1) How long have your been an independent rep? Please list the companies that you currently represent:
I think I started the first independent repping company which I created back in 1980 called ARKIN PRESENTS. Since then and for the majority of the past 35 years, I’ve continued to be an independent rep and currently own Blah Blah Blah which was started in 1990. Our current roster includes: Aardman, Aardman Nathan Love, Aggressive, Blur, Chrlx, J.J. Sedelmaier Productions and Reel FX.
2) Please define your responsibilities as a rep and how they have evolved over the years.
When I first started repping in 1981 I don’t think independent representation existed. One of my clients, who was based in London, made me a partner and I opened them in the US and ran the company. Because they did stop motion, and very few reps understood the process, I moved to New York to launch them. At that point we had bid sessions. THAT’S GONE. Many years later I became EP for R/GA and we generally received $2,500-$5,000 to pitch a job. THAT’S GONE. I left R/GA to start Blah Blah Blah and at that point my clients trusted me to discuss budgets and schedules and I could make commitments for them. THAT’S GONE. BTW, the name Blah Blah Blah back then made sense because I was on the phone all day long with my “blah blah blah.” THAT’S GONE. The phone has taken a back seat to email and we have added other ways to reach agency people and are much more involved with marketing for our clients and social media of our own.
3) How has your marketplace expanded with the advent of longer form branded content and varied platforms? While agency creatives and producers remain prime contacts, have you extended your reach to clients, smaller boutique specialty ad/marketing/digital shops, entertainment cos., etc.?
We’d love to do more brand direct work that agencies don’t get involved with but it’s tough to find a Rolodex of CMOs or brand managers to reach out to. Although the clients we represent mainly do spot work, many also do other forms like features (Deadpool from Blur, The Book Of Life from Reel FX, Flushed Away from Aardman, etc.), or the animations on SNL from J.J. Sedelmaier, and even things like projection mapping (Bentley from Aggressive), etc. We’ve been dealing with digital shops for a while for alternative platforms like projection mapping, virtual reality, online games, etc., and I have a feeling the Pokemon craze will get brands to really pump up their search for augmented reality and virtual reality work.
4) Has an increase in in-house agency production and resources impacted your business and how have you adapted to this dynamic?
My guess is that increase of in-house production has affected live action reps more than us. We are a boutique agency specializing in design/VFX/animation/VR and all of those combined with live. I think it’s tough for an agency to make the kind of personnel and technology commitment required to go in-house with high-end character and VFX work. We’ve seen a couple agencies do a nice job in-house with animated campaigns but their style of animation didn’t require the heavy lifting most of our clients provide.
5) What are the advantages of being an independent rep? The drawbacks?
Having been both in-house and independent, it’s hard to find a disadvantage in being independent. In the case of Blah Blah Blah when an agency producer is looking for a specific style of design/VFX/animation, we probably have a solution about 95% of the time because of the variety of clients. An in-house rep is limited to their production company’s scope of work so agency producers know when they call us we will be able to help with what they need and that saves them time.