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.
What do a podcast, a stand-up comic, & a Brooklyn musician, all have in common? No, this isn’t a joke (which would make more sense to be fair). These are the 3 briefs Illo Agency has completed with Rev — Lyft’s guide to the transportation revolution. If you don’t know who Lyft is, Lyft is…
Many congratulations to author Christine Pillainayagam, and Illo Agency illustrator, Trisha Srviastava for “Ellie Pillai is Brown” being shortlisted for Waterstones Children’s Book Prize! “Ellie Pillai is Brown” was written by Christine Pillainayagam, with illustrations by Trisha Srviastava. It is one of six shortlisted books for Older Readers. It is a YA romcom about standing…
Our Talent Source Manager, Vicky, is always out and about visiting gallery shows and universities to get to know the emerging voices in the world of illustration. Here she shares a little bit about those visits, and why she finds it important artists look for the right representation for them, right out of school. In…
What makes Astound UK so successful and unique as an agency is that they are firmly planted in the UK, in Brighton and London, yet have a truly global backing behind us. With the US team and an international roster of artists, they have a panoramic view of the industry at large. Astound’s position allows…
We’re very pleased to announce that Illo illustrator Ana Salopek has won an Award for the joyful “Ferdinand Cheval“, commissioned by Benchmark. Ferdinand Cheval: The Postman Who Delivered a Palace, Illustrated by Ana Salopek and written by Anne Renaud has received a Gold Standard Junior Library Guild award, and we must add that we feel…
Advocate Art’s illustrator, Yulia Gorkina, is taking part in a wonderful project to make cities more colorful! Tour Elentrik is a project to bring color to cities and joy to residents around Belgium, and Yulia Gorkina is right in the middle of it. As part of this project ugly, dirt distribution boxes are being painted…