Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Galligan & Nicole Folino, co-owners of Artists With Agency. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Danielle & Nicole, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. In the decade and a half that you have been working as Artist Representatives, how have you overcome or avoided burnout?
We joke that very few of our peers have spent as much time as either of us have at one company or in one professional role, but we’ve managed to avoid burnout by embracing the aspect of our industry that is ever evolving. There are always new mediums to produce content for and on, new potential collaborators to team up with, new brands to promote, new products to sell, and there are always more doors for us to knock on on behalf of the artists we represent.
Beyond the novelty we find within the parameters of our work lives, we have made it a priority in the past
fifteen years to continue investing in ourselves as entrepreneurial spirits and building rich lives and communities that extend beyond the hours of our work week. Both of us are involved in volunteer work we’re passionate about and both of us are inspired by the range of opportunities that our artists are presented with year in and year out. We find that the advertising and commercial photo industries’ yearly ebbs and flow are ever shifting as well – so we let the business keep us on our toes, are all the better for not ever just resting on our laurels and are constantly taking stock of what new endeavors we may want to pursue personally and as an organization.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourselves before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
The two of us pride ourselves on being problem solvers, creative thinkers and Jills of all trades. Our company, Artists With Agency, provides clients in the print and film world with wardrobe, prop and food stylists, hair and makeup artists, production coordinators, location scouts, set designers, wranglers and styling assistants for productions shooting across the country, but primarily in MA, CA and NY.
Prior to launching AWA last fall, we honed our skills as agents and entrepreneurs working at ENNIS Inc where Danielle started in 2007 and Nicole in 2008 and where the two of us quickly realized we made an exceptional team. When our boss, Barbe Ennis, an industry icon, retired in 2023, we were excited to take the helm of an agency of our own having identified the attributes that led to Ennis’s successful 40 year run. With AWA, we built an ethos where reliability, flexibility, and teamwork are the core of our artist representation. Together we support healthy, meaningful careers of artists and invest in their infinite talent and growth. We empower artists who are individual business owners and brands and who utilize their creativity to accomplish unimaginable feats, and we foster agency in the individuals we represent because we believe they can and should be in the driver seat of their careers.
Times of economic unrest always breed creativity and innovation. The conception of Artists With Agency dates back to a bleak day in 2020 when uncertainty abounded, but we were sure of one thing – when the time came to go out on our own – we would lean on and into the guideposts of communication, creativity, collaboration, artistry, trustworthiness and continuous growth and we would thrive.
Recently AWA has partnered with the incredible team at @_projectpaulie_ to extend the “giving season” with an exclusive hat collaboration where a portion of proceeds will go to @onewarmcoat. And earlier this year we helped raise money for @yeskidsboston’s incredibly inspiring programming which gets city kids connected to nature through ski & snowboard adventures, running & rock climbing excursions, & leadership development co-hosting an open bar happy hour with McGarry & Sons and providing wardrobe for the event’s photo booth. We believe in building on partnerships that won’t only showcase and benefit the artists on our roster but that also positively impact the communities our artists live and work in.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
We came up with the name of our company based on having always really valued agency – the capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfill their potential. We also think resourcefulness & adaptability are essential for success. We’d advise folks who are early in their professional careers as stylists, hair & makeup artists, producers, etc to be yes sayers, to dig in on being problem solvers, and to be realistic about how vast the range of experiences is that they’re going to have on any given project. No two bookings are the same, no two clients operate the same way, no two assignments require the same approach – so an openness to meeting each new challenge’s demands with a growth mindset is essential. There’s so much to learn from every opportunity and your tool box is only strengthened by working on a wide range of projects.
How would you describe your ideal client?
Our ideal clients are fun, even-keeled, creative and trusting team players. We love when producers or creative directors come to us knowing they can trust us to place them in the hands of the consummate professionals we represent. The artists on our roster have navigated this industry for decades with agency and agility and want nothing more than to make our clients’ dreams a reality. We love being brought into the mix on projects that make powerful statements or that challenge the status quo, and we love calming the nerves of our clients who can feel confident we are going to pair them with the perfect team of artists capable of executing their vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artistswithagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistswithagency/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550890774471
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artists-with-agency/
Image Credits
Headshots of Nicole and Danielle credited to photographer Heather McGrath Lindemans still shot credited to photographer Nina Gallant with styling by AWA’s Sierra Baskind Converse group shot credited to photographer Munachi Osegbu with styling by AWA’s Christian Adams and Hair & Makeup by AWA’s Liz Washer and Alexia Jay Cedars still shot credited to photographer Nina Gallant with styling by AWA’s Erin Riley Vegamour still shot credited to photographer Leonard Greco with styling by AWA’s Erin Riley Tequila still shot credited to photographer Eric Gilbert with styling by AWA’s Monica Mariano and Alethia Weingarten Poolside fashion shot credited to photographer Yulia Gorbachenko with styling by AWA’s Candice Waldman
