Francesca Frost - Production Specialist
Pictured: A&M Production Team at Matatū 'We Are the Proof' Video Shoot
It's rare, as talent, to sit in front of a camera and look out beyond the lights and cameras to a team of young women staring right back at you. It's rare as a client to open zoom and answer a call from a group of women driving your project forward.
It's rare in the creative world, but at Antony and Mates, it's pretty much every day. From that initial light bulb moment, right through to execution, there's a pretty high chance any work we create has been through the girls' hands.
But we aren't here to boast, this should be normal right? ‘Making 85% of all purchasing decisions, women are the most powerful consumers on the planet¹’. You'd think creative teams would reflect this…
Our team expands our idea of what the consumer wants and how they want it, challenges our thinking and strengthens our wider group.
Our work with Matatū (New Zealand's first original, women’s Super Rugby franchise) was led by an all-female production team. As a part of our most recent campaign with Matatū, we sat down to interview the players about their own genuine rugby stories. Watch the brand film below.
Expecting rugby players to be vulnerable with a group of strangers is a big ask, but if the talent can see themselves in the team behind the cameras it's a lot more feasible. Matatū are a team of young women who are tackling a male dominated space and so are we.
We couldn't achieve this level of trust if we didn't have the team that we have.
Similarly, our work with Classic Sportswear, is led by a production team of women. Many of us are guilty of seeing sport as a masculine interest, and sport related campaigns reflect that, often disregarding their female fans.
Having fresh perspectives in the heavily male dominated world of sports marketing is critical in maintaining relevance, inclusivity and longevity into the future.
So, how did we make this the norm? Well, it wasn't exactly intentional, but when reflecting on our team culture here's what we can share:
‘Women won’t apply for a role until they meet 100% of the hiring criteria²’. We don't expect a 100% match when it comes to skillset, there is room to grow.
We hire new grads. A student's first big kid job right out of university sets the standard for the rest of their career. We know that they aren't going to know the ins and outs of the industry before they have even stepped foot into an office. Which leads us to, ‘hire on potential, not achievement³’.
One of the main questions we ask ourselves when we look to hire someone new is, will this candidate add value to our already existing culture and work seamlessly with the team? Then we look at their skillset.
What about creating a work environment where they want to stay?
Encourage open dialogue - our team is small(ish) so everyone has a voice, even if you're a graphic designer giving your opinion on a script, it's a team effort. Let the team know that they are heard.
Build role models among your team - ‘88% of young female creatives say they lack role models, 70% of young female creatives say they have never worked with a female creative director or executive creative director⁴’. Show them that there is space to grow among the team and let another woman pave the way. Our team is too small to have multiple leadership roles, but it means everybody is usually leading a unique part of the client project.
We know the women in our team are good for business, we know that they are leaders and we know that they are role models. Not only to each other but to the young women to come next.
They make our team a community.
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