039_041_043_Bright Agency.qxp_Art & Design LSB 01/05/2018 17:09 Page 41
In Conversation With: The Bright Agency
Above: Bright’s newly-appointed agency director Hannah Curtis has been with the company for eight years
director Hannah Curtis, who has risen to this role during eight highly successful years at Bright. Her fellow new directors at Bright are Arabella Stein, who previously worked at Pan Mac, Bloomsbury and Abner Stein, and Eamonn O’Domhnaill, who has worked in publishing for over 20 years. Hannah began her personal journey into the world of art licensing at Reading University where she graduated with a degree in Fine Art. She then worked for an abstract artist, selling his paintings and organising and marketing his exhibitions, before moving to an art licensing agency 12 years ago, and then Bright. She lives and breathes
the art licensing world with her expertise and opinion highly coveted. In fact last year Hannah was approached about sitting on the judging panel for the second annual New Designers graduate show, which takes place on July 5 and features graphics and illustrations students. “At Bright we work with a wealth of different artists – some vastly experienced and others recent graduates,” Hannah says. “We get a lot of submissions but also approach new artists, attend all major grad shows and have been offering portfolio reviews at New Designers for years. Scouting for top talent at that grass roots level really takes me back to where my career began. “My artistic talent now comes out as creative direction.” Bright has several divisions, including Art Licensing which provides both artwork and illustrations from a huge existing portfolio, and works with clients to commission pieces from artists on the books to meet a broad range of image needs across the
greetings, stationery, home and gift and wall art sectors. Hannah says there is more demand for commissions now. “The industry has changed a lot over the years and a lot of greetings and stationery companies now have big in-house design teams,” she explains. “People may come to us for one or two images and then either request more or realise that they like the style of a particular artist and we might then work with them to create an exclusive range based upon that. “A recent example of this is a successful collaboration between one of our artists Jane Newland and a high end publisher on a greetings and stationery range to be published later this year.” Bright’s other divisions include a very well-established literary agency and dedicated children’s illustration team, as well as the newly-launched Bright Illustration, which offers the agency’s artists the opportunity to work within advertising, editorial, packaging and character design, to name a few. Hannah personally heads up Bright Illustration and Art Licensing. Bright’s general ethos as an agency is to think big and broad, with artists on the books who may have specialised in one area of art or illustration to date now crossing over divisions to explore a myriad of other opportunities as well.
Talent with a Business Brain One of Bright’s most requested and successful artists is Jane Newland, who works across all of three of their divisions, with publishing clients including: Usborne, Harper Collins, Templar, Egmont and Caterpillar. Breathe Magazine contacted Hannah last year to request one of Jane’s inspiring pieces to grace their front cover, and her work has been made into everything from umbrellas to bedding. “When Bright asked me which division I’d like to work in, I said all of them please!” Jane reveals.“I love the variety – I’ve been working on books, creating personal work for licensing and working to commission. I’m learning loads and it’s helping to keep things fresh. “It’s also meant that I’ve had a constant flow of work, which is fantastic!” Above and right: Jane Newland has proved to be one of Bright’s most commercial artists
Art&Design Licensing Source Book 41