Our amazing manager of Advocate Art Socieda Limitada and Artistigue agent Adolfo got the chance to visit Madrid this March to introduce our ITSme agencies to the magnificent Trazos School. Read all about his experience below:
1) How did the visit start?
Firstly they showed me their magnificent facilities near the Plaza de España in Madrid guided by the head of the employment department, Lidia Rodríguez. Then we prepared all the technical parts to make the masterclass and to show the presentation we had prepared, as well as the websites of our agencies and artist samples.
2) How did the presentation go?
Firstly, there was an introduction about myself, my background and my work experience. Then we continued with our scheduled presentation. I asked if anyone had heard of our agencies before (the answer was no) which made them think about whether they had defined what kind of artists they were. I explained to them that this is the first thing they need to know in order to start working in the industry, in addition to knowledge of the industry. That is, are they artists with a very defined style or are they versatile in their style? In the case of having a more defined style, it’s important to ask what style, what age range they are focused on, what industry? I think this is the very first step for them to be able to develop their portfolio and take the first steps to conquer the industries related to it. After that, we mainly followed our presentation introducing all our agencies, and services and then the tips for developing the different kinds of portfolios (book, GC, Editorial etc). Finally, we allowed time for questions and the students were really proactive, asking technical enquiries, doubts, and questions related to the next stage of the presentation, the portfolio submission and portfolio review.
3) Did the students have any interesting questions?
Yes! They enquired about becoming legally registered as a freelancer, the process of joining the agency, the dates of the portfolio review, our commissions, and budgets in the different areas of the industries we work with…
4) How did it feel to do a physical presentation after the pandemic?
The truth is that I felt very happy and excited. I love interacting with people and I really wanted to be able to do a face to face presentation as I used to. Also, I felt very supported by the people at Trazos school.
5) How was your overall experience?
Fantastic! I’d do it as many times as they’d ask for it. First of all, it helped me realise how lost students are when they are about to finish or have finished their studies. This also helped me adapt my discourse to their needs, which was basically the lack of knowledge of the industry we work in and agency representation.
6) How did your visit finish?
It finished with the student’s question time and a little one to one conversation with them. After that, lunch with friends at a nice restaurant in central Madrid.
Sally Anne Garland is a prolific author/illustrator who has been working with both Advocate Art and Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency for many years. Her authored books include The Moon Seed, The Chalk Garden and Poppy’s Perfect Crayons. She has rave five-star reviews from The Guardian, Kirkus, Reading Zone, and more. Here, we ask Sally about…
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