Meet Your Makers: Keeping a Clear Head with Ben Miller Bibesco

Bidding farewell to a previous life at Burberry and various UK agencies, Ben Miller Bibesco joins the growing CANADA Photo team as an agent/producer working between London and NYC. 

LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked in or did you come to it from another area? 

Ben> Ending up in production was [similarly to my friend Will who went to CSM and then ended up as a fish farmer..] something that I kind of fell into. 

I started out in documentaries at the BBC and Vice which was super rewarding in many ways, although it sadly couldn’t compete with the feeling I got from making beautiful fashion pieces. The higher budgets help too. 

If production had a motto it would be “when it’s good it’s amazing and when it’s bad there’s nothing worse”. In short, I’ve wanted to throw in the towel quite a few times. However, I find it unbelievably fulfilling (even if in a slightly masochistic way) and the people I get to work with are always top notch, which is everything. 

LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career? 

Ben> My first role was as a runner - I lasted about two weeks before forcing them to give me a step up because I was so bad at it. 

People can be horrible to runners, and I swore to never treat anyone like I got treated in those impressionable early days. 

Anyway, once I got over that trauma, I realised how much talent there is in this industry, which is why I decided to sidestep into agenting from pure production. Nurturing talent is the best feeling (and you also deal with fewer dumb runners thank god) 

LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer? And agent? 

Ben> I think the key to good producing is to keep a clear head - you need to be 10 steps ahead of everyone else at all times and see outcomes and options in a very clear way. It’s a bit like the analogy of spinning plates - just in a very intense way where if one comes crashing down then rest is often a complete disaster. 

Agenting is equally about prediction but with a more human touch. You need to understand what’s best for all sides of the equation - it’s as much about juggling diplomacy with fiscal profit as having a constantly updated knowledge of what brands and artists are creating.

LBB> With platforms like Instagram offering such a dauntingly huge pool of creative talent to pick from, how do you find and sieve out photographers that you think have potential? 

Ben> The age we live in is a blessing and curse in many ways. 

There’s a real sensory overload of unbelieve talent whenever you go online - which is amazing because places like Instagram have given so many people a platform to showcase their creativity as a place to be seen, whereas in days gone by the photography world (especially in fashion) was only really open to people with the right social connections and ultimately those who lived in the right cities and went to the right events. 

With social media, talent is way more visible - but because of this you end up with fifty million lines on an Excel sheet full of people you want to approach. 

What I think you need to filter the ones with potential is to turn down your dial of what you find beautiful (because there’s so much of it) and look for discernible style - this can be a calling card or a theme that makes an artist’s work recognisable as their own - as well as uniformity and confidence in their own aesthetic. 

If this marries with a movement that you’re seeing championed by brands and publications at any one time - for example we’re currently in an era of raw flash meets ethereal meets Y2K being commissioned by brands from Asics to Zegna - then you know you’re onto something. 

If at the same time, they have something super original that you think you can foster with the obvious magazines - Dazed, i-D, Dust, 10, The Face, Numéro etc are all great for this - then that’s something to pedestal on the side-lines. 

LBB> Which production project from across your career are you most proud of and why? 

Ben> The one that springs to mind is LOVE Magazine video + stills editorial that we did with the smallest budget I’ve ever seen! We shot it during Covid in a drippy basement that stank of mould, but because everyone loved the concept we pulled in loads of favours and it ended up looking like the glossiest $2,000,000 campaign (even though it actually cost £4k) 

LBB> Producers always have the best stories. What’s the hairiest / most insane situation you’ve found yourself in and how did you work your way out of it? 

Ben> I can’t take any credit for this but the moment I really thought we’d all had our chips was on a flight from Marrakesh to somewhere in the desert. We only had budget for some crap local airline and the seats were literally not fully screwed in. When we were taking off a bird got sucked into one of the engines and the plane was shaking like crazy for a full hour. It sounded like it was gonna explode at any moment. The model was wailing, the stylist was praying [she said after she’s an atheist] and I was sure we were about to drop out the sky but somehow we got there in one piece. 

100% not worth the stress. Especially for an editorial.. 

LBB> What advice would you give to aspiring photographers? 

Ben> Assisting established photographers is fundamental for someone who wants to do the same. 

I strongly advise anybody who’s starting out to try to get in with professionals that you admire (you can contact their agents for this too..) - this is how you learn the technicalities of lighting and composition, and it’s the best access to contacts in the industry who can get you noticed. 

Even if your first bits of work are stunning, you will likely get much further [+ much faster] through assisting than you will be trying to get representation from the outset.