Snyder redesigns to better represent everything it is “under one, lovely umbrella”

Representation has always mattered for Snyder. As a UK/US-based artist representation and creative production agency, it hosts an incredible roster of creatives, at least half of whom are women. It stands out for its desire to forge conscientious connections between both itself and its collaborators and between artists and audiences – it has an affinity for creators who aren’t shy about sharing vulnerability for this very reason. Since we caught up with the agency in 2020, big changes have been underway at Snyder. The agency has just launched its new website, a year-long project in partnership with Patron Studio, and a rebrand, repositioning it from Snyder New York to Snyder, to better reflect its true identity.

“Our brand look and feel has been pretty much the same since 2018 when we upgraded our site the last time,” says Kristina Snyder, CEO and founder of Snyder, alongside co-founder Kat Irannejad. “In that long timespan we have grown in an amazing way – we have added artists and animation teams, our staff has grown, and the old site was technically not great.” Riding a huge wave of interest in illustration and animation in 2021, and with “seriously rad artists to show off”, Snyder created a website optimised for a more creativity-led experience. Senior illustration agent Jolene Lloyd Jones, who worked on the website with Patron Studio, explains: “It does right by our artists by elevating their folios and showcasing featured projects; it will also have room for us to share our own content and articles.”

As for some of the artists, the new site experience champions the “hyper-femme” work of Loulou Joao, a 3D visual artist creating work, in which you might meet her digital alter ego, Miss Focket. As a creative aiming to “claim a spot in the mostly male-dominated space of 3D/CGI”, it’s clear how Loulou’s work aligns with the women-owned Snyder – the latter operating amongst an equally majority-male agent community. After joining Snyder in October 2020, Loulou describes their collaboration as akin to gaining “a bunch of aunties that support me and always have my back”, taking a lot of stress out of her freelancer experience. “Whenever I feel insecure about myself or my work I only have to send them a simple message and I get a call where they truly listen and give the best advice ever,” she says.

As the proof in the pudding of Snyder’s connection-led approach, Loulou Joao recently collaborated with another artist repped by the agency, Steph Ramplin. A kindred 3D artist exploring the human form through a 3D cartoon lens, she worked with Loulou for an animation about trick or treating, based around one of Loulou’s own characters. “I think this project goes back to the idea of community and supporting other artists’ work,” Steph reflects. “I think that’s really important to Snyder.” Having not known many other artists when she entered the creative industry, she continues: “The agents at Snyder have always encouraged me to talk to and get to know the other people on their roster. Freelance animation can be lonely at times so it’s been great to have a new group of people who are in a similar situation to chat to.”

London-based illustrator, designer and animator Charles Williams, aka Made Up Studio, knows this feeling all too well. “Freelancing can be a pretty isolating, stoic pursuit,” Charles explains. “Having a supportive agency behind you helps to alleviate that aspect; they’re kind of work mates.” Charles began work with Snyder all the way back in 2014 and has just joined its UK roster, something he recently celebrated with a short looping 3D type piece. On the business side of things, Charles explains Snyder have bought in big projects, from posters for the Oscars to covers for The Washington Post, that have been pivotal to his studio’s development. But, he explains the “close-knit” agency has also furthered his practice in a very human way too: “I appreciate their positivity and enthusiasm for my work, and creative work in general – I think that’s really important for an agency representing artists, to also be excited about the work.”

Enthusiasm can be a hard trait to measure, although Barcelona-based collage artist Máximo Tuja, aka Max-o-matic, ensures that this ethos is key to his experiences with Snyder. The perfect example came from an animated spot he made for soda company Rudo. “[Snyder] saw that I started working on experimental motion clips on my own,” Máximo explains. “They encouraged me to take that further and create an animated piece for a real company.” Spotting this untapped value in Máximo’s practice work, Snyder teamed him up with an animator too; “Only people that really care about you help you in this way,” says Máximo. Having been with the agency since 2013, this remains the aspect of the agency the artist identifies with the most.

Looking forwards to the future of Snyder, Kristina summarises that the next goal is to continue to grow, while presenting leading artists “in an unexpected and surprising way”. The founder adds: “We want to attract clients that are looking for creative depth and that want to tap into our artists’ creativity.” In this way, Snyder’s rebrand and new website are sure to allow for further momentum, offering both beautiful new possibilities for presentation while at the same time showcasing Snyder’s authentic, community-led approach to creative work.