CHRISTINA FORCE - The Collective Force

Originally a layout artist at Saatchi & Saatchi London, Christina Force is the founder of The Collective Force- the first and best known photographer’s agency in New Zealand, and also OPTNZ- the first dedicated stills production company in New Zealand. During the last 15 years she has been instrumental in introducing New Zealand ad agencies to the concept of working with an agent, respecting high production values, and educating them on copyright for photographers.

Realising the potential of her stable and of New Zealand, she successfully launched her photographers internationally with regular sales trips to Singapore, Hong Kong, China, USA and Australia, placing New Zealand firmly on the map as a professional destination with great talent, as well as attracting photographers from all around the world to her stable.

In April this year, she moved into the role of marketing and folio consultant. As one of the few agents in the world who has spent considerable time in both the Australasian and North American markets, she is well placed to help photographers create beautiful folios designed for specific territories. However, her consulting practice has a huge emphasis on helping photographers realise their dreams through strategic planning and targeted marketing. She is especially enjoying encouraging them to develop their personal work and launch exhibitions and books of their fine art.

Christina is chairperson of the NZ Agents and Producers Association (which operates under the umbrella of the AIPA), and has been a guest speaker at many of the AIPA conferences and seminars, in addition to Axis Ad School, Unitec and Whitecliffe College of Art. She has judged several New Zealand photography competitions and has been interviewed for various magazines including Capture Magazine, Better Photography, Campaign Brief Australia and Ad Media New Zealand.