Who are Beef & Pie
The Chefs
Beef – Mike Woolf – spent 7 years at GSD&M as a writer and creative director. He has created big ol' campaigns for Southwest Airlines (Wanna Get Away?), Pennzoil, Macaroni Grill, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Dixie Chicks. For the last 10 years (holy crap it's been 10 years!?!) he's been freelance writing, brewing beer, smoking briskets and dragging Andrew and Co. into the world of documentaries. His writer site: mikewoolf.com
During that same time, Pie – Andrew Yates – has established himself as a premiere commercial photographer in central Texas. You’ve seen his award winning work for the likes of Texas Monthly, Dell, Compaq, Southwest Airlines, Bank One, and Wal-Mart. Yet he would trade all the accolades, groupies and life size statues to be drinking a cup of warm vodka around a bonfire after a 80 mile mountain bike race in the desert. andrewyates.com
Together Beef and Pie are a formidable team. But without Karen as Executive Producer they would just be just that - a formidable team and not a viable company. The analogy we have at the Beef and Pie is that we are like a car. Beefy is the steering, Pie is the gas and Karen is the brake. It takes all three to keep this thing on the road.
Born in Baltimore, raised by Woolves, Mike got a formal education at Boston University just as the Larry Bird era was ending. That was fine since he was a much bigger follower of Dr. J. Upon graduation he moved back to Salty Balty and got a job writing direct mail for the likes of Harrah's Casino: Dear [Personalization], It might be cold outside but it's hot hot hot at Harrah's.
Andrew has been an award winner photographer in Austin for a really long time now. From tabletop to the tops of mountains in Mongolia he's shot it all. So no matter what the situation Andrew knows how to make it awesome. But really he's never happier after a crazy bike race and then drinking vodka out of paper cup around a bonfire.
Since 2003 she’s been the producer for Beef & Pie, while still producing every single shoot for Andrew Yates Photography. That’s saying a lot since she works these B+P gigs from bid through shotting, until the very end of post. What’s most impressive is she drinks the least amount of coffee out of the bunch.
It’s hard not to mention that Karen is an extremely avid horseback rider. Needless to say in a company already overflowing with nicknames she responds to “Ponies.” Next time you see her ask her about Fred (her horse) and brush up on your horse jumping skills HERE.
