ITSme International Talent Search

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ITSme International Talent Search

We empower you to take the next steps in your creative journey; learn more on our website!

ITSme International Talent Search empowers artists, illustrators, designers and authors to take the next steps in their creative journey across four services:

ITSme Repped
In partnership with top representation agencies worldwide, we assist you in joining the agency that best matches your personal voice and creative needs. Our highly experienced and focused research team has been sourcing the be

st talent throughout the creative arena for over 25 years. We have the ability to collect, analyse, and organise research & intelligence data with extensive knowledge of the commercial environment. ITSme Learning
Our educational platform was developed by creators, for artists and authors. ITS about sharing knowledge you need to grow through insider industry tips and exclusive resources in the form of video tutorials, professional round table discussions, Q&As, live interviews, articles, online courses, forums, and the ITSme Society Podcast series. Our educational content spans industries, featuring resources for those in illustration, design, animation, writing, commercial art, and film. ITSme Networking
Offering you news and insights into what our network of agents, artists, authors, and clients are working on. It enables self-represented artists to join our Instagram campaign where they are encouraged to connect, promote their work and share ideas with fellow creatives. ITSme Society
The ITSme Society is our society of agencies working in the creative fields of design, animation, literary, commercial art, illustration, film, and design industries. It is formed with the primary intent to influence positive change under our charter “Positive E.F.E.C.T.S” advancing the Environmental, Financial, Ethical, Collaborative, Training, and Social standards, of the Independent Creative Businesses (as signed) “Agencies.”

04/12/2024

An adorable woodland Christmas in this illustration from illustrator Yenna Mariana ()!⁠ ⁠
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Stay up to date with ITSme by joining our free newsletter. Sign up with the link in our bio!⁠
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Meet Aurora Barlam! You may have spoken with her, as she is the face behind learning@itsmegroup.com. She assists our men...

15/11/2024

Meet Aurora Barlam! You may have spoken with her, as she is the face behind [email protected]. She assists our mentees and students for ITSme courses so they can learn new skills that will transform their careers. She also manages the administrative side of ITSme Learning and promotes our content to a wider audience. Prior to ITSme, Aurora was an agent at Astound agency for six years. During that time she brought in millions of dollars of work by negotiating deals for the artists she represented to illustrate New York Times bestsellers and titles by celebrity authors. Some of these titles includeThe Seed of Compassion by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (illustrated by Bao Luu), The Way Champs Play by Naomi Osaka (illustrated by Kamala Nair), and Gorgeously Me by Jonathan Van Ness (also illustrated by Kamala Nair). Aurora uses these experiences to give rising artists a professional perspective on how to break into a creative career. She previously worked as a freelance designer and art instructor, after graduating with a degree in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, so she can use an artist’s eye to give on point feedback. Aurora lives in Brooklyn with her son, her husband, and a fluffy little cat named Midnight. In her spare time she enjoys reading comics, another passion that informs her work with comic book artists and writers.

21/10/2024

This is our BESTSELLING CLASS! And for a limited time we are doing a Halloween special. Check out the link in bio to secure your spot before October 31st! This is self paced so you can buy now to use anytime in the future. You can even gift the class! Coaching is after the course is included!

27/02/2024

Do you know what themes you should be showing in your portfolio? 🤔⁠
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Check out the fifth blog in our Top Themes series to get some inspiration for illustrating nonfiction and historical figures!⁠
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Keep your eyes out 👀 for more Top Themes and other portfolio tips 🙌!⁠

Read now: https://itsme.biz/news/themes-to-include-in-your-illustration-portfolio-part-5/

21/02/2024

Illustrator, are you interested in a mentorship or coaching program, but you aren't sure if it's right for you?⁠
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Hear more about our Illustration mentorship program from our ITSme Learning Course Director, Bhavi Patel!⁠
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Alumni of our mentorship program have taken huge steps in their creative careers, gone on to become represented artists, and gain new and bigger client commissions.⁠
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Learn more: https://itsme.biz/news/why-coaching-mentorships-may-be-right-for-you/

19/02/2024

Meet your Instructor, ITSme Learning's Director of Marketing and Learning, Emily Coggins!⁠
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A former artist agent and Global Manager of Astound US Inc., Emily brings industry insights to both the Character Study Intensive and the Graphic Novel Bootcamp courses. ⁠
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Q- What is your #1 tip for those interested in working in graphic novels?⁠
Ensure you have sequential art that tells a clear story. Keep it simple at first before you expand.⁠
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Q- What is your illustration/art background?⁠
A- Before joining ITSme, I was the Global Manager at Astound Agency, helping the agency rise to one of the top agencies in the USA and helping many of our artists achieve their career goals and dream clients.⁠
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Q- What are some graphic novels you enjoyed agenting?⁠
A- At Astound, I had the opportunity to agent many graphic novels, including the “POWER UP” series for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and “Unicorn and Yeti” series for Scholastic.⁠
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Learn more about these courses: https://learning.itsme.biz/

16/02/2024

Illustration Mentorship Feature!

This Illustration is by our mentorship artist Jacque Ferrara ()!

During the mentorship program, Jacque worked with our Course Director Bhavi Patel on illustrations for the children's book market.

You can learn more about our mentorship program by emailing us at [email protected].

13/02/2024

We're back with more locations to include in your picture book portfolio. Part 4 is all about School! ⁠
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School is a huge part of kids' lives and a big part of children's books. There are many different parts of the school that you can show such as classrooms, the playground, hallways, and more! ⁠
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Read the blog to get more inspiration for adding school scenes to your picture book portfolio: https://itsme.biz/news/locations-to-illustrate-for-your-picture-book-portfolio-part-4-schools/

12/02/2024

Meet one of our Graphic Novel Bootcamp course instructors, Kate Johnson! Kate is the COO of Collaborate Agency. She has worked on over 5,000 picture book and graphic novel projects throughout her career.

Q- What is your #1 tip for those interested in working in graphic novels?

A- You're passion for a format shows through, so do your research on comparable titles in the market, immerse yourself in that genre. Look for comparable titles that have a similar look and feel, research the publishers producing those formats, and produce some samples so they can visualise you in one of their publications easily.

Q- What are some graphic novel projects you have enjoyed working on?

A- Collaborate worked with Penguin Random House to create a handful of graphic novels based on existing stories, including “Little Women”, “Romeo and Juliet”, and “A Christmas Carol ''. We have even more to come!

Q- What is your illustration/art background?

A- I graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in illustration. After graduation, I joined Advocate Art. Over the course of my career with Advocate Art and Collaborate, I have had the opportunity to work on over 5,000 children’s books and graphic novel projects.

Learn more about our Graphic Novel Bootcamp course: https://learning.itsme.biz/courses/graphic-novel-boot-camp

09/02/2024

Illustration Mentorship Artist Feature! ⁠
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This lovely illustration was created during the mentorship by Catalina Crespo ()! ⁠
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During the mentorship program, Catalina worked with Astound US Inc's Global Manager Kate Powell, on illustrations for children's books. ⁠
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We can't wait to see more create work from Catalina in the future.

08/02/2024

Are your character designs helping you win commissions? ⁠
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Hear our Director of Marketing and Learning, Emily Coggins, and our Learning Course Director Bhavi Patel, speak about the importance of having compelling characters in your book illustration portfolio! ⁠
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Watch the video now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ-ekhcEhn8&t=19s

06/02/2024

Do you know what greeting cards appeal to children vs adults?

Greeting cards can appeal to different age ranges based on art style, overall design, color palette, and more.

Read the article to hear our Creative Director, Bhavi Patel's, tips for creating greeting cards for children and adults!

Read now: https://itsme.biz/news/kids-vs-adult-oriented-birthday-card-tips/

05/02/2024

Get to know one of our Graphic Novel Course instructors!
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Aurora Barlam is the senior artist agent at Astound US Inc. specializing in graphic novel projects! ⁠
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Q- What is your #1 tip for those interested in working in graphic novels?⁠
A- Master the basics of sequential art and paneling. Once you master the basics, there are lots of fun ways to bend the rules, like showing characters fall out of panels or getting rid of the panel borders altogether.⁠
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Q- What are some graphic novels you enjoyed agenting?⁠
A- I have worked on many graphic novel projects with Astound illustrators. Some that I’ve really enjoyed include, the “Adventure Kingdom” series illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez, five of the “Far Out Fairy Tales” series illustrated by Alex Lopez, and “The Haunted High-Tops” illustrated by Fran Bueno.⁠
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Q- What is your illustration/art background?⁠
A- I graduated from RISD with a degree in illustration, then before joining Astound, I worked as a painting and drawing instructor. I have been with Astound now for over 5 years working closely with artists in the children’s publishing and graphic novel industries.⁠
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Q- What are some memorable projects you have agented?⁠
A- I’ve had the opportunity to agent many wonderful projects, including Major Makes History, about President Biden’s dog - written by Emmy award winner Jill Twiss, and illustrated by Astound’s Maribel Lechuga for HarperCollins, and The Seed of Compassion, written by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, and illustrated by Astound’s Bao Luu for Penguin Random House.⁠
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Q- How do you make sure you stay up to date with the industry?⁠
A- I make sure to keep learning. I have recently completed the Comics Experience Course Comic Editing and Project Management. This course has been very helpful in managing graphic novel projects for our artists.⁠
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Learn more about Aurora and the Graphic Novel Course: https://learning.itsme.biz/courses/graphic-novel-boot-camp

01/02/2024

Illustration Mentorship Feature! ⁠
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These fun lino-cut and digital illustrations were done by Francesca Coen () during the mentorship program! ⁠
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During the program, Francesca worked with one of our mentors from Advocate Art, Alice Morentorn. ⁠
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We love seeing the improvements and artwork from our illustration mentorship artists ❤️.

31/01/2024

Are you looking for more information on the Graphic Novel market? ⁠
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Check out our latest video to hear our Director of Marketing and Learning, Emily Coggins, and our Creative Director, Bhavi Patel, speak more about the industry and how our Graphic Novel Bootcamp course can help illustrators break into or grow in the market. ⁠
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Watch the video now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYO-aObGQYI&t=309s

29/01/2024

Get to know one of our Character Study Course Instructors, Bhavi Patel! Today is the last day to get a FREE website review when you sign up for one of our online courses. ⁠
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Learn more about our online courses at the link in our bio. ⁠
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Q- What is your #1 tip for developing character design? ⁠
A- A good character design is formed not just by how your character looks, but through their personality and ability to connect with the reader. Think about what makes your character special and incorporate these elements into your design to create a magical character. If you're working on a live brief, it's important to fully understand the manuscript and what the author's vision is, as this will play a kay role in what makes a character design stand out.⁠
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Q- What are some of your favorite projects that you have agented? ⁠
A- Some of my favorite projects since joining Advocate Art include, Christmas from Around the World, illustrated by Claire McElfatrick for Gibsons Games which was featured on ITV’s This Morning, and Growing up Black in Britain written by Stuart Lawrence and illustrated by Simone Douglas for Scholastic, which was listed as a Key Read for Black History month in the UK 2022. ⁠
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Q- What is your illustration/ art background?⁠
A- I have a 1st Class Honors Degree in Illustration from the University of Portsmouth, and before joining Advocate Art, I worked at the Royal Academy of Art as an Exhibitions & Art Sales Coordinator. ⁠
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Q- What do you like to do in your free time? ⁠
A- I am a very active person, I love to exercise, do yoga, read, and travel. I also love food, so when I’m home you’ll most likely find me in the kitchen.⁠
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Learn more about our Character Study Course: https://learning.itsme.biz/

22/01/2024

Get to know one of our Graphic Novel Course instructors!

Erin Tisdel is an artist agent at , specializing in graphic novel projects!

Q- What is your #1 tip for those interested in working in graphic novels?
A- In my opinion, I have found that just really immersing yourself into the medium is so helpful and important. Try reading multiple genres with simple to complex paneling and various styles. The more you engage with it the more knowledge you will gain which will benefit you once it's your turn to create a title of your own.

Q- What are some of your favorite graphic novel projects that you agented?
A- My favorite might actually be one that I'm currently working on with First Second. It's about a middle schooler who becomes a superhero and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Q – What is your illustration/art background?
A- I am an artist myself, and love to spend a lot of my free time drawing. Before joining Advocate Art I was working in Museums and Galleries.

Q- What are some memorable projects you have agented?
A- I have had the opportunity to be a part of some wonderful projects, including Race to Kindness written by Orion Jean, Time’s Kid of the Year in 2021 and 203, illustrated by Darshika Varma, and Raquela’s Seder illustrated by Sara Ugolotti for Kar-Ben Publishing, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award 2023.

Q- What do you like to do in your free time?
A- Outside of work, you can find me drawing, cooking, watching tv or shopping for my vinyl record collection.

Learn more about our Graphic Novel Bootcamp: https://learning.itsme.biz/courses/graphic-novel-boot-camp

11/01/2024

Illustration Mentorship Feature! ⁠
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This lovely illustration celebrating World Book Day was created by JP Roberts!
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During the program, JP worked with our ITSme Learning Creative Director, Bhavi Patel developing work for children's books. ⁠
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We are pleased to share that JP is now represented by Illo Agency, congratulations 🎉!
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Our Spring mentorship program will start on February 26, and applications are now open! Please email us at [email protected] if you are interested.

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Hello from ITS ME!

International Talent Search (ITS) specialises in finding creative talent for all the biggest Creative Agencies worldwide.

NO MORE HEADHUNTING. LEAVE THAT FOR CEO’S AND CFO RECRUITERS.

At ITS, it's all about understanding exactly what you are looking for, what the key characteristics in that person are, plus knowing where they reside. We scout for the sources of creative talents and narrow them for our clients.

Our highly experienced and focused research team have been sourcing the best talent throughout the creative arena for over the last 25 years. We have the ability to collect, analyse and organise research and intelligence data with an extensive knowledge of the commercial environment.

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