Jane joined Wayfair in 2014 as a photo art director, implementing best practices for visual brand development. In 2015, she became a creative director of photography where she identified creative goals and benchmarks that outlined actionable steps for both in-house and contract photo teams. Currently, Jane is the head of imagery, and she’s built a team of imaging experts, making Wayfair a leader in the industry. Jane brings a variety of experience to her role including 3D visualization, traditional photography, home furnishings, interior design, as well as integrated marketing and brand development.
What brought you to Wayfair, and what has kept you here?
“My family relocated back to the east coast from the Bay Area. I was excited to find a photo studio role that matched my skill set. Additionally, I appreciated being in the studio vs. traveling to various photo shoots because of the positive work-life balance that it offered for my family. I really valued the fact that I could spend more time with my family but continue to do the creative work that I am incredibly passionate about.”
“Wayfair has given me the ability to evolve my creative career. I think back to my first job here so fondly—I might have stayed in that role, happily. But every time I found myself getting comfortable, new opportunities kept presenting themselves, and each new role has been both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. Wayfair provided me with a chance to build something from scratch, the 3D Creative department. I never imagined I would have that chance in my career/lifetime to develop this skill set or such an accomplished team.”
Describe your role at Wayfair and your core responsibilities.
Jane is the director over Imagery Creative and the visionary behind Wayfair’s Imagery department. She’s focused on empowering her team to push the boundaries with their creative work.
Another primary function for Jane is continuing to build and grow her department. She plays a very active role in the recruiting and hiring process. Jane describes, “At Wayfair, we’re hiring people for jobs that don’t exist anywhere else in the marketplace. We’re asking people to come here and apply their expertise to a creative process that is likely outside of their comfort zone. That ability to get ‘uncomfortable’ is an opportunity to unleash potential. And for us, it brings in fresh, new ideas.”
How does Wayfair empower you/your team to be innovative?
“Working at Wayfair, there’s an expectation to be innovative. Even when I worked in the photo studio, the team was really pushing the boundaries—using post-production as a significant part of the image creation process. Creatives are empowered when they’re allowed to fail without harsh repercussions, and that’s the type of culture that we are passionate about building here.” Jane continues, “Wayfair challenges us to work efficiently and from a creative perspective that means cutting out the repetitive work so you can focus more on developing the artistry.”
Tell me about a project you led where you were able to be innovative. What was the focus area and what teams did you work with?
Jane was tasked with building out the 3D Creative department, in terms of developing the process and the team. She worked on everything from evaluating quality to developing a system that creatives could operate under within an in-house model.
Jane explains, “I was working closely with Steve Conine [our co-founder], a product media counterpart, and an operational counterpart to build out tools and tech in order to create digital images at a massive scale. The Creative team partnered closely with operations, product, and engineering to make the software user-friendly for the creative groups to build assets at a scale never before imagined.”
Why do you think Wayfair is a destination for Creatives?
“Our Creative departments are truly unique. Because Wayfair holds innovation in the highest regards, the creative leadership is entrusted to hire the most talented individuals in the industry, teach them our systems, and allow them to contribute to the growing evolution of the 3D Imagery program.”
“I think at this point, it is the incredibly talented creatives that I work with and the Wayfair culture that keeps me motivated. We have established Creative teams that I’m so proud of and excited about. I love seeing how their ideas and creativity continually evolve the work and our brands.”
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