Shannon Associates -- Premier representative of commercial illustrators.

Industry Information : One Rep's Opinion

Cynthia Turner - The Human Heart

Launching a Second Decade
Tamara Shannon

We are reaching the end of our tenth year of business and it has been an enormous blessing beyond what I had hoped when I began with a notepad and a phone line in my small apartment kitchen ten years ago.

I could not have imagined seeing our work towering over streets nationwide from Broadway to Sunset Boulevard. I could not have dreamed that our work would grace the pages of virtually every major publication distributed; we’ve contributed to major films, political campaigns, social issues, and missions work worldwide. How could I have known we would have the privilege of working on some of the biggest titles in the history of print and be responsible for bringing life to characters that are now known around the world? I never dreamed I would meet my childhood heroes and then actually be able to call them friends! Now you can literally walk around the world -- through stores in Ireland, Australia, Russia, Afghanistan, the Philippines and South Africa, and see the work that began at the kitchen table on East 89th Street.

It is such a small world and this is a very tiny industry. We have had the great pleasure of counting our competitors among our friends, seeing our young artists become well-known industry personalities, and watching our clients work their way from assistants to department heads. God has blessed us as our families have grown, and as we have said our goodbyes to dear friends who graced us with their lives for a season.

We have also been graced with the beautiful people who work in our offices, clients old and new, and of course our amazing artists. How do we thank people who put the care and the provision of their families in our hands, clients who put their jobs on the line by entrusting their projects to us, or employees who decided to build a career on the word of a dreamer? I can only promise that I will continue to wake up each morning and conduct myself as though it is my first day at work in that kitchen ten years ago. Not one success of yesterday will help us achieve our goals for tomorrow. As grateful as I am for the work we have been allowed to do, a good steward will only look forward. With continued blessings, I look forward to sharing this second decade with all of you.

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