BRAD WILLIS

I began my photography education in 1976 at Northern Illinois University, transferring a year later to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. By 1985 I had honed my assisting client list to include mainly fashion and celebrity shooters, most notably Annie Leibovitz and Matthew Rolston with whom I worked extensively from 1985-1987.

In 1987 I decided to take the leap and leave assisting. By sheer coincidence it came to my attention that Vivid Video, a film company based in the San Fernando Valley had begun to market their products with a decidedly upscale and sophisticated style that set them dramatically apart from their competition. This was the opportunity I had been looking for, knowing that I could use the fashion/celebrity experience to contribute to this upscaling of a business traditionally thought of as trashy. Additionally, by this time, my wife Cynthia had completed her studies in hair and makeup at Charles Ross and Vidal Sassoon in LA.

Within a year of this, we landed the primo client, Vivid Video, and entered into an exclusive agreement with them and a handful of associated companies. It was at this time that we photographed the first Vivid Girls campaign, a star system borrowed from the movie studios of the '40s. This campaign pioneered a business strategy that has been followed by virtually every other major company since.

In 1994 while shooting a budding young unknown named Jenna Jameson we saw the enormous potential of this starlet and urged her to meet with favored client, Wicked Pictures, having done all of their covers since the company's inception in 1993. The resulting exclusive contract lead both to remarkable heights.

We retired from the business in 2008 leaving a legacy of nearly 3000 covers. We had photographed and/or designed 30 AVN Award winning packages and advertisements; including four consecutive best packaging awards for Wicked (1999-2002).

Now calling Lahaina, HI home, I am available for assignments in advertising, portraiture and erotic portraiture.

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