CMN PPL Welcomes Tom Burns as Head of Photo for the Company’s New Photography Division

CMN PPL are very pleased to announce the arrival of Tom Burns to head up their new photography division which is set to launch early 2024. 

Tom began his journey in the creative industry at BBH in art production after showing a natural flair and sharp eye for art buying. His motivation for spotlighting and working with emerging artists led to his inception of the Unsigned platform; a talent network which champions diverse, Global artists across photography, film and illustration and has since evolved into the cross-agency initiative, Unsigned Union. At its peak, Unsigned showcased 50+ artists in a single exhibition and it’s through this experience of rigorous planning, curation and personalised talent management that gave Tom a taste for agenting, leading him towards the Photo Agency side at Commercial Photography Agency At Trayler, then most recently, Object & Animal. 

Tom has also spent the past two years guest lecturing at the University of Hertfordshire, where he kickstarted a mentorship scheme giving students access to on-set experience, alongside personalised career development post graduating. 

Having experienced both the photography agency and production company side, Tom plans to build a versatile roster of photographers that spans an array of styles as well as level of experience. “I want to build a roster that fully encompasses contemporary photography and the future of image making”. Tom also added, “I want to ensure this division has its own identity aside CMN PPL Films. Giving photography the beat it deserves is very important to me”. 

Tom Burns said, “I was really drawn to Common People for their shared passion in nurturing and building emerging talent. There is nothing I enjoy more than landing a photographer their first big commision and being able to grow with them - It’s what motivates me the most! That and working alongside creative, nice people which is what the team at Common People are all about.”

Tony Roberts said, “Tom is a brilliant addition to the CMN PPL family, not to mention his knowledge and ambition in photography. He has an acute eye for talent and we can’t wait to see where the new photography division goes under his guidance. We are keen to ensure the CMN PPL brand stretches across all disciplines when it comes to talent and this is the first step in doing so.”