selection of campaign work spanning HBO, FX, AMC, Netflix, Cinemax, Universal, Warner Bros, Sony, YouTube Originals, Marvel/Disney+, and Interscope.

Television & Streaming Series. Game of Thrones (HBO) · Cobra Kai (Netflix) · Mind Field (YouTube Originals) · Mr. Mercedes (Audience Network/DirecTV) · Hap & Leonard (Sundance TV) · The Strain (FX) · The Knick (Cinemax — Steven Soderbergh) · Boss (Starz) · Strike Back (Cinemax) · Major Crimes (TNT)

Theatrical Campaigns. Catfish (Universal) · Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics) · The Collector (LD Entertainment) · Apartment 143 (Magnolia Pictures)

Music & Documentary. Lindsey Stirling, Brave Enough (YouTube Originals) · Demi Lovato (Interscope Records) · Mind Field S1–S3 (YouTube Originals / Vsauce)

Press Mentions & Interviews

Josh has been featured in industry publications covering entertainment marketing, key art production, and campaign photography.

Available for:

Editorial features on entertainment-marketing production
Interviews on key art workflow, AI-assisted creative pipelines, and studio campaign realities
Podcast appearances on commercial photography, creative operations, and the business of entertainment marketing
Industry panels and speaking engagements
Educational features on the technical craft of campaign photography (compositing, talent management, multi-format delivery)

Press inquiries: joshsep01@gmail.com

For long-form perspective on how Josh thinks about the work, read Inside the Hidden Machine — How Entertainment Key Art Actually Gets Made, plus behind-the-scenes case studies for Game of Thrones, Catfish, and Whiplash.

Client Roster

Studios & Networks: HBO · FX · AMC · Cinemax · Sundance TV · Audience Network/DirecTV · Starz · TNT · CBS Films · 20th Century Fox · Magnolia Pictures · Universal · Sony Pictures Classics · Warner Bros · Focus Features · Miramax · LD Entertainment

Streaming Platforms: Netflix · Hulu · Amazon · YouTube Originals · Disney+

Franchise & Studio Marketing: Marvel · Disney+

Music & Label: Interscope · Billboard · Vice

Agencies: Cold Open (in-house creative producer 2009–2019), Brigade, Concept Arts, Empire Design, BLT Communications

Booking & Inquiries

Direct: joshsep01@gmail.com

For long-form campaign profiles, agency partnerships, or strategic engagements:
joshsep01@gmail.com · joshsep.com · LinkedIn /in/joshsep