Words and Photography by Nadine Wilmanns
The digital "Pub"
Why connections require effort - and a visual system
“Networking is more about farming than it is about hunting.”
(Ivan Misner, founder of Business Network International BNI)
It is June, and the British summer has taken a holiday: As I step off the train in Southend, a wild, icy storm greets me. On the shore, the tide is completely out. There are no crashing waves—just ships sitting on the open sand. It is stark, moody, and very beautiful.
I catch a bus heading toward an industrial estate, on my way to a creative meetup at a photography studio in Leigh-on Sea next to Southend called The Space.
Networking in Southend
Today, I’m meeting two brilliant business partners: Patrick Barr, a specialist print broker who runs Breathe Print Management, and Ben Hole, who has his video production company Tidal Film in Southend. And I’m meeting Graham Cann, who is a fashion photographer and runs the photo studio. We met briefly at an event a few months back. He kindly invited me to see his studio, so I thought I’d suggest a creative meetup of the four of us.
On paper, a journey like this on a miserable weather day makes zero logistical sense. It is time-consuming. It requires a lot of energy. It would have been infinitely “easier” to just schedule a 45-minute Zoom call from the comfort of my cosy desk.
Make it last
But let’s be honest: will any of us remember a standard video call six months down the line? Probably not. Will I regret making the effort to tour an incredible physical studio, explore a traditional darkroom, and meet up with a former Vogue photographer? Certainly not.
Inside the studio, escaping the storm, we sit down with Graham Cann and his fluffy cat. Graham, who is now in his 70s, owns The Space. Back in his heyday, he was shooting high-fashion editorial for Vogue and other magazines, as well as huge brand campaigns. As we talk about the massive shifts in our industry with the digital transformation, Graham shares a story about how business used to be done.
Back in the day
Back in the day, Graham didn’t pitch via cold emails or LinkedIn messages. He got his high-end commercial work by hanging out in a couple of specific London bars. Those were the exact physical spaces where the editors, art directors, and people with influence gathered. If you were in the room, you were in the game.
But today, things have changed. There is no longer a single “bar of influence” in London where everyone hangs out to hand out contracts. The industry is vast, fragmented, and global. Yet, it’s certainly still about who knows who.
So, how do we stay connected today? How do we build and maintain the repeated touchpoints required to stay memorable to our network when we can’t always sit in a room together?
Enter the digital "Pub"
This is where the true power of digital spaces – and social media specifically – comes into play. For all its flaws and potential noise, social media serves as our modern-day digital pub that allows us to maintain connections.
But let’s be clear: the digital pub is a supplement, not a substitute. It’s a bridge, not the destination.
True human connection is built on shared experiences and lasting memories—the kind we can’t replicate through a screen. If we only ever exist online, we’re just data in a feed. But also: if we brave the storm for a brilliant in-person meetup but then disappear into our own busy world without a digital trace, that initial effort loses its momentum. In our fast-paced industry, a single great meeting can fade from memory simply because life gets in the way.
The strategy
Ideally, we combine both worlds strategically. We invest the physical energy to create a deep, memorable root in person, and then we use the digital space to water it. Social media allows us to maintain those repeated touchpoints easily, keeping the connection alive until the next time we can sit across from each other at a real table.
But digital networking has its own challenges. It takes a different kind of energy. The ongoing pressure to think: “What should I post today? How do I update people on my business without sounding repetitive or forced?” That can be utterly exhausting.
And that is exactly where the bridge between the physical and digital world is built.
The secret to staying memorable without burning out is having a system that removes the overthinking.
Making visibility easy
When you invest in a curated pool of authentic, high-quality branding photography, showing up in the digital “pub” becomes an absolute no-brainer. You don’t have to worry what to post and what image will go along. You simply reach into your library of images, pull out a photo that shows you, your process, or your creative world, and share a bit of what’s going on in your life right now, a business insight, or something funny.
Our stormy meetup in Southend reminded me that real connection will always require a bit of effort—whether that’s catching a train to the seaside on a cold summer’s day or consistently showing up online. But it`s people and real connections that make a rich life. And when you have the right visual tools ready to hand, staying visible ceases to be a time-consuming chore. It just becomes a natural, unforced way to tell the story you are already living.
How are you maintaining your professional connections these days? Are you still braving the elements for in-person meetings, are you active online – or do you mix both worlds? I`m looking forward to reading your comment.
As an international photographer and videographer based in the UK and Germany, I create authentic visual content for brands, businesses, and entrepreneurs.
You can find more about my business offer here:
www.nadinewilmanns.com/business-offer
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