Unsigned Top Talent Share Their Experiences of Trying to Break into the Industry

Kitty is the people and culture lead at Lucky Generals. Having previously spent four years working in HR at Total Media, Kitty moved over to Lucky Generals early 2023 to build out the first in-agency P&C function. Kitty leads on many areas including wellbeing, Diversity Equity & Inclusion and Learning & Development, as well as looking after her fellow Generals day-to-day and ensuring the agency is the healthiest and happiest it can be.

It's a consistent issue in this industry that top talent from diverse backgrounds can struggle to find their way in. Or to find a voice. Or work. That is why Lucky Generals and BBH, Mother, VCCP, New Commercial Arts, Wieden + Kennedy and Leo Burnett founded the Unsigned Union. 

This month Unsigned Union returned with another event dedicated to celebrating and supporting brilliant, underrepresented creators in the advertising industry, showcasing a host of promising directing talent. 

So, what better way to give them a voice than ask them their views on trying to get into the industry, and how they view their own creativity?

And in a huge feat of accomplishment, as we were finishing off this piece we found out that Seb Degni had been signed to Dog Eat Dog. Showing what a difference events like Unsigned Union can make and how agencies can discover some incredible talent. Congratulations Seb!

SEB DEGNI 

Q> What do you think the challenges are in getting your foot in the door in this industry?

Seb> I think it's definitely knowing the right people. I feel it's a kind of tight knit community. And I feel like when people find someone that they know, that can do the work, they stick with those people. So it's kind of like getting the chance to show your hard work and you can actually do the work.

Q> How do you navigate these challenges? 

Seb> I pay attention to the issues, I'm there and I can see the same faces on this on all the shoots. There's not a lot of diversity. 

Also sometimes there are people who don't really know how hard you need to work in those commercial shoots because there's a huge difference from working in a music video to working on commercials. And I feel more people need to tell people about this industry and what it's about, making it more accessible. I got into it because I just love video. I just watch videos in my free time. 

I’ve been lucky in ways - there have been a few people that have taken me under their wing and just answered every single one of my questions. They just help so much. All you need to start is just one person who was kind and in a position to help. And events like this are really crucial so I can just keep doing what I love doing. 

It’s all about showcasing your stuff on Instagram nowadays. And not so much actually talking to people. So it's really good for me to get to know other people in the industry and also just talk about my work. The first time I had to really talk publicly about my work, I realised that I didn't really know how to talk about it. So it kind of pushed me to really hone down and I asked myself, ‘why is it that I'm doing?’. So it's good, it's good practice.

QUINN LOVERO 

Q> Why do you think events like Unsigned Union are so important for young directors and people who haven't been signed up yet?

Quinn> I think it gives you a chance to present something in real life, like connect with people in a real way and have an emotional connection with the audience. I think when you're a director and a freelancer - totally independent and you don't really have an office to go to or see people all the time apart from socialising on set, or on pre-production, these types of events are really crucial. 

But it's all about work. You get to see your work from a different perspective, right? You're not just seeing it as a piece of work. You're seeing it as a view. A bit of you is on display when you're showing it to people.

Q> So you can see genuine reactions in real time, and how people are interpreting your work?

Quinn> Yes, 100%. Having people react is one of the best things ever, regardless of what it is. It's just a good chance to talk about work and your vision. A lot of the time you're talking about it and the treatment, such as production, and you just like chatting about this thing that doesn't exist, so for people to be watching it and being able to talk about it while it's there is great. And then it's just out there in the world. It belongs to other people, once it's out there. 

If you do a music video it belongs to the artist, if you're doing a commercial it belongs to the brand. So it's great to be able to talk about it now that it's in front of you. And you can say things such as a frame and you can be like, ‘Oh, this frame only happened you know, it was the magic of the moment and it wasn't intentional’. 

Q> Personally I really enjoyed your work - where do you get a lot of inspiration from?

Quinn> Anywhere and anything. I’ve learned to let my subconscious bring me ideas and I don't think about it too much. You have to have a gut feeling and follow it. There's already a script, and you're there to make it work. Like a car, you're driving, you’re in the driving seat, but the car is already there. The race is on. 

BUNMI OYATERU

Q> What do you think the challenges are to try and get into this industry?

Bunmi> I think one of them is getting on-set experience, such as a high production level set and getting a chance to work with professionals. I've done this for years. I think at the beginning, it's very much your own stuff and doing stuff on your own. The transition from working independently to doing higher production stuff is way larger than I initially anticipated.

Q> And how do events such as Unsigned Union support this? 

Bunmi> It’s about meeting people, making decisions and seeing work that you like, and putting it out there. And if people see that you're active and you want to make work and you're going the extra mile to do your stuff, they will be more comfortable having the mindset that ‘hey, we want to work together’. And networking. I feel like you're gonna get a million nos, but you just need one yes.

Q> I actually see quite a lot of diversity here. Do you feel that now you're part of that change for young directors? And do you think there's now a step forward and progression in the industry?

Bunmi> Yeah, I mean, I think there has been a small step. It's really nice as a Nigerian man, because growing up I didn't see people who looked a lot like me on TV. Coming here and seeing directors of so many different shades and backgrounds and genders is really encouraging.