Studio PI
Launched in lockdown, Studio PI is a photography and illustration agency that only supports artists from underrepresented backgrounds: women, people of colour, people living with disabilities and people from working class backgrounds.
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Bridge Studio is capturing 49.7% of the full market share for content campaigns, and growth is only expected to reach 5%. How, then, can it diversify to increase its revenue opportunities whilst still being a ‘content studio with purpose’?
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Co-founder and Studio Creative Director Sachini Imbuldeniya talks powerfully about the discrimination she has faced breaking into the creative industry. As the UK All-Party-Parliamentary Group for Creative Diversity confirmed in 2020, she was not alone. But there was something we could do about that.
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We set up a sister company to Bridge Studio: a new agency that brings in an entirely new revenue stream while also supporting talented underrepresented artists.
The initial thinking behind Studio was to diversify our Studio business. We could seek new artists that could build additional revenue for the business (coming from separate marketing budgets than our typical content-based campaigns), and save our editorial platforms the cost of agency fees when commissioning new artists.
Then in early 2020 something we already knew was confirmed – just how unequal our industry is for diverse talent.
‘Women, people of colour, people living with disabilities and people from working class origins are significantly underrepresented in the creative industries.’
— All-Party Parliamentary Group for Creative Diversity, April 2020
George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 26, 2020 after the officer suspected him of using a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. The outrage that followed his unjust death sparked #BlackLivesMatter protests and rioting across the world.
This injustice meant for us that Studio PI was more vital than ever. The proposal took on a new urgency for us, and so we presented the business case for Studio PI to News UK eleven days after George Floyd's death.
Photograph: Brunel Johnson, Studio PI
Within Studio we already had a commitment to supporting diverse artists: 82% of every campaign we produced used diverse talent in front of and behind the lens. Studio PI was a natural extension of our business.
Studio PI launched in October 2020, during lockdown, with 20 artists on its roster.
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Commercial success
Studio PI started with a real bang. Sachini Imbuldeniya took on the role of Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director, working with Darren Sital-Singh as Managing Director. Studio PI has signed more new artists onto its books and delivered over 250 campaigns for clients worth over £500,000.
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Positivity
The launch of Studio PI generated positive PR coverage totalling over £4.3million. The agency won Campaign’s Launch of the Year in 2021.
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Star quality
Since launch Sachini has gone from strength to strength. She has won numerous awards including Campaign’s Future Leaders of 2021, Female Frontier Awards, and has been recognised as a Diversity Champion throughout the industry. She even became a cover star in her native Sri Lanka in February 2022. Her mum (who I have interviewed in the editorial section of this site) is very proud.
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Meaningful change
The biggest change, however, has come for the artists themselves. Studio PI now has winners of the AOP Awards, The Economist Awards, shortlisted artists for the Taylor Wessing Prize, and D&AD and Cannes Lions winners. Their talents are finally being recognised.