Working with global brands

Hi folks, welcome to the show, my name is Toba. Today on Artwork, we are going to be discussing how African creatives can land international gigs with global brands, and to help me with that is Natalie Narh.

Natalie is a multidisciplinary creative. She's worked as a photographer, videographer, graphic designer, and she's also worked with many brands like Coca-Cola, IBM, and British Airways, just to name a few. In addition to that, she's also the co-founder of New Comma, a hub that seeks to connect creatives with one another and potential clients.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Natalie.

Alrighty! Let's jump right in. What can African creators do to remain top of mind, to international brands and agencies?

The basis is understanding who you are and what you do, that's the very first step. If you call yourself a photographer, what's your point of view as a photographer? Are you an editorial photographer? Are you a food photographer? Are you purely events? And even if you’re events, are you a wedding photographer? Are you someone who just likes to document nightclubs and stuff?

If an agency happens to have a fashion magazine account and they wanted to do an editorial shoot in the middle of a town, where they wanted to capture the backdrop of the city, but still capture the essence of the people, or whoever they're capturing. Since you do a lot of street photography, you know that's down your alley, and the agency looking for the best fit, knows they're looking for someone who's good with street or documentary photography. So if you're a food photographer, you're clearly not the right fit for that shoot. But in order for them to know that, you have to know that. That's the first thing, knowing who you are and what you do.

The second thing is networking, selling yourself. To sell yourself, you have to know what you're selling, that's why the first point is valid. And with networking, in some situations, it’s fine - I'm saying fine with caution - if it's purely transactional, because sometimes that's all people have time for. I might need to connect with you for this particular project or for this particular agenda, so it’s fine as long we are both on the same page about that.

But the one that I typically like to go with, is the one where I want to get to know you as a person. You can start connecting with people who are already working at the agencies that you aspire to be working at. So by establishing those relationships with them, it’s then easy to say, Oh, I've been looking for a role here, do you mind talking to X, Y or Z? Can you write me a recommendation, can you put in a word for me, etc. But what if you have no ties to anyone in the agency? You need to have your identity right. That's all in how you present yourself, and your portfolio. Your portfolio should be doing two things, it should be showing the best of your work and the work that you love to talk about the most.

What are some of the ways that you've tried, and what are some ways that have worked for you in the past while you were trying to reach international organizations?

It’s definitely a case of messaging people that you think would reply. And always assume no one cares, because sometimes no one actually cares. So don't be offended if someone doesn't reply the first time.

Read people's Twitter bios before sending them direct messages, because sometimes they prefer to be emailed. Make sure that you're messaging them or initially messaging them, on the terms that they might have defined for themselves. And always know what you're asking for, because sometimes people just want to connect because they think that person might be of some use to them in the future, and sometimes that's fine, as far as you’re transparent with it. Ideally, you should always have an ask in your head when reaching out to someone.

And know how to hustle! You need to not have pride because sometimes those blue-ticks [Ignored messages] can hurt. But you just have to take it as they are because eventually, people get around to you.

It's really just about networking, especially now that we have social media. If this was ten years ago, I might not have had an answer for you, but now, it's literally right there. And we are hoping that New Comma can be one of those new spaces to do that as well.

You've articulated what you do, you’ve structured everything and put yourself out there. Now you have been contacted, an international agency or a global brand has reached out to you saying, “Hey, what's up, we’d like to work with you.” Let's talk about the deal, how exactly does that work and how is it structured?

First things first, even before I go into the actual breakdown of how to approach it, email etiquette is key! First of all, assume that no one is your mate, and email them with respect. It's being cordial and very succinct, no one likes to read long emails, and your subject should communicate clearly the content of the email. It seems very simple, but from the subject, I should know exactly what I’m going to read, or I should have a fair sense of whether this is something I should address now, or I should address later.

Don't ask your clients what their budget is, because you’re putting the ball in their court. Say “Based on what you've requested and the brief that you’ve provided, this is what I charge, what do you think?” That's one very big thing to note. Always make sure that these amounts are stated in the contract, as well as the times that you’re expected to be paid. And if you want to include a clause where if fees are late, there will be interest applied and stuff, all of that should be in your paperwork, and on your invoice. So those are two things to consider as well for the deal.

And then the third thing is loose structure of the contract, basic expectations of each other, confidentiality clauses, payments, the number of hours that I'm expected to be shooting for, insurance is also important, indemnity clauses are also important. Indemnities are very simply, “If something happens, it’s not on me, it’s on you.” And if you can get some legal counsel as well, especially if it’s for a very big contract, that's always advisable, especially if you're a freelancer, because you don't have the support of your agency to protect you if something happens.

Even if it is a full-time role, always get someone else to read the contracts before you sign, because there might be some things that you might think is fine and someone else will be like “No! Make sure that they amend that clause.”

Natalie, what would you say are some important parts of the business of being a creative that you see so many creatives ignore?

Forgetting that their jobs are still jobs? Sometimes we cross lines that we shouldn't cross, or we get too familiar when we shouldn't get too familiar. And it's not to say that we have to be rigid, but it's also to say that we are still professionals. I think because we forget that, people find it hard to respect us as much as they should.

I think creators need to consciously move towards the business aspect of being creative, because that's how you push yourself more, that’s how you get more money, that’s how you get more exposure.

As someone who hires creatives, what is something that you look out for when you want to hire creatives to work on a project?

Most recruitment agencies, or most agencies in general, look for people who understand the industry that they're working with. They look out for people that understand the processes that need to be done, to get the projects done to an international or to an industry standard. Although people like to say, social media isn’t real life, or your Twitter or Instagram isn't real life, some companies actually do go through your TL (Timeline), to see what your thoughts look like during the day. And people say, “I'm not my Twitter.” But your tweets lived in your head before they lived on the TL so surely it's an extension of some parts of your identity. Right? And some companies just don't want to be even seen to be aligned with an ideology you might have had a decade ago.

All right. Thank you very much, Natalie. I've had the best time talking to you. This has been so much fun. Where can people find you?

Natalie: On Twitter, I am @nataliiee_n, it’s the same on Instagram. My company, New Comma on Twitter is @new_comma, and on Instagram it's @new.comma. And our site is new-comma.com.

All right, folks, that's all we have for you today. Thank you very much for watching, thank you very much for joining us today on the show.

Until I come your way next time, Take care and bye-bye.