A Kickoff Worth Remembering: Merrill Lynch Kansas City
When a Merrill Lynch wealth management team in Kansas City needed a full visual refresh, we traveled in for a single kickoff session: one cohesive group portrait plus matching individual headshots, all photographed on location with the same outdoor architectural backdrop.
The Challenge
The Merrill Lynch Kansas City team needed more than a round of updated headshots. They needed a cohesive visual identity that matched the standard of the firm they represent. One that would hold up on the Merrill Lynch advisor directory, LinkedIn, pitch decks, and client-facing materials.
The problem with most advisor team headshots is that they look like a stack of individuals rather than one team. Different photographers, different years, different backgrounds. Prospects researching the team online pick up on that instantly, and it erodes the trust a wealth management relationship is built on.
The team needed photography that could:
- Deliver a single cohesive group portrait representing the full team
- Capture matching individual headshots with identical backdrop and lighting
- Travel to Kansas City with a full production setup, no local vendor compromises
- Finish the entire shoot in one efficient session around advisor schedules
- Meet Merrill Lynch platform and compliance formatting requirements
The Solution
We flew to Kansas City with the full production kit and ran the entire shoot as a single kickoff session built around one idea: the group portrait and every individual headshot needed to live in the same visual world.
1. One Photographer, Full Production Kit
No local photographer handoffs. No mismatched lighting from different vendors. We traveled to Kansas City with studio-grade lighting, grip, and tethered capture so the team got the same production quality they'd get in a dedicated studio.
2. Outdoor Architectural Backdrop
We scouted the Kansas City location in advance and chose an outdoor setting with clean architectural lines and soft natural light. Every advisor was photographed against the same backdrop, in the same light, from the same angle, so the individual headshots feel like zoomed-in versions of the group portrait.
3. Efficient Advisor Rotation
Advisors bill for their time with clients, not time in front of a camera. We ran an efficient rotation through the individual headshot positions so each team member was in and out in under ten minutes, with real-time tethered review on the spot so no one left wondering how they looked.
4. Platform-Ready Delivery
Final images delivered in every format the team actually uses: web-optimized for the Merrill Lynch directory, square crops for LinkedIn, vertical for email signatures, and print-ready files for client-facing materials. Compliance-friendly naming and metadata throughout.
Matching Individual Headshots
One Location. One Standard.
Every advisor photographed against the same outdoor architectural backdrop with matching light and framing. Click through any individual and it feels like zooming in on the group portrait.
The Results
Why Travel Beats Local Every Time
Most multi-location advisory firms handle headshot programs by hiring a different photographer in each city. The result is a team page that looks like it was assembled from five different shoots, because it was. One photographer, one production kit, one creative direction, and the whole team finally looks like a team.
The Merrill Lynch Kansas City session is a template we've since used for wealth management teams across the Midwest: fly in, shoot the group and the individuals against the same backdrop in one session, and deliver a visual library that actually represents the firm clients are hiring.
Planning a Team Kickoff in Your City?
Whether your team is in Kansas City, Dallas, Chicago, or anywhere else, we travel with the full production kit and handle logistics so you just need to show up and look good.