Available to hire
Hello, I’m Sean Arbabi, a Visual Content Production Leader who specializes in building and guiding high-performing photo and visual content teams across in-studio and on-location shoots. I’ve spent two-plus decades overseeing creative operations—from photo editing and post production, to creative briefs and pre-production, to on-set and on-location shoots, to AI-driven projects—delivering consistent, impactful content for campaigns, clients, and major studios worldwide.
Collaborative and process-driven, I lead with servant leadership to elevate team morale and productivity while tightening budgets, refining workflows, and accelerating lead times. I’m passionate about storytelling through imagery, optimizing digital workflows, and ensuring asset quality from concept to delivery.
Experience Level
Expert
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Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Visual Content Production Leader & Consultant | Senior Photo Producer at API
December 20, 2022 - PresentLead Creative Departments; Direct Visual content production (Photography, Art Direction, AI); Project Management; Operations & Systems (processes and workflow expertise); Training and onboarding; Budget management and forecasting; On-site logistics & equipment; Department strategy (asset quality, efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead); Department leadership (morale and work environment); Staffing strategy; Analytics & metrics management (KPI/OKR driven performance improvement).
Post-Production Manager at Pottery Barn (William Sonoma) / Pottery Barn Kids – Pottery Barn Teen
November 1, 2022 - October 8, 2025Leads Post Production department (16,000+ annual assets retouched, color calibrated); Partners with photo production (Photography, Art Direction, Retouching oversight); Project Management (Digital, Print, Editorial, eCommerce); Operations & Systems (processes and workflow upgrades); Budget management and forecasting; On-site improvements (logistics, equipment, infrastructure); Creative leadership (color, image quality, product matching); Strategic decisions (efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead, KPIs); Color oversight to reduce returns and increase sales; Staffing strategy based on workload.
Post-Production Asset Manager / Asset and Color Manager at Pottery Barn Kids – Pottery Barn Teen
November 1, 2022 - October 8, 2025Strategic partnering with Digital Production, Creative, Photo Studio, DAM, Merchants, Product Developers; Timelines, style and lighting guides, production workflow, supply chain efficiency; Merch tracking; Process documentation (training, onboarding, updates); Digital asset management (DAM).
Photo Studio Director | Senior Photo eCom Producer at Tailored Brands (Men's Wearhouse, Jos A Bank, Joseph Abboud, K&G Superstore, Moores)
April 1, 2021 - October 8, 2025Photo Studio operations lead (20,000+ annual assets, shared services, 15 FTEs, 50 contractors); Photo production (Photograph and Retouching oversight – Digital, Print, Editorial, eCommerce); Producer/Project Management (All E-commerce Stills and Fashion photo shoots); Operational manager (process improvements); Budget management and forecasting ($3.5M annual); DAM, Creative, Brand, Merchants, Web, Engineering, Legal, HR partnerships; Style Guide and Lighting Guide lead; On-site logistics & equipment; Staffing strategy (Hiring manager); Analytics & Metrics Management (KPI/OKR driven).
Marketing Director at JCAA (Julie Coyle Art Associates)
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Sales lead (Hotels, Design Firms, Senior Living Centers); Project Management; Digital asset management; Creative lead (Photographic / Digital Artist); Print lead; Operations oversight (processes and workflow improvements).
Commercial Photographer | Author | Producer | Art Director at ARBABI IMAGERY
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Lead photographer; Producer for hundreds of on-location photo shoots worldwide; Project Management; Post Production; Digital asset management (1,000,000+ images); Author of two Random House how-to books; Articles for major publications; Photo Workshop leader (on-location and online); Published worldwide for various clients and publishers.
Visual Content Production Leader & Consultant at API
December 20, 2022 - PresentLead Creative Departments and Visual Content Production, directing teams across Photography, Art Direction, and AI initiatives. Responsible for project management from concept through delivery, on-site logistics, and post-production. Implemented onboarding programs, budget forecasting, and workflow optimizations to improve asset quality and lead times, while maintaining a positive, collaborative department culture.
Post-Production Manager (Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen) at Williams-Sonoma | Pottery Barn
November 30, 2022 - October 8, 2025Led the Post Production department for Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen with 16,000+ annual assets retouched and color calibrated. Partnered with Photography, DAM, Merchants, and Product Development to manage Digital, Print, Editorial, and Ecommerce workflows; owned budgeting, on-site logistics, and color consistency to improve product matching, reduce returns, and increase sales. Directed color accuracy and staffing strategies.
Post-Production Asset and Color Manager at Williams-Sonoma | Pottery Barn
November 30, 2022 - October 8, 2025Strategic partner across Digital Production, Creative, Photo Studio, DAM, Merchants, and Product Development to establish timelines, lighting/style guides, and efficient production workflows. Managed asset localization, color, and lighting standards; tracked merchandising data; documented processes; and trained new staff to improve throughput and ensure consistent asset quality.
Photo Studio Director | Senior Photo eCommerce Producer at Tailored Brands | Men's Wearhouse
April 1, 2021 - October 8, 2025Photo Studio Director and Senior Photo ECommerce Producer overseeing 20,000+ annual assets with a shared services model (15 FTEs, 50 contractors). Led photography and retouching across Digital, Print, Editorial, and Ecommerce; managed end-to-end production, budget forecasting for a $3.5M annual budget, and cross-functional partnerships with DAM, Brand, Merchants, Web, Engineering, Legal, and HR.
Marketing Director at JCAA (Julie Coyle Art Associates)
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Marketing Director launching sales initiatives with hotels, design firms, and senior living centers; managed projects, digital asset management, and creative photography/digital art; led Print and Operations improvements and streamlined workflows to support growth.
Commercial Photographer | Author | Producer | Art Director at ARBABI Imagery
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Lead photographer; Producer for hundreds of on-location shoots worldwide; post production; digital asset management of 1M+ images; author of two how-to books for Random House; photo workshop leader; published worldwide; built a diverse client base across major brands and publishers.
Visual Content Production Leader & Consultant | Senior Photo Producer at API
December 20, 2022 - PresentLeading Creative Departments; Directing teams: Visual content production: Photography, Art Direction, AI; Project Management; Operations & Systems: Processes and workflow expertise; Training and onboarding; Budget management and forecasting; On-site Logistics & equipment; Department Strategy: Asset quality, efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead; Department Leadership: Moral and work environment; Staffing Strategy: Team dynamics and productivity; Analytics & Metrics Management: KPI/OKR Driven Performance Improvement.
Post-Production Manager at Williams-Sonoma / Pottery Barn
November 30, 2022 - October 8, 2025Led Post Production department (16,000+ annual assets retouched, color calibrated); Partnered with photo production: Photography, Art Direction, Retouching oversight; Project Management: Digital and Print, Editorial, eCommerce; Operations & Systems: Processes and workflow analysis and upgrades; Budget management and forecasting; On-site improvements: Logistics, equipment, infrastructure; Creative leadership: Improving color, image quality, consistency for product matching; Strategic decisions: Improving efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead, KPIs, metrics.
Post-Production Asset and Color Manager at Pottery Barn Kids – Pottery Barn Teen
November 30, 2022 - October 8, 2025Strategic partnering w/ Digital Production, Creative, Photo Studio, DAM, Merchants, Product Developers: timelines, style and lighting guides, production workflow, supply chain efficiency; Merch tracking; Process Documentation: Training, onboarding, updates; Digital asset management.
Photo Studio Director | Senior Photo eCom Producer at Tailored Brands | Men's Wearhouse
April 30, 2021 - October 8, 2025Photo Studio operations lead: 20,000+ annual assets, shared serviced, 15 FTEs, 50 contractors; Photo production: Photograph and Retouching oversight – Digital, Print, Editorial, eCommerce; Producer/Project Management; Operational manager: All processes and workflow updates and improvements; Process Documentation: Training, onboarding, updating, improvements; Budget management and forecasting: $3.5M annual budget; Strategic partnering: DAM, Creative, Brand, Merchants, Web, Engineering, Legal, HR; Style Guide and Lighting Guide lead; On-site Logistics & equipment; Staffing Strategy: Hiring manager; Analytics & Metrics Management: KPI/ OKR Driven Performance Improvement.
Marketing Director at JCAA (Julie Coyle Art Associates)
March 31, 2017 - October 8, 2025Sales Lead: Hotels, Design Firms, Senior Living Centers; Project Management; Digital asset management; Creative lead: Photographic / Digital Artist; Print lead; Operations oversight: processes and workflow updates and improvements.
Commercial Photographer | Author | Producer | Art Director at ARBABI IMAGERY
March 31, 2017 - October 8, 2025Lead photographer; Producer: hundreds of on-location photo shoots worldwide; Project Management; Post Production; Digital asset management: 1,000,000+ image collection; Author: two how-to books for Random House; Photo Workshop leader; Published worldwide.
Visual Content Production Leader & Consultant | Senior Photo Producer at API
December 1, 2022 - PresentLeading Creative Departments. Directing teams: Visual content production (Photography, Art Direction, AI). Project management. Operations & systems: Processes and workflow expertise. Training and onboarding. Budget management and forecasting. On-site logistics & equipment. Department strategy: asset quality, efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead. Department leadership: morale and work environment. Staffing strategy: team dynamics and productivity based on department workload. Analytics & metrics management: KPI/OKR driven performance improvement.
Post-Production Manager at Williams-Sonoma | Pottery Barn (Pottery Barn Kids – Pottery Barn Teen)
November 1, 2022 - October 8, 2025Leading Post Production department (16,000+ annual assets retouched, color calibrated). Partnering with photo production: Photography, Art Direction, Retouching oversight. Project Management: Digital and Print, Editorial, eCommerce. Operations & Systems: Processes and workflow analysis and upgrades. Budget management and forecasting. On-site improvements: Logistics, equipment, infrastructure. Creative leadership: Improving color, image quality, consistency for product matching. Strategic decisions: Improving efficiency, lead times, budgets, overhead, KPIs, metrics. Analytics & Metrics Management: KPI/OKR Driven Performance Improvement. Color oversight: Product matching to reduce customer returns, increase sales. Staffing Strategy: Team dynamics and productivity based on department workload.
Post-Production Asset and Color Manager at Pottery Barn Kids – Pottery Barn Teen (Williams-Sonoma)
November 1, 2022 - October 8, 2025Strategic partnering w/Digital Production, Creative, Photo Studio, DAM, Merchants, Product Developers: timelines, style and lighting guides, production workflow, supply chain efficiency. Merch tracking. Process Documentation: Training, onboarding, updates. Digital asset management.
Photo Studio Director | Senior Photo eCom Producer at Tailored Brands | Men’s Wearhouse
April 1, 2021 - October 8, 2025Photo studio operations lead: 20,000+ annual assets, 15 FTEs, 50 contractors. Photo production: Photograph and Retouching oversight – Digital, Print, Editorial, eCommerce. Operational manager: All processes and workflow updates and improvements. Budget management and forecasting: $3.5M annual budget. Style Guide and Lighting Guide liaison across teams.
Marketing Director at JCAA
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Sales Lead: Hotels, Design Firms, Senior Living Centers. Project Management. Digital asset management. Creative lead: Photographic/ Digital Artist.
Commercial Photographer | Author | Producer | Art Director at ARBABI IMAGERY
March 1, 2017 - October 8, 2025Lead photographer; Producer: hundreds of on-location photo shoots worldwide. Project Management. Post Production. Digital asset management: One million+ image collection. Author: two how-to books for Random House; numerous articles for major publications. Photo Workshop leader: on-location and online. Published worldwide: hundreds of major clients and publishers.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Commercial Photography at Brooks Institute of Photography
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991Photojournalism Major at San Francisco State University
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1987Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Photography at Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991Photojournalism Major/General Education at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1987Bachelor of Arts - Commercial Photography at Brooks Institute of Photography
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991Photojournalism Major/ General Education at San Francisco State University
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1987Bachelor of Arts at Brooks Institute of Photography
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991Photojournalism Major/ General Education at San Francisco State University
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1987Qualifications
Industry Experience
Media & Entertainment, Retail, Professional Services, Education, Other
Experience Level
Expert
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