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PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS |
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 Date: 05.01.04
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Below is an (unedited) interview for SL Magazine, that took place in January 2004 with Ant (Anthony Scholte), founding Director of TheAntsNest.com.
1. When did you start The Ants Nest & TheAntsNest.com?
The Ants Nest first started in February 1998 as a below the line advertising and design company and then evolved into TheAntsNest.com.
2. What was the idea behind TheAntsNest.com?
Early company policy at The Ants Nest was to never say no to a clients creative need. Projects that couldn`t be handled in-house were outsourced to an ever increasing network of creative people.
I found that rather than growing tired of doing the same work every day, the diversity of projects I was involved in, and the variety of creative people I was collaborating with, served to stimulate my own creativity as well as ensure that every day`s work was different from the day before. The diversity of services ensured my job to be continuously exciting and interesting.
This was the birth of TheAntsNest.com idea! A single company could offer more than one creative service as well as encourage it`s employees to cross over and explore other creative fields/opportunities. On the other side was the internet. Embracing the current technology.
During 1999 and 2000 I ran some jobs to completion without ever meeting the client face to face. Clients would hear about The Ants Nest via word of mouth and send us a brief via email. Projects were run using email, sms and telephone communication. What was the difference between a client 10 kms away, or 10 000 kms away, when we communicate in this manner?
Using contacts overseas in the UK and the Netherlands we started to land our first international clients. Of course, thanks to the exchange rate, we could charge foreign clients far more than the local ones and this also enabled us to pay our Ants more that their usual rates as well as offer large commissions to anyone who introduced a client to us.
In 2000, after many discussions with friends in the creative industry, the decision was made to move The Ants Nest into cyber space! Each job we ran during this beta or testing phase was essentially an experiment as to how this type of company could exist.
On 1 September 2001 was the official launch of TheAntsNest.com.
3. How old are you?
28
I started The Ants Nest when I was 22 years old.
4. How does TheAntsNest.com function?
We showcase creative South Africans` portfolios on our website.
Then we find both local and international jobs for our "Worker Ants" to work on.
Clients can either select an Worker Ant from the Ant Portfolios on our website, or request TheAntsNest.com to recommend the right candidate for the job.
We may also select and custom build teams of Worker Ants to service exactly whatever our clients need. (Creatively speaking of course!)
5. What media exposure has TheAntsNest.com had?
Media exposure has been great but not something I have strived for. We`re more "underground" than main stream. I like it this way as I have more control over the balance of Clients and Ants.
We have been featured in various newspapers and on TV a few times. E-Arts, Heita, The News and magazines like Style, Get Out, Good Taste, Cape Etc., Glamour and some airline magazines. I have an interview tomorrow morning with a new DSTV Channel called GO, and as we`re a .com company, we`re linked to by various websites and online articles.
6. What`s your greatest success story?
Very tough to say. It depends on your definition of "success". If you mean most lucrative job/s, then it`s definitely some of the international websites we do. Graphic Design and Web Design are our most popular services.
If by "success" you mean most enjoyable... Our most recent exhibition, TheAntsNest.com Amateur Photography Exhibition, was a blast and is getting some fantastic public and media feedback. But I think my favourite job so far was producing a complete fashion section for a local (South African) magazine.
We handled every aspect of the job from brainstorming the original concept, to selecting suitable models, using our own Fashion Designers` clothing, styling the shoot, the photography and then even the graphic layout of the fashion spreads. All the magazine had to do was drop our work into their template and press print.
The concept was a wild one! It involved models holding REAL hearts!
The creative team on that job was amazing to work with - everyone had a jol!
(Click here to view this job!)
7. What`s been the most rewarding thing, for you?
Being able to do what I do and especially the people I work with!!!
I really couldn`t have asked for a better network. Each of us share a similar dream which is to enjoy our work and have fun with it. Best of all, each team member brings their own special flare and ideas to the party.
My Ants make my job the best job in the world!
If it wasn`t for them I`d have chucked in the towel years ago and probably have moved back to Indo to surf away the rest of my days as a beach bum. Thanks to the mobility of TheAntsNest.com, someday I may be able to to both!
8. What`s the reason for the anonymity of the "ants"?
I hate the clicky, who`s who, c$%k sucking side of the creative industry.
I know I piss some people off when I say things like this but so much of the ad/design/creative industry is about labels and marketing names/brands rather focusing on good quality design.
I have met so many incredibly talented individuals who are undiscovered in terms of the award scene and then others who are have average skill level but who slimed their way into top positions with fat salaries because of their social circles and kissing the right ass.
At TheAntsNest.com we have taken away everyone`s identities! We have completely levelled the playing fields. Their can be zero discrimination!
No one knows the sex, race, age, or years of experience of any of the Ants. If a client selects an Ant for a job and that Ant is not qualified to complete it alone, we partner the selected Ant with a more professional one to guarantee a 100% result for the client.
TheAntsNest.com is all about sourcing new, fresh talent and helping those individuals to gain experience and exposure. The younger Ants can work in teams with experienced Ants and pad up their portfolios with real projects, that can boost their chances of success in the rapidly growing, highly competitive, creative industry of their choice.
9. Please tell me about TheAntsNest.com Amateur Photography Competition. Is it a permanent, annual competition?
This is a side project for TheAntsNest.com that we do in order to source new talented photographers for our network as well as a way to generate funds for a charity of our choice (the Cape Town Street Kids).
It provides an awesome opportunity for aspiring photographers to get exposure, public feedback, fantastic prizes (cash and a photography course) and possibly earn cash from print orders.
We also ran workshops where we taught some street kids how to take photographs to enable them to enter the competition too. It was important for us to involve the kids in the competition and to give them a sense of being able to contribute positively to society, rather than just handing over cash and encouraging them to just continue to extend their hands. The competition and workshop will definitely continue this year as both have been incredibly well received by both media, sponsors, visitors and entrants.
10. How did you secure sponsorship? How long has it taken to put the whole thing together? How long will the exhibition in the Clock Tower be on display for?
We begged! ! !
I thought that after having already done one competition it would be easier the second time around. I was wrong!
Obviously we had to step up the show from the previous year but if I`d known how difficult it would have been to pull off organizing a second competition I would have rather spent those 6 months focusing purely on jobs that were paying us for our time!
Now that it is over and the exhibition is a fantastic success it seems the blood, sweat and tears were worth it. We have also made some fantastic new contacts who are very interested in supporting us on future competitions as well as the other events we do throughout the year like fashion shows and design exhibitions.
The exhibition will be on display at Cape Tourism, V&A, Cape Town until 30 January 2004.
11. When and where is your fashion show in March? What is the aim of the fashion show?
The March 2004 fashion show will launch TheAntsNest.com/Fashion as a "fashion label" and will be directed predominantly towards fashion buyers and media.
Some of our fashion designers have their own labels, some are award-winners some are recently graduated students but all are incredibly skilled in our opinion and deserve our support.
Each designer has an "Ant Number" which is essentially their identity or reference number for buyers or clients to make use of.
We`re also hoping to secure sponsorship to take part in this years Cape Town Fashion Week in August. That would be a great opportunity for our Fashion Ants to get some huge exposure to local and international buyers. The problem with these high profile events is that the struggling creatives cannot afford to take part in them. This means only the big guys get involved and the clothing or designs you see at these shows are in most cases exactly what you`d see when walking through a shopping centre - nothing particularly exciting, original or different. We hope to get in there this year and turn some heads!
The best way to keep in touch with what we`re up to is to register on our website (www.theantsnest.com) and choose to receive our newsletter.
12. TheAntsNest.com is rather different from any other graphic design/creative agency. Would you agree with that statement?
Definitely!
We are by no means a conventional design/creative agency but it is more our way of working than our "side projects".
Our entire way of operating is designed for the benefit of those who work for/with us.
We have removed the hierarchical structure from the agency and enable any Ant to pitch directly to the client without their ideas being censored or crushed by some old school creative director who ensures that only work that suites their agencies corporate image is presented to clients.
TheAntsNest.com provides the perfect environment for any creative person. You experience TOTAL creative freedom! The are so many talented designers whose creativity is crushed and extinguished buy the environments they work within. I feel the most exciting work produced is at often at student level because they have nothing to loose and are encouraged to experiment. This is exactly what we try to do and as no one knows who you are there is no chance of you ruining your reputation.
I believe a creative environment like the one TheAntsNest.com offers has the potential to take South African creativity to new heights. It is all about experimenting and pushing your boundaries as far as you possibly can and the set structure of the traditional agencies do not allow for this.
Our Clients benefit too buy the variety of creative styles we can offer them. They can also get all their creative needs serviced from one location.
The structure of TheAntsNest.com is such that everyone is employed on a freelance basis so our overheads are low and this also benefits the client`s wallet at the end of the day.
13. What do you think is missing from CT’s cultural landscape? Would you, or do you, have any plans to address that, or is this something beyond your scope and/or interest?
I think that creatively Cape Town rocks but in many cases it is the relaxed mindset of Capetonians that hinders their ability to compete for clients internationally.
Creativity has a lot to do with what inspires you and Cape Town has to be the most beautiful and inspiring city in the world! (I`m not saying this because of our links with Cape Tourism - I have travelled extensively and believe this!)
I like to encourage my Ants to source their inspiration from their local surroundings rather than the follow make like the rest of the industry and follow what happens abroad.
It`s about time the first world started looking to the third for inspiration but this will not happen if we are following them.
the end
(at last)
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