Young Arrows: creativity on target

Three years ago the British Arrows – now just a couple of years away from its 50^th birthday – launched the Young Arrows to recognise and reward the range of new talent working across the entirety of British moving image advertising. 

“We’re doing everything we can to mitigate the ever-increasing challenges for young talent.”

Its 18 categories include, but are not limited to, animation, VFX, cinematography, editing, music, production, post and sound design - and each is set on celebrating the new wave of what the Chairman of the British Arrows’ board, Simon Cooper, calls “the young and emerging talent that is the lifeblood of the industry”. 

Cooper is the Joint MD and Partner of Academy Films, which he first joined way back in 1987, going on to produce iconic work by Jonathan Glazer, Frederic Planchon and many others. He took up the post of Arrows' Chairman last year, succeeding joint Chairwomen Jani Guest and Clare Donald, having been a member of the Arrows board for five years. 

Above: Young Arrows 2024 jury Co-Chairs Helen Rhodes, ECD at BBH London, and Chris Watling, MD and EP at Somesuch.

Cooper stepped up at a time when the creative industries are looking at a range of challenges square in the face – whether that be financial, technological or cultural. The role of brands, the engagement of audiences, the realignment of values and purpose when it comes to what advertising actually is and can offer, and the insanely rapid evolution of AI systems, all leave the industry pondering the shape of the future of creativity, especially for new and emerging talents that the Young Arrows is here to celebrate, and upon which the industry depends. 

“The big change this year is that it is absolutely free to enter, removing any potential financial barriers to entry for struggling talent.”

As such, there have been some innovations to enable a wider range of talents to enter the awards. “The big change this year is that it is absolutely free to enter, removing any potential financial barriers to entry for struggling talent,” says Cooper. At the same time, the Young Arrows will co-host a series of special events to bring new and established talents together in the room. “Framestore is hosting a launch party, Black Kite will host jury drinks and Coffee & TV will host a shortlist drinks evening. We are collaborating with Sticker Studios and their Women in Film series, and will be featuring all-female Young Arrows winners on their summer panel.”  

Emerging creatives will step up too, with Iain McCall-Greenfield, who's about to graduate from Bournemouth University, creating the motion graphics for the Young Arrows awards. “We’re doing everything we can to mitigate the ever-increasing challenges for young talent,” says Cooper. 

Above: The British Arrows board Chairman, Simon Cooper, speaking at last year's Young Arrows awards ceremony. 

Amid all the tech developments that make it easier to produce content than at any time in history, and when competition for people's attention has never been higher, the key challenge says one of this year's Young Arrows jury Co-Chairs, Chris Watling, MD and EP at Somesuch, is: how do you stand out? “The key is to be different,” he says. “What is it that makes you, your ideas and your work distinctive and unlike anything else? What hasn’t been seen before that only you could do? Explore [your creativity], push it in different directions, and amplify it through your work as much as you possibly can, with an obsessive focus on quality, craft and feeling.” 

"Double down on your points of difference. Don’t be an algorithm. Be a glitch.”

This especially applies in the face of artificial intelligence’s incursions into the creative space. When it comes to AI, Watling quotes Sir John Hegarty; “Mastering a new tool doesn’t differentiate you. Applying creativity does.”

“Everyone has access to these same tools,” says Watling, “which means that the majority of things can end up looking the same: derivative, mediocre. So, double down on your points of difference. Don’t be an algorithm. Be a glitch.” Or, as Hegarty famous said, when everyone zigs, zag. “Rising talent is probably in the best position to embrace and master the creative opportunities that the increasing use of AI will provide,” adds Cooper, “and the least likely to be scared of it.” 

Above: Some of the 2023 Young Arrows winners and attendees. 

It’s 'the zags', the glitches in the system, that the Young Arrows has in its sights. “I hope to see work that feels distinctive, innovative and unexpected,” says Watling, “work that sparks discussion and debate, that challenges conventional wisdom, that truly showcases the breadth of exciting new voices coming up through all sides of the industry. Work that has soul!” 

He touches on the importance of practical knowledge, too. “There is so much more to do across all areas of the industry,” he says. “From raising awareness of the career paths available to creating access, ensuring young talent is supported, mentored, listened to, given opportunities, paid properly and celebrated.”

“There is so much more to do across all areas of the industry.”

For the 2024 Young Arrows' other jury Co-Chair, BBH ECD Helen Rhodes, opportunity and intense pressure go hand-in-hand in the current pace of change. “Agencies, production companies and post houses are constantly shifting and adapting to new technologies and ways of working,” she says. “That can be daunting to someone who’s fresh to the industry – but it’s also exciting. And new talents are often quicker to adapt to that change.”