Turning SA's artists into legends

Recently cited for its reinvention skills in the Production Paradise blog, it has several divisions covering aspects of creative management such as moving image, photography, creative direction and styling, commercial artists and post-production.

It's actually quite an overwhelming industry to enter. Bacher says Artists & Legends did so with an international campaign in October 2014, under another name, and officially started trading under Artists & Legends in January 2015.

She adds that the agency started when Bacher rescued a Husky and decided to settle in her home town of Cape Town, after 20 years of flying around the world producing print campaigns and TV commercials. As a producer, she is constantly surrounded by talented people and had always dreamed of building a platform that would become their place of expression. Artists & Legends is just that, as it strives to share the work of Cape Town's world class creatives with very little exposure on a global scale, levelling the playing field.

What Artists & Legends are made of

As to the name 'Artists & Legends', Bacher was looking for something strong; "that a legacy is made of." As she had been looking to develop her own career from producing into something far more lateral and meaningful, she wanted a name that would be able to hold whatever role the agency took on, in the future. They represent artists, some of them will become legends down the line, and want to help brands become legends. Added to this, they sometimes work with 'legends' in the form of actors, singers and other celebrities.

Lifestyle, documentary and celebrity photographer Josie Borain shooting actress Kim Engelbrecht

At the very base, Artists & Legends function as agents, marketing talent out to existing ad agencies and brands, and also offer creative direction and strategy direct to the client as well as full-service production.

But the bigger picture is that of the one-stop-shop creative house, where the client contacts the agency with a brief. Artists & Legends then partner them with one or more artists that think fit their brand or concept, and from there, the creatives pitch, all supported by Bacher's production skills, which include budgeting and producing the commercial or event. There's no better local guidance, as she has produced hundreds of commercials for the international market, and recently returned from the US, where she produced massive fashion events around the states.

And it's not just about Bacher. As a producer, she was always hiring from a multitude of companies in order to complete her team. Now, the team at Artists & Legends completes the creative skill set needed to shoot a print campaign or TVC, and can facilitate any size production and cover commercial, documentary, lifestyle, music and fashion by way of the photographers and directors onboard.

So, while Artists & Legends hasn't won any awards as an agency yet, they do represent many creatives who have won awards. These include Ryan Kruger, one of South Africa's leading music video directors, and cinematographer, Fahema Hendricks, who together won best music video of 2014 at the South African Music Awards. Then there's Sivan Miller, winner of the 2009 Sun International Award, hosted by PIXMagazine 2009 as well as the Cape Town Tourism Competition that year. Award-winning photojournalist Ilan Godfrey is also on the books, as is New York-based commercial artist Ian Sklarsky, skilled at blind contour drawing and British automotive photographer James Lipman, as well as Isabel Pinto, a fashion, lifestyle and commercial children's photographer who is a favourite of Oscar de la Renta and Vogue and Bernie Diener, regarded as the best 3D renderer in the business.

Little wonder then that Bacher sees everyone at Artists & Legends as a highlight as each is a wunderkind in their own right and has been handpicked for their unique voice and ability to conceptualise relevant projects.

TomTom International print campaign and commercial - team pics behind the scenes.

Internet's effect on advertising and production

Despite these great local artists, Bacher says the local ad industry is not aesthetically appealing at all. The reason? "The local market, and its viewers, are constantly looking overseas for inspiration, and yet, final execution of a local campaign ends up looking as if it's still the 80s. Most countries have their fair share of unappealing advertisements, but in general, there is a high level of aesthetic and willingness to try something different that we are just not attaining in SA."

In addition, the advertising and production industries have changed drastically over the last five years as we no longer shoot on film, and the internet has changed the landscape of how we advertise, what we shoot and how the public are engaging with our work. As a result, clients need to allocate more annual budget to internet marketing strategies, and increase their budgets for viral campaigns if they want to see good ROI and a solid increase in brand loyalty.
Bacher says there is no longer any need for the large advertising agencies nor massive film production companies. Instead, creative vision, coupled with professional management, production and marketing of each project is key.

Artists & Legends aims to be known for its thought-provoking, distinguishable projects and Bacher would personally like to produce more meaningful projects that tell real stories that can hopefully change lives, whether it's an advertising or awareness campaign, music video or fashion shoot.

To find out more, visit the Artists & Legends website, Instagram and Facebook page.